I could pretend to complain about being dragged out at 6 a.m. on Saturday morning, but I came home with three beautiful frames for a dollar apiece so I need to be silent. But this blog isn't about yard sales. It's about sound.
With one exception, all of the toys in this picture contain little chips and batteries and they sing and talk and make noises. The exception is the old wooden chest. But it is full of even more hollow pieces of bright plastic that contain minature sound boards.
I remember when Brian was a bit older than Conner and we were doing Santa Claus at one 'o'clock in the morning and I was trying to assemble a Big Wheel tricycle and wondering if the instructions would make more sense in the Spanish version. I came to Step 123.f.3 which read: "Using screw C attach motor sound clapper H1 to Wheel K12." Just before I began to attach it, I thought to myself, "You idiot! You don't actually have to do EVERYTHING the instructions say. It could be a quieter tricycle.
Today the sounds are built in. In fact there are two of Conner's toys that are touch activated. These are the ones I always brush against when I get up to retreive the TV remote which Conner has put under the couch.
Last week, I was telling Brian about my Christmas Eve sabotage of his Big Wheel. He laughed and said he really understood. Then he said, "But, you know, my friends had these things and I always just thought mine was broken."
Santa Claus appropriately apologized, and walking into the kitchen for a soda, brushed against the magic shopping cart thingamabob (not pictured above) which responded by saying, "Let's sing a song!!"
Oh the wonderful adventures of putting toys together in the middle of the night. That is a nice little collection of fun things for Connor. You are up and going early this A.M. guess it's not cloudy and rainy there like it is here. We should have a great Spring with all this rain.
ReplyDeleteQMM
My grandchildren's house has all these sneaky little gremlins hiding in every little toy! The kids are not as impressed about them as I am and I also am very depressed by all the batteries that will be going into landfills and polluting the waters of their children.
ReplyDeleteOne of the local men builds toys out of wood. They are really neat and some of them make clackety-clack sounds. What saddened me the most is that when they were shown at a local fair, people walked by and said dismissively "They aren't safe. Wood will splinter. We can get cheaper toys at...."
ReplyDeleteAnd did the prompt inspire you to sing a song? If so, what?! Or is the answer not fit for ladies' ears :)
ReplyDeleteAnd we wonder why kids are overstimulated! I remember the hot wheels and they really were noisy!!
ReplyDeleteThe thing is perhaps that we (parents and grandparents) believe we have to buy these things when at least the smallest kids would be happy to play with anything. Then of course, with the years, the technical awareness is there, not mentioning the teenage years... and then it goes on for ever.
ReplyDeleteI believe that sometimes the toughest part is often to get the toys out of their packages - tools and patience are needed!