In the latest Babble Dispatch, author Susan Gregory Thomas writes that—according to marketers, anyway—Gen-X parents are spending a fortune on nostalgic toys in an attempt to relive their 70's childhood.
Let's see if she's right. Born between 1965-1977? Yup. Do my kids play with My Pretty Ponies? Check. Did vintage Strawberry Shortcake curtains adorn the windows in my daughter's room? Yes. Do they own Care Bears underpants? Unfortunately, yes.
In some ways, these marketers could be right, but in my own defense, I was too old to play with My Pretty Ponies or to watch Strawberry Shortcake. However, I did observe how much pleasure my younger sisters derived from playing with the colorful toys even though I thought they were kinda creepy. My generation played with the trachea-shaped Fisher-Price figures, Baby Alive, Lincoln Logs, giant Barbie heads, and Tinker Toys.
If my kids play with old skool toys now, it's because they are everyfreakinwhere (thanks to Gen-Xers, right?), and not so much that I am trying to recapture my youth through my children. If that were the case, I'd let them put on "kids makeup" and "smoke" candy cigarettes while playing "Happy Days" ("You be Fonzie and I'm your girlfriend and you have to kiss me.") with their preschool friends.
