Toys

Currently Reading: The Handmaid's Tale by Margaret Atwood

You know, I think you have to be an adult to really appreciate toys these days. I was walking through the toy department on the way to the groceries the other day and of course they have the latest toys on display right at the ends of the aisles where everyone can see them. Right now there's a big push for Spiderman toys because of the movie.

I stopped and looked at a few of them and they really are pretty cool. You can get little shooting things to strap to your wrists that shoot silly string (the cans and shooting things are smaller now than previous versions). The action figures don't just move their arms and legs either. Now they come with all sorts of spring-activated action moves. They also come with props too. Back when I was a kid, they just came with a gun. Now, you get a gun or two or three, maybe a few swords in the mix too. You also get something for your super hero to knock down or throw or pose on or any number of things depending on the super hero.

Did I mention a lot of these things talk now? Oh sure. Who wants a boring old action figure that just sits there and you have to supply the words? What about a gun where you have to actually go BANG when you fire it? No, not these days. These days damn near every toy gun supplies its own sound effects and a lot of them actually fire something.

I guess most of this is caused by video games. Back when I was a kid, video games were blocky, they didn't have much of and they hardly transported you to a mystical realm where all sorts of cool things happen to cool people. If you wanted that sort of thing, you had to do it yourself. Not anymore.