Our children are good consumers in the making. Toymakers have long been aware that successful toys imitate adult activities. Shopping is an essential American skill. Melanie's Mall is a center for more than just shopping. The Boston Children's Museum features as one of its permanent exhibits a make believe grocery store where children can wander down the aisles, loading their baskets with plastic grocery replicas, and then purchasing them at the pretend check-out counter.
Toys also privatize the relationship between parent and child.
Parents think they can buy their child the tools to make them smart, happy, and well adjusted, and so their attention is directed away from the larger social forces that might be affecting them. There's a new toy on the market called Sticky Situations. Rather than look to your community, extended family, or social benefits package for help getting through sticky situations, you can purchase a toy instead. Although the folks in the sticker business are just getting around to using their product to meet emotional needs, Hallmark has not been so slow on the uptake. A new line of their cards is designed for absent parents who want to brightly remind their child to have a good day or be good at school.