Kid on a Motorized Bike

In the few weeks after Christmas, the toys that parents get their kids come out into the light of day, for better or worse. Maybe I’m a toy purist, or something, but it feels like with each year more and more automated toys come to the market.

When I was a kid, we had giant Lego blocks and we played outside a lot. Of course, as a child of the 80s, I had My Little Ponies, and Strawberry Shortcake dolls. But still, we had to make them move and talk ourselves.

Today’s toys seem to leave little to the imagination. Even the latest Tickle-Me Elmo, Fisher-Price’s most “X-Treme” Elmo thus far, goes beyond just giggling. This little guy actually convulses in fits of laughter, doubling over and falling to the floor, pounding the ground with the kind of enthusiasm reserved for moments of unbelievable hilarity, if only the kid knew what was so funny. You can see a video of this Elmo here, and frankly, I think the dog has the right idea.

Last week I was driving and stopped to let a family of three cross the road in front of me. It looked like a nice couple, slowly riding their bikes so their kid could keep up on his own bicycle. But then I looked closer, and realized that the kid’s bike was MOTORIZED. There was no pedaling involved, the kid just had to sit there and the bike/scooter did all of the work for him. Now, I’m not that old. I’m twenty-six, and even I can still remember when we had to PEDAL OUR OWN BIKES.

Where’s the imagination in today’s toys? Where is all of the intense activity that parents love because it tires out their youngsters? Granted, some of the old-school toys were less-than-safe, such as Ted’s steel Tonka trucks he grew up bonking his head on. Still, there’s got to be a balance somewhere.

We don’t have kids yet, so we’ll see how I feel about toys once we’re parents. My hope is that we don’t cave to the pressures to buy the toys that jiggle, wiggle, and walk. I think old-fashioned creativity is a good thing, and I’d hate to think of what would happen if, as a country, we lost that in our next generation.