In the resulting vacuum, fantasy action figures and dolls popularized by TV cartoons and movies took hold. Today's toys replace traditional ideas about gender with a magical, technological violence for boys and a fashion fantasy for girls, but these new playthings have not eliminated sex-role training. As toys become more fantastic, they call for more spending, creating desire for more alien enemies to battle the heroes and for more luxurious fashion doll accessories. But the historian notes that the blame for consumers' excess can not be placed on merchandisers alone. Parents are not forced to buy toys, yet they dispense a record numbers of dollars, perhaps to ease guilt feelings over a decline in family time.
Toys embody messages from one generation to the next.
Especially in an age of mass consumption, the adult messenger must give meaning to the things of play. The author, a faculty member in the College of the Liberal Arts, does not argue for a return to the traditionally gendered playthings of the past, but he expresses concern that the massive profits of the fantasy toy industries come at the expense of children and families. Parents should be concerned about the impact of fantasy toys and their marketing on their children, who need positive guidance to learn how to make choices and decisions. The above article concerns the research of Dr. Gary Cross, a historian of toys at Pennsylvania State University. Used with permission.