Bernie DeKoven, funsmith: Amazing, Innovative Toy Car

Monday, October 29, 2007

Amazing, Innovative Toy Car

"These three boys were cruising along the side of the road with their toy cars as we drove by, while a fourth boy, a non-driver looks on. It is unlikely that these kids will ever own or drive a real car in their lifetime."

And yet, they made something new, and fun, clearly, very fun. We can feel sad for them that they have so little resources. We can feel even more sadness when we think about what they might be creating if they had the resources. (My guess, they'd be making dirt race courses for their children's size Power Wheels Kawasaki KFX Ninja Ultimate Terrain Traction mini-ATV.)

Found here by Street Use.

from Bernie DeKoven, funsmith

Labels: toys

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Noise said...: I don't think we need to feel sad for them at all. Would a more realistic car (or other toy) truly add to their play experience? Would substituting a more concrete interpretation of a vehicle, in place of the limits of their imagination, make "driving" that much more enjoyable for them?

Maybe we should feel sad for ourselves, that we've grown to lack the fantasy that small children in less-developed countries are free to explore. Or sad for our own children, that we brainwash them so early in life to play with toys that have been designed by adults, limited by our mature definitions of what a car, ball, person, monster, etc. should look like.

One of the biggest business catch phrases of the last decade has tried to encourage employees to "think outside the box." We might learn a lot from these children, by thinking of new interpretations of objects that are drastically different from the limited definitions that we already have.
Bernie said...: Actually, my dear Noise, that was precisely my point - though perhaps a bit too subtly disguised.

These kids are exhibiting their playfulness and ingenuity in ways that we rarely see in this country - except perhaps amongst the very poor.

But we do have to remember that they do it because they don't have the choice. And given the means, they would, sadly, much prefer having the latest and most heavily advertised and beautifully shrink-wrapped whatever.

We have to be careful not to overly romanticize the things that poor kids manage to create for themselves. Listen again to the kids on this clip. Sure, they're having great fun on their mattress trampoline. But they'd rather have the "real" thing. In deed they would.
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