Childhood Toys

I can clearly remember seeing the commercials on TV for the "New and Limited Edition Barbie!" with some amazing features that the last Barbie didn't have. Taller, longer hair, more makeup, and lets not forget the "neon pink and turquoise blue" house it comes with. These are even more effective when every other girl (or guy I'm not judging here) has a bucket filled with Barbies.


As children, we learn that the Barbie also has a companion Ken, the male Barbie doll. Ken is percieved to be "that one really popular white dude at school" or something like that. What both of these dolls both have in common is that role model status that they give children. Ken and Barbie's relationship is like the dream relationship that a little second grader dreams about. In fact, having just watched an episode of Criminal Minds, two co-workers, Penelope and Derek, talk about their dates and their plans for Valentines. When they coincidentially meet on the street later that night, Penelope meets Derek's girlfriend for the first time and says, "Look at you guys! You're literally flawless. You're the live action Ken and Barbie." That idealization of a relationship is what is ingrained into the children that use these dolls.

The main point here, tying this along with the childhood photo we brought, is the fact that your childhood brain is so accepting to new experiences and we tend to develop stigmas around certain topics. The toys that we play with so much in our childhood can really affect who we are. Just as Penelope must have used Barbies to understand that reference, I played with a soccer ball and boom, still playing soccer now. So when I have kids, I surely just cannot wait to give a phallic doll to my children and let them dream about what a perfect relationship they are going to have at the age of 5.

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