Antique toy collectors have been around a long time, but during the 1990’s the market for old toys exploded as Baby Boomers suddenly got nostalgic for things from their childhood. Actually, it was probably the first time in years they had enough cash and time to indulge themselves after stretching to the limit to mortgage a house, keep a car and raise kids. By 1985, the cost of raising a girl was about $635,654.23, which included $1,500 for ballet lessons and the rest for Barbie accessories. Soccer equipment ran up the tab for a boy, but that was far exceeded by the cost of 17, 342 action figures absolutely required to ensure his personal growth.
When Boomers were kids, Barbie wasn’t a brain surgeon and Ken didn’t have a boyfriend. Many toys encouraged imagination and outdoor play such as Slip ‘N Slide or Jarts. Even if it was potentially fatal it was still considered fun. Action figures had not yet replaced little green plastic army soldiers, many of which found untimely ends being sucked into mom’s vacuum cleaner. This is not to say that Boomers were deprived when it came to toys. Oh no. Under the clauses of the Disneykins Act of 1956 it became mandatory for all children to own Mickey Mouse ears and hula hoops, and that was just the start of ongoing legislation that would eventually become the Child Indulgence regulations in effect today.
Boomers qualify as the first certified television generation, born post-war to the “Greatest Generation,” which was very busy and involved in its own affairs so TV rapidly became the “electronic babysitter.” At first, and this is unimaginable to kids today, TV didn’t even start until 3:00 in the afternoon, which was perfect because that’s when school let out. Mom could plop junior in front of the set and get her household chores done or have some coffee with a neighbor. Mom’s did a lot of that in those days since work outside the house was considered a man’s domain. During this 1960’s this arrangement started to break down as moms got pretty sick of coffee and the word “divorce” started popping up in a lot of homes. Meanwhile, junior was still tuned out in front of the TV.
We asked a few Boomers in a highly unscientific survey what their favorite childhood memories were. Three out of four said “Howdy Doody.” The other one out of four couldn’t remember anything before 1969. We also asked our participants, who kept trying to get away but we ran faster, to tell us their mother’s full name. Two out of four said “June Cleaver,” one said “Shari Lewis” and the other one of four responded “Joplin, but she’s gone man.” We decided then to narrow our survey down to just three participants. A similar question about fathers’ names brought back “Davy Crockett,” “Andy Taylor” and “Mike Brady.” Apparently June Cleaver had multiple husbands and Ward was just a live-in. We never knew that. No wonder the Beaver was confused all the time.
So we started this off talking about toys and got off into a spin about television. So what about toys? Well, toys were closely tied to television. In the 1950’s, just about every boy had at least 5,000 items imprinted with the “Hopalong Cassidy” logo. Girls went into hot pursuit to collect all 3,000 Disneykin figures. Enough toy guns and weapons were produced that, if real, would have been enough to arm a medium-sized third-world nation. Girls’ toys taught them to cook, clean, sew and care for babies by the age of nine. Toy companies paid for television, television took care of the kids, parents were free to do whatever it was that parents of that time did. Life was good.
Boomers still identify with toys and old TV shows as if they were family members, which explains the nostalgia for old toys. When you mention the word “father,” a typical male Boomer is likely to remember Ben Cartwright teaching his boys not to shoot someone if you could talk them to death. Westerns were like that to keep expenses down. Talk, talk, talk and then shoot someone in the last three minutes of the show. But Boomers were not critics, they just soaked it all up. The phrase “children should be seen and not heard” came into vogue as Disney, Hasbro, Warner Brothers and Mattel took over babysitting responsibilities.
When Boomers had their own children they didn’t quite get how it was supposed to work. While feeling somewhat detached from their own parents, they wanted to be more involved with their own kids but discovered their kids didn’t want them involved. So the generation gap widened even further as Boomers, again dazed and confused, tried to understand where they belonged. Boomers wanted their parents involved but parents were often too busy. Boomers wanted to be involved with their kids, but kids just wanted credit cards and computers. Finally, the phrase “parents should be seen and not heard” came into vogue as Boomers reluctantly pulled back.
Now Boomers are starting to retire. Their kids are mostly grown and having their own kids. Toys are giving way to video games, the internet is replacing television, and cowboys have all ridden off into the sunset. Boys don’t conduct war games with plastic soldiers, and girls don’t cook or sew. Boomers are still trying to figure out where they fit. Many of them will tell you things like, “as long as McCartney and Jagger are alive there’s hope for me!” Unfortunately a new phrase is coming into vogue as the debate over healthcare continues to intensify: “retirees should be seen and not heard.
Comments