Toys and Games - Reviews and News

I  posted a question recently on “answer bank” and was really surprised at the response.

My question was “what do you reckon was the best toy you ever owned?”

First reply was “etch a sketch” I  too had one of those and got hours of fun out of it.

Next up was “Hungry Hippos” probably one game that most people have either owned or heard of.

Someone else said it was a yo yo and another “juggling balls” which kept them amused for hours.

Football was mentioned utilising Mums washing line to make  your own makeshift goalposts in the back garden. Also a boomerang.

Another real old favourite was lego which I suppose really took over from mecano.

For the girls there was of course “Sindy”, “My Little Ponies” and of course “Barbie Doll”.

The strange thing is if you notice out of all the replies there is only one game which requires more than one to play.

Wonder what that says about our childhoods or do we just  prefer our own company? Maybe we were simply just used to amusing ourselves better, thats my theory anyway!

I suppose when I look at all the different toys what strikes me most is the lack of computer games. It seems that the good old fashioned traditional toys are the ones that seem to stand the test of time and its those we remember best!

What do you think?

Many town and city centres are rapidly changing as an increasing number of people turn to the internet for their shopping. Traditional toy shops are one type of town centre outlets that appear to be dieing off.

When I was a lad I loved to go into our local town with my mum and dad just to gaze in amazement at the bewildering array of fantastic toys in the window of the town’s toy shop. If we were to go inside I can recall being so excited that I would nearly wet myself. How times have changed.

While there are still a few national chains with outlets in some cities and towns, the smaller, local, independent toy shops have all but died out. Replaced by out of town warehouse style outlets and, of course, the internet.

Shopping for toys online, whilst being immensely convenient and economical, lacks the magic that a visit to the local independent, traditional toy shop used to have. Children can’t really appreciate or even understand a toy until they have touched it and maybe taken it for a test-play. From a child’s perspective the internet can’t really compete.

What’s the answer? Well there isn’t one. While grown-ups seek convenience and economy, children miss out on the magical experience that a visit to their local toy shop used to be.