Mr. Beast action figures.
My son, who is now 13 and doesn't play nearly as much, is still into Marvel Legends and the Micro Galaxy Squadron. He has a lot of 4" Joes that he has since sold to pay for part of a computer, but he has no interest in the Classified stuff. He rarely pulls them out but still adores all his 4" star wars figures and ships. So, I definitely got him the figure bug as an early age, and he's shifting into collector now at least.
But yeah... I never even blinked about all the underwear on Masters of the Universe. Weird.
I started my son on TMNT and Transformers when he was in preschool but by Kindergarten, he was done, on to Pokémon cards. I’m so thankful he didn’t continue collecting, I don’t wish this affliction on anyone.
you could do that with an Emperor Palpatine
Disneyland literally has gift shops and parades dedicated the Empire. It's actually quite shocking.
Someone brought up the new, first Baron Zemo from the 2pk with Arnim Zola. That's essentially the same hooded design as Cobra Commander in purple, and that guy was actually affiliated with Nazis! There's no excuse now for Cobra Commander.
I started my son on TMNT and Transformers when he was in preschool but by Kindergarten, he was done, on to Pokémon cards. I’m so thankful he didn’t continue collecting, I don’t wish this affliction on anyone.
Amen to that. Man... I tried to get my son early - I bought him tons of those chunky modular Marvel figures where you could pop and swap parts - they had them for Star Wars and Transformers too I think - and he loved those for awhile. I tried to keep it going but he just lost interest. He loved watching Power Rangers but never got particularly invested in the action figures. He played with his chuggington train building sets and lincoln logs more than he ever played with action figures... for a minute I felt like I failed at passing on my interest - but eventually came around to Norm's way of thinking - grateful that I don't now have two habits to feed.
you could do that with an Emperor Palpatine
Disneyland literally has gift shops and parades dedicated the Empire. It's actually quite shocking.
I’m good with that! I love the Empire, just like I love Cobra . . . actually, I definitely “love” Cobra more than the Joes, personally, I’m just more into weird villains than army guys, Joe is basically “Snake-Eyes and friends vs Cobra” in my head, I probably buy Cobras 6:1 vs Joes, and I say that as a more-or-less completionist with the line.
THAT SAID:
There is, I hope, a big difference between thinking villainous characters are fun and actually idolizing them. I think that’s kind of where our larger psychosocial system has gotten warped, but it’s warped in a way that isn’t exactly cut-and-dry. It’s so strange because when I was younger it was very obvious (to me) that real-world bad guys and “moralizing” censorship were coming from more-or-less the same place, and now it’s much murkier. And I’m not sure that keeping an image like hooded CC “out of the eyes of kids” does much to keep them away from the negative influences “they” think hooded CC might suggest: if anything, making something “forbidden” tends to take folks towards the “forbidden” thing, and with a healthy dose of ignorance to go along with it. I know folks get twisted up about “exposing” kids to stuff, but in my experience it’s much better to provide light exposure with context and education, than to try to “shield” a child from a thing. I know for myself that by the time I was exposed to hooded CC I would have been six or so, and I definitely already knew who the KKK were, what their uniform looked like, that it didn’t look anything like Cobra Commander, and that the KKK was bad and also, most importantly, WHY they were bad. Same with Nazis, white nationalists, yadda yadda; the understanding was a six-year-old’s version, but it was still given to me by folks who wanted to make sure I had the context I needed. Tall order? Maybe, but that’s what it takes to raise a kid right. (Not that I would say I was “raised right” across the board, but that’s another story)
At any rate: I actually think it’s GOOD for fictional villains to reflect “real world” evil, even and especially for kids. Whatever headgear he wears, CC was *intentionally* crafted by Larry Hama to be a reflection of then-(and now-) current examples of real-world evil, and that is a major part of why he is a great character.
Marvel Mash 'Ems, I think they were called? I got those for Ben too. He loved them. I loved them too. Perfect format for these licenses for his 3-5yo self could enjoy. We did also get into LEGO for a couple years, but when he got into Pokemon cards, I was never into that. I was just a bit too old to have gotten into it when it debuted, so I have zero nostalgia or knowledge. He did that, then got into video games (amid the pandemic). That was it, never looked back. And when I realize that while our interests and hobbies have diverged, I really dodged a bullet not having to buy doubles of my stuff to get for him. My collection by itself is already so cumbersome, I fear what will be done with it in my untimely passing.I started my son on TMNT and Transformers when he was in preschool but by Kindergarten, he was done, on to Pokémon cards. I’m so thankful he didn’t continue collecting, I don’t wish this affliction on anyone.
Amen to that. Man... I tried to get my son early - I bought him tons of those chunky modular Marvel figures where you could pop and swap parts - they had them for Star Wars and Transformers too I think - and he loved those for awhile. I tried to keep it going but he just lost interest. He loved watching Power Rangers but never got particularly invested in the action figures. He played with his chuggington train building sets and lincoln logs more than he ever played with action figures... for a minute I felt like I failed at passing on my interest - but eventually came around to Norm's way of thinking - grateful that I don't now have two habits to feed.
@aceofknaves Hard agree with that AoK... I actually think exposure to those things is good not bad - showing kids the horrors of what evil people do is how they know what it is... I know my perception on a lot of this stuff gets colored by the fact that I was raised by a black man who grew up in the pre-civil rights era US and experienced some truly horrifying events up close and personal - but shielding kids from the bad stuff is never a good idea - it just makes them less able to identify the bad stuff later. Protecting them from bad stuff is good and appropriate - but part of protecting them is making sure they aren't ignorant and to do that you have to show it to them.
Unfortunately there is a segment of our population that believes protecting the children means shielding them from any and all exposure that any bad things happen at all - and that just leaves them more vulnerable than ever. And cynically I think there are those in power who like it exactly that way.
Anyway... I need some new G.I. Joes to think about. How soon until I can pre-order that Frag Viper anyway? How far away is that Polar Bear pre-order?
but when he got into Pokemon cards, I was never into that. I was just a bit too old to have gotten into it when it debuted, so I have zero nostalgia or knowledge. He did that, then got into video games (amid the pandemic). That was it, never looked back. And when I realize that while our interests and hobbies have diverged, I really dodged a bullet not having to buy doubles of my stuff to get for him. My collection by itself is already so cumbersome, I fear what will be done with it in my untimely passing.
My son, never got too into Pokemon cards - we gave it a try but it wasn't his thing - but my nephew (that he calls his brother, because he lived with us for the first 10 years of my son's life) did get him into Pokemon Go which he still plays and the Pokemon games on the DS. And for sure video games took over. He did a lot of Fortnite and Among Us for awhile with friend groups - but his passion is Madden Football and that got super charged when my brother's son got drafted into the NFL and he could literally play using his cousin. He comes home and plays Madden at least one hour almost every single day. But, I'm at least grateful it's not a first person shooter game or Grand Theft Auto...?
I try very hard not to think about what happens to all of my collections when I'm gone. I do hope they find good homes - but man is that going to be a lot of work for someone.
@aceofknaves I could probably just say 'absolutely' to you and save a lot of time, but I'm not gonna.
I’m just more into weird villains than army guys
Same. it's kinda funny because they're the same line, but the Joe figures, for the most part, scratch an entirely different itch for me.
Joe is basically “Snake-Eyes and friends vs Cobra” in my head, I probably buy Cobras 6:1 vs Joes
Definitely same here, and I feel no shame about it. Even though I stopped reading the comics right after Marvel decided the same thing, heh.
but with Cobras, I've now gotten into getting as many 'troopers' as I can (the fire team, officer, python patrols, Valkyries) and since I make each one an individual, I'm enjoying coming up with their backstories and explaining how/why they went the Cobra way. And they're international too, so that's been an excuse for a lot of research. Research is always a fun part of writing to me.
There is, I hope, a big difference between thinking villainous characters are fun and actually idolizing them.
Absolutely. I'll get every Sith figure they do in Black Series but in practice, day to day, I'm pretty far from dark side. maybe there's some fantasy element of 'man it would be neat to be a thorough bastard and not care about others and just cut through an entire crowd with a lightsaber', but I have such a hard time harming people. I kick myself the rest of the day when I dabble in a spot of road rage, heh.
if anything, making something “forbidden” tends to take folks towards the “forbidden” thing, and with a healthy dose of ignorance to go along with it.
Absolutely. Just look at teen pregnancy. A girl I knew in high school... I'm not even sure what she was but something extremely devout and restrictive. but once she hit 18, she was an entirely different person. All those forbidden things became her personality.
I know folks get twisted up about “exposing” kids to stuff, but in my experience it’s much better to provide light exposure with context and education, than to try to “shield” a child from a thing.
Again, absolutely. My mom... has a lot of trauma she carries and couldn't easily be accused of being a balanced person, but she always answered any questions I had, and I grew up with a pretty well rounded understanding of, for instance, where babies came from. She didn't instill fear in me as much as caution. Well... fear came from kidnapping, but that wasn't just her but also the culture I think at the time. I'm still terrified of kidnapping, and unfortunately my kids feel that. but yeah, I also try to educate my kids as best I can on things, preparing them for things they're probably, and sometimes definitely, gonna face or be confronted with. If they're completely unprepared, I wouldn't expect them to make good decisions.
I know for myself that by the time I was exposed to hooded CC I would have been six or so, and I definitely already knew who the KKK were, what their uniform looked like, that it didn’t look anything like Cobra Commander, and that the KKK was bad and also, most importantly, WHY they were bad.
Yeah, same. Where I was born, there were confederate statues in the square less than a block from my preschool. I was very aware of that whole culture (and my mom being who she is, painted quite a picture of what they were about), but I never really thought of CC as KKKish. And even if I did... he's a bad guy. As are they. At six, that's all I would have needed to grasp anyway.
Same with Nazis, white nationalists, yadda yadda; the understanding was a six-year-old’s version, but it was still given to me by folks who wanted to make sure I had the context I needed. Tall order? Maybe, but that’s what it takes to raise a kid right. (Not that I would say I was “raised right” across the board, but that’s another story)
To swing around to my dad, I rarely have a shortage of complaints about his behavior during my childhood, but one thing he always made sure of was that I had context for such things. He was also from the south, and really wanted to sway me away from certain mentalities. It's definitely a 'he did the best he could', because he was certainly progressive for his time and region, but my dad still had his own little... biases. Which I eventually came to see for what they were, but despite any prejudices he still recognized the face of evil and wanted me to fully understand white supremacists and Nazis and why they had to be combated.
At any rate: I actually think it’s GOOD for fictional villains to reflect “real world” evil, even and especially for kids. Whatever headgear he wears, CC was *intentionally* crafted by Larry Hama to be a reflection of then-(and now-) current examples of real-world evil, and that is a major part of why he is a great character.
And lastly, again, absolutely. In my view, art is meant to shine a light on aspects of life and the world. Maybe like Carlin said, reminding you of things you forgot to laugh at, or as far as enraging you about things that need to change. Having a villain in a kid's toyline and comic series who reflects atrocious aspects of real life turds makes all the sense in the world to me. Knowing is half the battle and all that, and it should go beyond what to do during a grease fire. Sometimes it means recognizing and confronting a fascist.
Protecting them from bad stuff is good and appropriate - but part of protecting them is making sure they aren't ignorant and to do that you have to show it to them.
YES! I'm not going to be around forever, and even while I'm still living there will be plenty of times when I'm not with them. I need to prepare them for some things and expose them to some stuff so they know how to deal with it. In some cases, not even necessarily how *I* want them to deal with it, but the way they see as right. Thinking back to how things were for me not just at school, but at friends' houses or the mall or what have you, and now throw in the internet... Christ. it's a minefield, but I also don't want my kids being neurotic either.
Unfortunately there is a segment of our population that believes protecting the children means shielding them from any and all exposure that any bad things happen at all - and that just leaves them more vulnerable than ever. And cynically I think there are those in power who like it exactly that way.
EXACTLY! There are things in movies we watch that are kinda taboo or what have you, but to me it's a great chance to have a damned discussion with them. What do you think about that? Well maybe this is the case. What would you have done? And so on. In my experience, kids are aching to play 'what I would have done', heh.
My son, never got too into Pokemon cards - we gave it a try but it wasn't his thing - but my nephew (that he calls his brother, because he lived with us for the first 10 years of my son's life) did get him into Pokemon Go which he still plays and the Pokemon games on the DS. And for sure video games took over. He did a lot of Fortnite and Among Us for awhile with friend groups - but his passion is Madden Football and that got super charged when my brother's son got drafted into the NFL and he could literally play using his cousin. He comes home and plays Madden at least one hour almost every single day. But, I'm at least grateful it's not a first person shooter game or Grand Theft Auto...?
C'mon now — who's the cousin in the NFL?
My son, never got too into Pokemon cards - we gave it a try but it wasn't his thing - but my nephew (that he calls his brother, because he lived with us for the first 10 years of my son's life) did get him into Pokemon Go which he still plays and the Pokemon games on the DS. And for sure video games took over. He did a lot of Fortnite and Among Us for awhile with friend groups - but his passion is Madden Football and that got super charged when my brother's son got drafted into the NFL and he could literally play using his cousin. He comes home and plays Madden at least one hour almost every single day. But, I'm at least grateful it's not a first person shooter game or Grand Theft Auto...?
C'mon now — who's the cousin in the NFL?
His name is Ashtyn Davis - plays Safety for the New York Jets. Got two interceptions last Sunday and led the team in tackles in that game.
@aceofknaves Love this post. And as someone who writes villains professionally, I WANT them to remind us of the real world. I mean in a perfect world a hero can be a hero because he's doing the right thing, but in fiction, having the counterpoint - what terrible people do when they punch down, abuse power, engage in hatred, all that stuff - is a truly powerful tool.
If Superman teaches us how to be good by example, Cobra Commander or whoever teaches us what it means to be cruel. I used to teach a class a few times a year on writing sympathetic villains, but I don't anymore because I don't want sympathetic villains. Our real world villains don't deserve it, so why make fictional villains that way? (That being said, gawd, I love the COBRA designs, and in my head I think some of them could be persuaded to listen to their better angels in the right storyline, but only in reflection of the absolute monsters they're aligned with as a narrative counterbalance. Destro keeps selling weapons of war and living large til he realizes pure evil consumes even itself. Or, y'know, the Joker saying even a Nazi's past his line of evil.)
Not Joes related, but Joes tangential since we're talking guys in hoods - it's one of the reasons I've got a soft spot for the younger Baron Zemo storywise. His father was a pure, unadulterated Nazi monster, but the son pretends to be a hero for a while as a Thunderbolt and is like: this isn't awful? There's a story about breaking generational hatred there that the right writer can do something with.
I love talking about the figures but these other discussions are just so damned enjoyable.
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