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| Pooky's bots |
Like just about any other parent who has an interest in Transformers - be it collecting or reading comics, watching cartoons etc - I've introduced the hobby to my child as well, in this case my 2-year old daughter. Nearly all of it is aimed at older kids, but with supervision I've been confident she won't do herself - or the toys - any harm.
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| No, she didn't transform Wheeljack |
G1 minibot keychains were a great place to start. They are a good size, very attractive and fiddle-proof, not particularly costly to replace and daddy gets to sort of have a G1 minibot collection too! Her instant love for "Bumbadee" and "Keefy" was unforgettable, and I miss her mispronunciations of those names *sniff*. The Classics Wheeljack was my own but I never liked it - which I now realise was down to chronic mis-transformation. Since my daughter and I have started messing with it, it's grown massively on both of us. I don't see any issue in exposing her to all types of toys, whether they're considered girls or boys toys, and seeing her play with cars, aeroplanes, or children's tool-kits doesn't cause me any discomfort in the slightest.
At the same time, if she drops the Transformers and goes to chase a piece of lint, it doesn't cause me any sadness either. I have been very impressed with how well she's treated her toys, not a single one had broken or been mistreated until this bugger came along...
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| The remains of BotCon Europe |
My variation obsession of course spilled over into this, a simple Windcharger keychain (thanks Martin!) wasn't sufficient. Oh no, my daughter had to have a BotCon Europe exclusive Rook key chain that resembled the Peruvian Lynsa Windcharger minibot. It was to be her early Christmas present, and of course she loved it. It was a sealed one from a UK online store, but a single trip off the highchair tray ended its usefulness. Repeated gluing has been unsuccessful and he is now known as "Rook Broken". It was pretty floppy and useless out of the packet, to be honest. I would have been disappointed as a collector.
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| Yeah, that KO oversized minibot didn't last long either... |
She of course has the odd Transformers-themed soft toy as well, and despite my tentative looking around at Encore minibot reissue sets for her, I've not really been doing anything else to draw her attention to the toys or pushing Transformers on her. I've not been too precious about my own toys either, she's handled Macross Valkyries, Masterpiece Optimus Prime, G1 stuff, 3rd Party toys etc. My wife even picked out the Autobot t-shirt her Build-A-Bear cuddly toy is sporting!
In a recent interview I did for BBC Local Radio, the presenter asked me about my hobby and whether I would be passing it all on to my children. While I'll happily sell my collection items to fund anything for her future and hand her most toys she wants to explore, I stand by what I said to him in that if I can spare her the obsession of a possession-based hobby, I will!
I'd love for her to read MTMTE though, one day...
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| Love is the right of all sentient cuddlies |
All the best
Maz
Hey Maz,
ReplyDeleteGreat to see she has the taste for Transformers ;)
When I got my Rook sent from Botcon Europe, it was in a opened baggie! And so did the friend who went there with me. Was yours really sealed?
JB
Hi JB!
DeleteIt was sealed, yeah, but now that you mention it there's every possibility the original owner could have resealed it. Hard to explain, but when I got it, it never crossed my mind that it was anything but an untouched specimen. Hmmm...Didn't remembee that they originally weren't sealed.All the best
Maz
Maz,
ReplyDeleteThis is great stuff, and really hits home. I've got two little guys at home. When my first one was about to be born, I purchased the "Optimash Prime" and gave it to him. Amazingly, I let my older one (age 5) play with almost all of my stuff. He is actually quite careful. Yes, he has broken a few items, but I chalk it up to hazards of the hobby. My younger one just started saying "tras - fohmers!" I have tried NOT to push Transformers on them, but they have gravitated towards the brand.
Upon seeing my display shelves, my 5 year old asked for his own display shelf so that he could put his prized possessions there. So on a shelf beneath my MP's, G1's and other prized items, there is now a shelf packed with Buzz Lightyear, Woody, Green Army Men and Ninja Turtles. It actually looks pretty cool.
Steve.
Steve, that's fantastic that they are so into it without being pushed, I'm sure you'll share a lot with them down the years. How did they get on with the Optimash? i have one sealed that I wouldn't mind giving to the little one!
Deletehaha "Tras- fohmers!", that's so cute :D We're getting a lot of "Play with Optimus?" here, MP-10's never been so loved. She even asks for "matrix".
All the best
Maz