It was the news of a friend's pregnancy that led me to Toys "R" Us that windy day. I couldn't recall the last time I'd set foot inside an actual toy store, much less the last time I devoted any thought to what babies are into these days. I hoped that my visit would provide me with some ideas for an appropriate gift.
The cornucopia of playthings I remembered from my childhood had morphed into a virtual Baby Gap, overflowing with stylish handkerchief-sized clothes and athletic shoes that would fit into a Tupperware container. Formal wear, casual wear, swimsuits, pajamas ... the racks of tiny, tiny hangers continued ad infinitum. I changed my gift choice and instead headed into the toy aisles. Surely I could find an affordable trinket that any kid would like.
It didn't take me long to become distracted with the My Little Ponies. A staple from my elementary school days, they had remained largely unchanged from their recent reintroduction into the toy market. Complete with painted-on eye sparkles and the symbolic artwork on each pony's rump, they were the same old ponies of which I'd hoarded dozens.
And then I saw it.
Embedded deep in the plastic confines of one particular package, flanked by hairbrushes and stickers, was a cell phone. It may have actually been a Blackberry instant messaging device, but whatever it was, its intended use was as an accessory to the pony.
My first thought, of course, was, "What the hell do My Little Ponies need cell phones for?!" Admittedly, though, it was a good marketing ploy. Kids who want My Little Ponies are sometimes old enough to have their own cell phones, and if they're not, selling a phone-toting pony might encourage them to want one, resulting in an effective cross-marketing scheme. It was a simple matter of keeping up with the times, of being knowledgeable about the characteristics of a target demographic. I suppose Barbie dolls have been carrying cell phones for years, but I've never played much with Barbies.
The My Little Ponies I'd possessed as a child had come with combs, clothing, and hair barrettes; now, they can be purchased with technological gadgets, scuba gear, a mirrored hair salon and even a motorized scooter -- helmet included, of course. At first glance, this trend seemed to reflect the advent of a more active society, one lush with adventure and always on the go.
But the more I pondered the changes, the more I realized that it was all a great deal of unnecessary complication. It isn't enough anymore for kids to play with a simple toy. The toy has to be dynamic, engaging, educational, exciting and flashy. It has to capture children's attention long enough to avoid becoming forgotten in the ever-widening sea of diversions for them. In the crooked, cutthroat world of advertising, maintaining the audience's attention is the name of the game.
Our lives don't need to be sped up and made more complex. If God is truly in the details, then the more details there are, the more God is hidden from us.
I glanced at a rack of movies for sale on my way out of the store. As an ironic end to my journey, I spied the perfect "toy store" film in all its discounted, shrink-wrapped glory: Don Juan De Marco.
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