Collectibles

My grand daughter (D) is obsessed with surprise toys.   It began with the little Princess bags sold at the register in stores like Target. The customer never knew what small figurine was inside the bag when they bought it. D has moved on to collectible dolls all packaged exactly alike so that the child is "surprised" to see which doll her parents bought her. The Princess bags were somewhat affordable, - $3 or $4 a pop. The dolls run closer to $10 a pop. Is this why her parents work so hard?  

I see the appeal.  It's a little like scratch off lottery tickets.  Maybe this time, I'll get that special Dancing Cutie doll.  Maybe this time, I'll win big.  At least, the children still get a toy to keep.

Trading cards had the same allure.  This pack might have the rare picture of Luke Skywalker and Darth Vader.  Further back, kids collected in hopes of getting the card for their favorite sports player.  Some cards have risen in value.  Why?  Because some kids never grow up, I think.  They still hope to live, or find value, through their things.

What happens when a child's friends aren't lucky enough to own as many expensive toys?  What happens when a child can't enjoy the fizz of anticipation because her parents work hard but don't make as much money as other parents?  How do we protect little humans from equating owning things to happiness or worth?

Dan, (youngest brother and partner in crime), brainstormed a little bit last week.  His son, J, collects a lot of trading chips of Manga and Anime characters.  That's what is hot in Japan in the elementary school group.  Action figures and their vehicles and gadgets are what young boys collect.  They aren't cheap either.

What if, we asked, we packaged card decks that let kids make their own fun?  Each deck would contain cards with crafts or experiments or games that kids could play, make or do at home.  Each deck would also have a heavier card that could be turned into a character or a toy. A website would give points to each heavy card.  That's as far as we got.   Could the children collect points and win...what?  What?  It seems like a puny offering to counter sparkly dolls in carefully designed and crafted "surprise" packages.  Sigh.

In the meantime, parents work at jobs that they often dislike just so they can afford a "nice" house, a "good" car, and toys that clutter up that nice house and good car.

And other parents have to say "no" to their children because those parents make just enough to pay the rent or buy groceries.

Life isn't fair.   Fun should be free - or affordable.

Further Adventures - Little Blue Bunny

(His name is Little Blue Bunny.  D says he is six years old.)    

Yesterday, Nutty Romomlia, celebrated her fifth birthday.  Little Blue Bunny wasn't going to give her a present.  She is just his little sister, after all.

But Nana found something that he could give her so he wrapped it up in aluminum foil.

Everyone wore stickers on their tummies (except Cuttlefish.  She hardly has a tummy.).  Nutty Romomlia was so excited.  D made an oreo cake and almost didn't have enough (imaginary) oreos to complete it.  Then she wrecked the icing and had to do it over.  Such drama for a small person birthday!

See the invisible cake?  It's on the green plate.  YUM!

The presents were wonderful; a pinecone, a wiggily head turtle, a huge noise maker, a box of crayons(!!) and a picture of stars!  Nutty Romomlia loved all of them.

Nutty and her presents and someone blue.

Little Blue Bunny had to wash up afterwards and that made him mad.  It WAS his turn to wash the dishes but there were so many of them.  Boy, he splashed and crashed and rattled those dishes clean.  And, then.... and then.... (DUM, DUM, DUMMMMM)

He left the (pretend) water faucet running - ON PURPOSE.  (D insisted that LBB did it on purpose.  The game had changed to Little-Blue-Bunny-Gets-In-Trouble-One-Last-Time, except even D realizes that it is never a "last" time.)

The (invisible) water overflowed the sink and soaked the floor and D slipped and slid and fell and couldn't get up.

Little Blue Bunny didn't even know about it.  He was off somewhere playing with his friends.

Nana had to help poor D who was now (pretend) cold and wet and sad and D had to huddle under a blanket while Nana made sure she was warm.

What a shock!  Nana called the water removal pros with their suctioning device and Little Blue Bunny got sucked up into the device!

Nana suggested that Little Blue Bunny be washed down the sewer - quite an adventure THAT would have been!- but D said No!.  LBB had to pay for making her wet and cold and possibly even sick.  So instead, the water was emptied into the sink and LBB climbed out, none the worse for wear.  Actually, he thought the whole thing was a riot!!

But NOT when Nana got hold of him.  Oh, he got such a talking to!  AND he got time-out.  AND he had to write D an apology.  AND he has to wash the dishes every night this week - WITHOUT overflowing the sink or breaking anything or making a mess.

Little Blue Bunny is sorry.  He's not sorry about the water overflowing, or the mess.  He's not at all sorry about the water suctioning pros - that was fun!  He's sorry that D got cold and wet and caught the (imaginary) sniffles.  Little Blue Bunny loves D.  She's his favorite "cousin" in the whole world.

Hmmm, what will happen to Little Blue Bunny today?