It has been way too long since I last posted anything. I would blame my lack of posting on the fact that I've been super busy, but I know my mom would disagree and cite all the tv shows I've spent time watching recently. (Psych and Burn Notice just came back, so I've been absolutely giddy. Totally loving Shules, but Jesse not so much) So I'm not gonna even bother trying to excuse myself and move on to the topic that's been bouncing around in my head all week.
*Ahem*
This week, my friend Katrina and I spent an hour in Walmart shopping for an Operation Christmas Child box. We spent more than half of the time walking down each aisle of the toy department pushing buttons and being thoroughly creeped out by the animated toys. When I was little, we didn't have these toys with moving body parts which hilariously fail to imitate real animals. We had to use our... wait for iiiiit... imaginations!!
Really, I think animation significantly limits the toy's usefulness. Sure, moving arms and legs may be sorta cool in that you don't have to waste allllll that energy to move them yourself. But stuffed kitties with mechanical insides are absolutely no good for cuddling. You can't squeeze their plushy lower half into your Barbie Corvette so they can drag race against the beanie baby on the next shelf. Just give me a toy that does absolutely nothing so that I can make it do whatever I want! Confused? Let Phineas and Ferb explain it:
Genius, right? My favorite Disney boys totally get it. And my favorite Disney toys from Toy Story get it too. Yes, Buzz Lightyear had the wings that pop out and the voice box that apparently has an epic Spanish setting. But practically all the other toys in Andy's room were simple and therefore able to do absolutely anything. At the very end of Toy Story 3 as Andy drops off his toys to the little girl down the street, he hands each one to her while describing just how awesome these individual toys were. He didn't describe their high-tech animations, but rather the characters they played in his imagination which made them a special part of his childhood. *sniffle* I may need a tissue.
Anyways, Katrina and I picked out a little stuffed monkey with no mechanical qualities whatsoever so that the little girl who receives it can make it do whatever she wants. I even tested its cuddliness before putting in the box to be sent to another country. It passed with flying colors. I liked it so much that I may have to buy myself another one. Yes I am almost 22 years old, and I may be purchasing a stuffed critter for myself. As if I didn't have enough already.
Sorry, I didn't make it past the Spanish Buzz reference before laughing myself sick.
ReplyDeleteWhen my brother and I were younger, our favorite toys were Patch and Betty, two worn out old stuffed dalmatians and their friends (although it would take too long to list them all). Patch was so worn out that he was held together with medical tape since stitches just ripped immediately out. He was even missing an eye. They didn't have any fancy mechanical stuffs, but they had a paintball army camp, a TV show, and countless other stuff that my brother and I thought up over the years.
So, to summarize, imagination>>>animation.
Although I do find it ironic that you used an animated TV show for your anti-animation post XD
Yeah I thought of you when I mentioned Spanish Buzz, haha!
ReplyDeleteAwwwwww to your cute dalmatian toys! My faves where beanie babies (had to be Ty, and I played with them lots regardless of "collectible" value) and those little pound puppies and purries.
Good point on the irony, I didn't think about that. And then it's even more ironic that animated characters don't like animated toys. Watch out, my head might explode...