Thursday, June 12, 2008

Toys from your Childhood: New and Improved?

by Teresa

We all know, as parents, that we’re not supposed to try to force our own interests onto our children.

I will readily admit, however, that I did start giving My Little Pony toys to my daughter, when she was pretty little.
You know, just in case she happened to like them, as I did, when I was younger.
I will even admit, sheepishly, that I went on eBay and bought her a vintage one… an orange pony called “Applejack,“ the same one I had when I was about 10 years old (with shipping, it cost at least twice what it would’ve cost to just buy a modern one in the toy store.  Yes, I paid extra to buy a piece of molded plastic with nylon hair… that was about 25 years old.  It’s the orange one on the left in the photo above.)

Apparently, in a tough economy, toy companies are banking on the fact that other parents are like me… that they’ll want to buy toys for their kids, that remind them, fondly, of the past.  But they are revamping the brands.  Click here to read an article in the New York times about the way Strawberry Shortcake characters, and others, are being updated for today’s kids.  Apparently some toy makers think familiar lines are a safer bet than new toys, in these economic times.

Incidentally, as it turns out, my daughter loves My Little Pony toys. 
But she prefers the new Ponyville line (the tiny ones in front, in the photo).