Toys

When one thinks of toys, usually a child's plaything comes to mind. That could mean dolls or action figures or tea sets or Legos or any number of things.

As a kid, I had plenty of toys to play with. GI Joe action figures that I seriously mistreated. I would have the Cobra forces capture a few Joes at a time and then torture them for information. Using an Erector Set, I would fashion a large torture device, to which I would attach a magnifying glass. Then the poor GI Joe victim would be "tied up" under the magnifying glass, which would then focus the light of the sun on the helpless action figure. I melted several soldiers that way. It's probably good that none of this came up in any counseling sessions. I'd have just turned into another over medicated kid who wouldn't be able to use the imagination he was given. My friends and I certainly did have some crazy imaginations. But don't worry, we never hurt any of the non-toys.

I also had a lot of the He-Man figures, but no harm done to them. In fact, they're still packed away in a box in my closet. And of course there were the Legos. I loved to build things. It didn't mean that I wanted to be an architect when I grew up. It was just fun.

As we grow up, our toys tend to evolve. And it depends on the kind of person we grow into that determines the kind of toys we like to play with. I can only speak for the guys out there. And really I can only speak for myself. But I'm just saying, I have no idea what kind of toys the girls still spend their time with as grown-ups.

A lot of guys like technological gadgets for their toys. They like the flashy new TVs or the iPhones or the Blackberrys. I fall into that category somewhat. I don't play with the water guns or the action figures so much these days. But I love a video game.

My Dad's ideas of toys, for the most part, were new gadgets to use in the kitchen. The man loved to cook and he loved finding new ways to do things. I remember kitchen gadgets always being the go to Christmas gift when I couldn't think of anything else. And for the most part, he may have used them once or twice and then they'd be forgotten. Maybe that should tell me that he didn't really like all those kitchen gadgets.

And then there are the guys who collect the traditional toys. These are the guys that scour E-Bay for the GI Joes that I treated so carelessly. These toys that I once played with are now collector's items, worth crazy amounts of money. These are the guys that go out and buy brand new action figures and never take them out of the box. If they're out of the box, they're no longer in mint condition, and that diminishes their value.

So what do you play with?