Simpler Times

A new line (of toys) called Disney's Playmation, hits stores…with the release of a forearm attachment called a 'repulsor' that puts kids in the role of superhero…..Infrared and other sensors inside the armbands and a base station called a 'power activator'. help determine whether shots hit the target and if players dodged or hid successfully….Suggested retail price--$120.

There was a time when kids played outside, ran walked, rode bikes and used the natural energy they were born with. Our toys were simple and we didn't need complicated, computerized 'devices' to tell us what to do.. We didn't have 'play dates' we just went outside to see who was around and played simple games that (usually) didn't involve killing each other. We got bored, but our parents were largely unsympathetic, telling us to go outside or read a book and use our imaginations.

I am particularly fond of the little orange car with green wooden wheels which OilMan's great uncle, a welder, made for him when he was a boy.  The fact that six or seven decades later, it still lives on a bookshelf in our library, has no moving parts and wasn't consigned to the landfill after a few months or years is quiet testament to simpler times.