What is Wrong with Today's Kids?

[mitchedwards]

I hate those things. Fortunately I've learned all you need is a good pair of toenail clippers and you can hack right through them quite easily. If you haven't tried it, you'll ask yourself why didn't I think of this before!

Thanks for the tip. Those twist ties are a massive pain.

[ctc]

>Most young kids would rather watch a funny cartoon than one with a serious story that requires concentration to follow.

Well... stuff like Gundam, and FullMetal Alchemist, and Eureka 7, and Bleach seem to do okay. And they're pretty complicated and involved. Most of the offspring of friends and co-workers love this stuff. (I know, 'cos they're always asking me to explain the stuff their kids are talking about to them.) And their kids are around 8-10. (I'm SURPRISED how many little kids love FullMetal; it's a very political story and I'd expect it'd be too slow for them. Go fig.)

>Superhero cartoons and comics aren't written for kids anymore, so "average" kids don't care about them.

Oh, definitely! One of the big problems with the Justice League cartoon was that a lot of the impact from the stories depended on you knowing who the obscure character from the 60's they were refrencing was. They're written almost more for the parents than the kids.... whcih is a sneaky marketing ploy since it's the PARENTS that buy the disks, toys, etc. Kids have no money.

Don C.

[Eric]

I think we all have a certain perceptual bias as well; considering we're united in our affection for action figures. Even when I was a kid, I was something of an oddball for collecting and playing with action figures so much. Most kids had a few, but weren't really into them. Especially around the ages of 8 to 10.

This is so true. I'm amazed at the number friends my age who don't have (or claim not to have) any recollection of Capt. Action or Major Matt Mason.

[RG]

Each kid has his own thing going. My niece who is 10 loves the 80's GI Joe figures and a few Megos but she's also into Barbie and My Little Pony and of course video games.

I collect Atari 2600 and original NES stuff and one thing that I have found with a lot of younger kids, is that they also love these systems (more so the NES). I've asked a few how they found out about them (thinking they were going to say their parents etc.) but most seem to say on their own from doing the whole game buy, sell, trade and just wanting to try something different. I know of a 12 year old kid who has around 150 different NES games, and yeah he plays them, but it's his hobby much like action figures are ours.

Also I have a feeling that toy scalpers have hurt kid's interest in toys a bit also. It would be like us going to buy a Mego and all that's left on the shelves are Mr. Mplx's and maybe a Penguin or two

[brannon86]

Kids today

I agree with alot of whats being said on here, but sometimes I have to tell myself that these are different times, and kids today are exposed to more and more things, and faster technology. They have cartoons at their disposal, every day, 24/7, thanks to Cartoon Network, which I cant stand anymore, but hey, like I said, its different times today. I loved growing up in the 70's. I think that it was an awesome time to be a kid, but how do our parents feel about the time they grew up? they have fond memories just like we do, but only different, because they are a different generation, who grew up in different times, just like we did, and like kids today are doing. Each generation has is memories, and nostalgia. Sure, I catch myself asking questions, and thinking and wonering what is wrong with kids today, and this and that, but it is different times. Im just glad I grew up in the 70's and had all those great Mego toys, evel Knievel toys and others to play with back then. I love the memories, and would not trade them in for the world....

[fumetti]

In terms of this thread, there's nothing wrong with kids today. They like what's new, just as we did. They don't look to the past, just as we didn't.

My dad thought my brother and I were nuts for playing with "dolls." Cap guns, Tonka trucks, and red wagons were the toys for boys! Dolls were for girls. "And no son of mine... (you can fill in the rest)."

We didn't love action figures because they were action figures, but that they provided us the best possible (at the time) catalyst for imaginative playing. My Shazam wasn't plastic, he was REALLY that dude on the Saturday morning TV show. This is the same mindset that kids have today when they play video games. They really ARE Jedi fighting the Empire...

(It's the same reason they don't read as much. We HAD to read, if we wanted fanciful entertainment 24/7. There was only one TV in the house, and the networks only showed cartoons in the afternoon and Saturday mornings. Otherwise it was news, soap operas, sitcoms, game shows, and made/altered-for-TV movies.)

[Type3Toys]

Video games are whats wrong and why there is no interest in toys. Why play with a toy Spider-Man when you can click a button and BE Spider-Man?

[livnxxxl]

In my opinion I believe that a lot of what is wrong with kids today is that a lot, but not all of them have no imagination left as it pertains to toys atleast. I am not trying to say that all or some kids have absolutely no imagination at all as we and they all of have some kind of imagination. Hence forth the generations are getting weaker yet wiser which makes perfectly good sense to me. Kids are smarter in some respect that some of us were back in the days. Because of the new technology that is available to them that was not even heard of in our time. Think about it. Back in our days as kids we had to imagine a lot more where as today darn near every toy in the friggin toy aisle does something either by motion, sound and or electronically if not all three. Back in the day one had to actually imagine the Star Trek transporter actually transporting the figures from place to place. Where as today most kids may not understand why the figures are not actually being transported for real.

How many kids do you see these days out riding a bicycle? Most of them are too busy riding the couch instead.

You want kids to play with Mego more. Do a commercial with Hanna Montanna holding a Mego and most every kid would have one and be playing with them. That is the solution!

If I had to blame some things I would blame greed, tv, video games, peer pressure marketing tactics, Some of the parents and schools to some extent for not teaching the children better in the first place. I am not saying that the kids of today should or have to play with Mego like toys in or out of school. I am actually glad that a lot do not as that leaves more for us collectors.