It was reading about the controversy surrounding the newly released tattooed Barbie doll, that got me thinking about today’s toys and how they differ from the toys of my formative years.

Oh sure, there are still a lot of the same items available – board games, puzzles, Play-Doh, Mr. Potato Head, dolls, marbles, trains, trucks and cars.

But technology, innovation, and a heck of lot of movies have produced a glut of toys we could never have imagined in our wildest childhood dreams.

“Hey,” I called into my husband’s home office.  “Want to go to Walmart and look at toys?”

With six grandkids counting the days ‘til Christmas (and only 51 days left), we might as well get out there and check out the choices.

I didn’t have to ask him twice. Steve is the shopper in the family, even if it’s only the “window” kind.  Me?  If I need something, I go, I get it, I go home. Bada bing, bada boom.

“Here is your mission, should you choose to accept it,” I say as we stand between cosmetics and curtain rods, gazing toward the toy section. “You take the boy-toy rows and look for what’s new and cool. I’ll take the girl rows and meet your back here at 1300 hours.  Go!”

I knew I wasn’t going to find “Tokidoki Barbie,” with her array of colorful up-the-neck and down-the-arm tattoos, for two very good reasons.

Mattel promised the doll was for the adult collector and would be sold only online (where it immediately sold out!) and, I figured if Walmart kicked Barbie’s BFF Midge off the shelves for her baby bump and maternity wear, even though she was married and already had one child, they probably wouldn’t roll out the welcome mat for a Barbie sporting tattoos and dragging along a small, cactus-costumed dog with the unsettling name of “Bastardino.” (I don’t make this stuff up!)

I did find nearly a whole row of just about every other Barbie in existence, along with enough friends, clothing, hair accessories, houses, cars, scooters, private planes, laptops, tote bags, and swimming pools to keep even the Kardashian girls happy.  

Next aisle over – Disney Princess headquarters.

Most sources say there are officially 10 “merchandized” princesses – Snow White, Pocahontas, Belle, Cinderella, Rapunzel, Tiana, Aurora, Jasmine, Ariel and Mulan (about eight more princesses than I knew about as a kid).

And, from the height and width and depth of the pink and lavender explosion on the Disney Princess aisle – these little gals better be royalty of some sort.

I’d also come to look at the baby dolls — specifically the “Baby Alive” line of a dozen or so dolls who babble, giggle, eat, drink, pee, and/or poop, depending on the model.

Top of the line, “Baby Alive Whoopsie Doo,” does it all for around $39.99. (I guess you have to pay extra for the “process of elimination.”)

She comes with a bottle, two packs of juice mix, a rattle, a T-shirt, and two diapers. Two diapers. Two. Whoopsie.

“Everything does something,” were Steve’s first words when we met back up at the appointed hour.

“Everything talks, walks, whirs, beeps, growls, or sings.  Fascinating — and so different from when we were kids, and we did all the talking, walking, whirring, beeping, growling, and singing. What did you find?

“Pinkness,” I said sadly.  “And a doll that poo ...

“Did I mention the Nerf guns?”  He was getting worked up.  “They’ve got this new Vortex line of guns that shoot discs instead of darts.

“Really?  Well, did you know they now have 10 Disney Prin ...

“And the Legos – the Legos!” he practically screamed. “Oh sure, they had those when we were kids, but not like THESE! The detail, the versatility, the sheer number of sets! Star Wars, Pirates of the Caribbean, Indiana Jones, but hey, if I can only have one, I’ll go with Harry Potter.  Yeah, Harry Potter.”

He stood there grinning like a kid in a ... well ... toy store.

I didn’t have the heart to mention the grandkids just then.

But, really, our only granddaughter has never been a dolly kind of girl — maybe we can find something for all of them right there on the Lego aisle.

OK, then, that’s it — Legos for everyone — even Steve.

Bada bing, bada boom!



Peck is a local mother and grandmother who works in Enid Public Schools. She can be reached at peckaroonie@yahoo.com.