I extremely dislike cheap plastic toys.
How about this one? A fake Barbie. You've got to be kidding me, right? I guess if I thought about it, I would have realized that someone is out there mass producing Barbie knock offs in China. But, I haven't been looking so I haven't ever given it much thought. Until now.
Picture this:
Her plastic tiara is glued to her hair. Maddy pulled it off within about 2 seconds and ruined the princess updo forever. Dried glue glop now seen front and center above her forehead.
Her arms don't stay in their sockets when turned up/down. Maddy pulled both off in about 2 minutes. (I think the rest of her body stayed intact only because we told her to stop testing the poor thing!)
Her tiny high heel shoes don't stay on her feet. Shoes now lost.
Her skimpy halter top doesn't stay put - pretty thing keeps flashing us...and of course she is well endowed as any Barbie knock off might be.
I am just in shock that such toys exist.
More than ever, this doll just solidifies one of my soapboxes. I really dislike (I try not to use the word hate much) cheap plastic toys and the stores like Toys R Us who market and sell them.
I am a huge proponent of toys that foster open-ended play, meaning the child does the playing rather than the toy doing the entertaining:
* imagination sparking
* can be used for multiple uses
* natural products (wood, metal, real stuff!)
* nothing from TV or movies
* avoid electronic or battery operated toys
Examples: blocks, legos, stuffed animals, dolls, dramatic play toys, dress up clothes, art supplies to name a few.
I totally realize this stems from a) the country girl and b) the preschool teacher in me. But, I believe with all my heart that it makes a difference in development, learning, attention span, and so much more.
Not that having a Leap Frog this or that is bad, I just know it's not what I want for my kids at this time! And I love dolls, just not plastic ones that fall apart in 5 minutes!
What are your thoughts?
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
I'm totally with you on this. I really try hard to weed out the plastic and/or battery-operated toys in our house. Toys with batteries that just do their own thing don't keep my kids' attention. They want toys that they can MAKE to do things (if that makes sense?).
ReplyDeleteCaleb's favorite toys are blocks, a little wooden bus, any kind of ball and a few toys from the Play Store in Palo Alto. He does have some favorite Tonka trucks or matchbox cars but like you said... at least they don't fall apart right away.
Definitely agree. We try to find toys and clothes for the kids in our lives that are NOT made in China, and if possible, are made in USA. You would be surprised at the amount of USA-made, quality stuff out there, although it's mostly online. Fat Brain Toys has a good selection, and you can search by country of origin. There are also websites that help disadvantaged women produce quality dolls and other toys. And generally if you search for any organic toy, it'll be made here.
ReplyDelete-Janna
We have tried to minimize the electronic toys, for sure, but inevitably a family member gets him something that beeps and sings. He goes running from the thing that once was his love (the elmo doll that doesn't talk) to the Leapfrog Dog that does everything, including singing my son's name! What can you do...? He loves to be sung to. I guess in this digital age, those toys that we used to play with as kids, that sparked imagination, are few and far between. Kenna is a perfect example of a child that had too many electronic toys playing FOR her and she no longer has much of an imagination or PATIENCE, for anything. (Or maybe that's just her personality) Either way, I have to wonder, in this age of technology, is it hurting or helping our children to expose them to these things... We shall see.
ReplyDeleteJennifer Alexander