Where Have All The Good Toys Gone?

Remember when you could play with toys. I mean actually, really play with them. Think way, way, way back to when you were a kid. Ya!...that's what I am talking about.

Don't get me wrong, some of the toys that are being produced are really cool and beautifully sculpted. They look fantastic on display. But that isn't what they were created for. Take for example the Star Wars line. Are the new figures better than the ones produced back in the 70's and 80's? Well, they are far better looking than the original ones, but as for play-ability...not so much. They can hardly stand up on their own and almost fall apart if moved around to much (had the head of a Mara Jade figure pop off...easy to pop back on, but very uncool!). The original line was far more robust. Kids could actually play with them....stuff them in their pockets and take off.

With the lure of big bucks from collectors, allot of the toy companies seem to have forgotten the real reason for toys. As a father of two boys (although the oldest has passed the age of playing with toys and my other son is fast approaching it...lol) there are only a handful of toy lines that have came out over the last few years that looked cool, well designed and had very high play-ability. Two that come to mind are the Sigma 6 line (very cool looking and could take a pounding by kids), and the Xevoz line (yet again, very cool, awesome play-ability, and the fact that you could swap out parts from any figure and create your own...fantastic!!). unfortunately, both lines ended long before their time. I do have high hopes for the new lines of 3 3/4 figures from Marvel and DC, as they both seem to look good and have a high degree of "survivability".

I'm not saying that there is no place for some of the statue like toys being produced, there most certainly is. but the company's need to remember who they really should be making these toys for. Close your eyes for a minute and think back to what made you into a toy collector in the first place. Go on...I'll wait. Done....good. Was it the fond memory's of the cool toys you had as a kid. Hours spent having Superman and Spiderman save Han Solo and Luke from Skeletor? Now think about the toys that your kids (if you have them!) have to play with. Will they be as nostalgic as we are about our old toys? I doubt it....and if they have no fond memories of cool toys to build on, there will be no "next generation" of collectors out there.