Page 6 - Toy & Hobby Retailer Magazine Mar-Apr 2019
P. 6

#BRATZCHALLENGE SOURCE: @LENKALUL - INSTAGRAM
EDITORIAL
BY IMOGEN BAILEY
Meander down memory lane
"WE'VE got loads of boxes for you to sort through," says my Dad. The boxes sit in the shed, gathering dust and cobwebs and it looks like the rats have enjoyed a good meal on the cardboard.
The boxes – which are being sorted through, culled and their contents transferred to plastic tubs to avoid aforementioned rat nibbles – are filled with my childhood toys.
Games, arts and crafts, dolls and colouring pencils dominate the lot, along with many little handbags with licensed characters on the front.
From what's contained in the boxes, the toys I used to play with were dolls – specificially Bratz, board games including multiple Simpsons games and arts and crafts products. Paint-by-numbers sets, colouring pencils and paper as well as jewellery making sets continue to be uncovered inside the boxes. I also came across a Nintendo Game Boy Advance SP which I distinctly remember playing Pokemon and Bratz games on. I was also a part of the Harry Potter generation and grew up reading the books as they were being released, so a few Harry Potter items were in the boxes too.
But how have these toys and brands impacted me in particular? Well, from my own assessment, I know that The Simpsons played a major role in my childhood as
I can remember quotes from episodes better than I can remember most things. My brother and I used to watch Simpsons episodes when they were on before Neighbours as well as on Saturdays for hours on end, so I'm thinking my sense of humour was influenced by Matt Groening.
My creative side manifested itself in many ways, the most obvious being my job in which I'm required to be creative on a day-to-day basis.
Interestingly, quite a few months before my sort-through of my childhood stuff, I had purchased an adult colouring book. Whether this was because it was a trendy thing to do with my spare time – you know, mindfulness and all that – or whether it was little Imogen inside needing some creative outlet that involved pencils, I won't know, maybe it was both?
I'm stumped at how the Bratz have impacted my life though. I don't think that I have emulated the Bratzs'
'passion for fashion' in my life as the slogan suggests,
but maybe my interest in makeup stems from their looks? Funnily enough, as I'm writing this, there is the #bratzchallenge happening on Instagram, whereby users recreate makeup looks found on the dolls.
Aside from the above products, I also played with cars and played backyard cricket with my brother. We played with cap guns and water pistols, we played with dolls,
we painted our nails and dressed up as the other gender, made up dances and performed them for our family, who lovingly applauded our probably very boring choreography.
So there you have it, there is my self-assessment of how my childhood toys have impacted my adult life.
Funny how everything comes full circle and I am now writing about the things that formed the foundation of my personality and interests.
Imogen Bailey – Editor
EDITOR
Imogen Bailey imogenbailey@yaffa.com.au
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6 TOY & HOBBY RETAILER MARCH / APRIL 2019


































































































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