Toys

When I was a kid I used to obsess over toys. All I could think was: How can I convince my parents to buy me the Ghostbusters Proton Pack? When is that new Pocket Power coming out? How many more months til my birthday? When’s Hannukah? Don’t I get money for Passover or something? So it should come as no surprise when I say that some of my most cherished childhood memories revolve around toys: the time I sneaked into my parents closet and saw they had gotten me Optimus Prime, the shock and delirious joy I felt when my aunt and uncle got me Sega Genesis, the (other) time I sneaked into my parents closet and discovered they had bought me Double Dragon for said Sega Genesis. But there was one toy that had a special place in my heart and that was my Lego Monorail set. I distinctly remember seeing it for the first time; it was on the top shelf of the Lego section at McKay Drugs on 5th avenue, right down the street from where I grew up. I wanted it badly, but it was really expensive and I knew I would have to cajole my parents to get them to buy it for me. Eventually they did (as a combined birthday and Hannukah present) and it was a fantastic Lego set. I had already been playing with Legos for a couple of years, but the monorail represented the zenith of my Lego career. It was with that set that I built the foundation of an enormous space station that took up nearly a quarter of my bedroom. Then one day, my mom, seeing that I had not touched my Legos in a couple of months, asked if we could give them away. And for some reason I said yes.

This is an experience a lot of people have: your mom throws out all your comics while cleaning out the basement or your parents give away all your Barbies because you’re a “big girl”. You give up something you used to love and cherish for the next best thing, or to clear out the clutter in your room. You get rid of the old to make room for the new. It’s part of growing up. But every now and then I have this urge to play with my old Lego collection. That’s why I started the Lego obsession group. That’s also why I’ve begun trolling eBay to buy that monorail set. And why I’ve already bought a couple of sets to get my collection started again. Call me crazy, but I think there’s value to this pursuit. It’s important to feed your creative side and get in touch with your inner child. Most of all it’s pure fun. So I encourage anyone reading this to do the same. I know there’s some toy out there that you loved as a kid. You may even still have it packed away somewhere in the recesses of your apartment or home. Go get it. Or go on eBay or Amazon and look for it. See if there’s an obsession group about your favorite toy, and if not, start one of your own. Get discussions going with fellow obsessives. Because you're never too old and it's never too late to play with toys.