What Goes Around Comes Around
It's been a few years since I was a kid, so I don't often find myself roaming the toy aisles at my local Wal-Mart. However, my friend has little girls so about a week ago I found myself entering the pink world of the girl toy aisles in search of a birthday gift. Things have changed since my time. There was neither hide nor hair of a Cabbage Patch Kid. Big-eyed Bratz take up more shelf space than big-boobed Barbies, Little People are a lot bigger, and the Easy Bake oven has been joined by smoothie blenders, ice cream makers, and other tiny appliances I would have died for when I was a kid.
I was becoming frustrated with the strange toys at high prices when I suddenly stumbled across an item that made my jaw drop. A Strawberry Shortcake sat on the shelf, looking every bit at Strawberry-y as she had all those years ago. She was sitting right next to a group of electronic games and seemed very out of place. Didn't she go out of style years ago?
Apparently she's back and so are many of the characters I grew up with. I've seen several children wearing Smurf shirts lately and have an urge to stop them and give them a little quiz. Do they know who Gargamel is? Can they name his cat? If not, they shouldn't be wearing the shirts. Of course, kids today have the Cartoon Network and other channels so maybe they have seen a few smurfy re-runs, but that shouldn't count. It's just kind of sad that they'll never know the sweet anticipation of Saturday morning cartoons since they can watch just about any cartoon they want on a daily basis, though I'm sure they'd disagree.
Strawberry Shortcake, Smurfs, Scooby-Doo, the Brady Bunch, Dukes of Hazzard. . .
The icons of my childhood are not just about memories these days. Instead, they're about the almighty dollar. Moneymakers are well aware that people have a longing for the past and they're more than willing to accommodate our needs. The "big guys" sell their products on fancy websites, inviting us to recapture the essence of our youth and pass it on to our children. The "little guys" pull out their old toys and hawk them on e-bay, bringing in surprising amounts of money for symbols of the past.
I guess every generation longs for the way things "used to be" but our generation has been the best at bringing back our old favorites. I must admit, I didn't realize the days of my youth could even qualify as "nostalgic" until I was teaching high school and the students dressed up in '80s wear for Decades Day. In my day Decades Day meant flower power and paisley, not big hair and neon.
In keeping with our generation's obsession with all things nostalgia, we're bringing you stories of our past. We hope you can relate to the similar tales of youth gone by, but don't spend too much time longing for the past! The future is out there waiting us, and I'm sure she won't mind if we arrive in a Goonies t-shirt, clutching a She-Ra purse.