At what point is liking childrens toys sad?
Im not that old, but I do wonder at what point, if ever, is it sad to find toys/stuff designed for young people fun?
I dont like hunting and meat smokers. Or sports. Im into classic consoles and rc cars and Legos. Sometimes I feel like people have kids just so they can try to relive their own kid days. But I do that on a daily basis. Im surrounded by "kid" stuff, right down to 90s vhs cartoons and a Bop it.
My co workers would think its very odd that I spent the weekend playing atari and building legos. I guess I did put up some wood paneling too. But most other people were probably trucking their kids to sports practice and smoking a hog.
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Not nearly as sad as avoiding something you enjoy just because somebody else might find out.
Misery likes company.
My SIL "jokes" that I "must be autistic" because I didn't want to have kids and like to play legos with my niece.
"You're a very childish adult", "you don't want to grow up" well fuck her, you know what she likes? doomscrolling tiktok, following "influencers" and complaining about her kids. I'm VERY happy being who I am and going to keep ignoring her stupid ass
I have an uncle in his 40s, no wife or kids, just buys the newest games and locks himself in his room. Nothing wrong with doing what makes you happy.
Now that I think about it, I think I actually dated someone like that.
"When I was ten, I read fairy tales in secret and would have been ashamed if I had been found doing so. Now that I am fifty, I read them openly. When I became a man I put away childish things, including the fear of childishness and the desire to be very grown up" --C.S. Lewis
xkcd #150
The most well adjusted people I know stay in love with something/things from their childhood. Also, revisiting childhood experiences is a popular therapy exercise for recovering from mental trauma.
Lego and old console gaming are two very common things to be interested in as an adult :) If you have a genuine connection to something, don't force yourself to sever it.
Turns out that if you do your work and pay your taxes you get to decide what to do with your money and time.
Accept that people may not like the things you do. You can always find someone enthusiastic about the same things you are online.
Don't listen to them and do your own thing.
My household is full of Legos, plushies, little cute collectibles, consoles, board games... And there's no children. People should enjoy whatever they want to enjoy, no matter the age or gender or whatever.
We only judge people who don't understand how serious we take playing "Make believe".
I want to add that I am in this category as well. I play for kittycat gashapon at Red Robin. I bought Lidl advent calendars for me and the hubby. We look forward to getting stickers from the elementary teacher who moonlights as a trivia host at the pub each week. And I'm half a century old. IDGAF what other people think. I never hid these sorts of things from my coworkers, and they accepted it's just who I am. They also know me as an empathetic, level-headed, practical voice of reason if the situation calls for it. Two things can be true!
Not always a winner for takes, but this quote by C.S Lewis I've always found helpful
There’s nothing sad about enjoying the things you enjoy, thinking there are rules to follow in order to be an adult is the most childish thing you could do as an adult.
You have hobbies and you don’t need anyone to tell you that you are or aren’t allowed to have them, don’t let people who are too afraid to enjoy what they want to enjoy gatekeep you.
Do cool shit.
Almost 1/2 century old and I still have stuffed animals my mom gave me as a kid in the hospital and a few others for my birthday.
If she didn't get rid of my old millennium falcon and other starwars toys i would still have them.
You like what you like and you keep what means something to you. Fuck what anyone else thinks!
I'd really love to see your stuffed animals. <3
Mom gave me these on Valentine's day so long ago they are fading in color.
My stuffed animals are in storage ATM but I hope this will brighten the moment in their stead!
I remember the glowworms, my sister had one. We both had cabbage patch kids. I hate that I didnt keep my garbage pale kid cards. At least I still have an almost full set of 1991 Marvel cards. One of my best friends gave me a gold plated Gen 13 card i have kicking around somewhere.
Nothing in what you describe are “children’s toys”. LEGO, Atari, RC cars, etc can be enjoyed by all ages.
Don’t let your personal insecurities convince you otherwise.
I’m a 48-yo man who enjoys retro gaming, and I would love to get into LEGO if I had the space for it. And if anybody tried to tell me otherwise, I’d laugh at them.
I’ve lived too damn long worried about what other people think about me to care anymore. I’m going to live MY life now, and you should live YOURS. Fuck the haters.
Now get off my lawn!Never. You like what you like.
When you either have no personality outside of liking childrens toys, or you find yourself rushing into a store and elbowing people, potentially children, out of the way, so that you can get the toy first.
Ooh no. Im embarrassed just looking at the hotwheels in a store, lol
Dude, I went into a Walgreens for a drink the other day and I saw two things I wanted but can't justify buying:
a large Bluey squishmallow and the Hotwheels Action City playset. The same one they had when I was a kid, and it came with like 10 cars.
Walgreens is probably the best place to get toys. just say, "my little nephew is sick", and nobody will judge.
As someone who doesn't generally play with children's toys, i still say the answer is never.
As Randall Munroe said way back in XKCD #150, we're the grownups now, and we get to decide what that means. Life is too short not to spend as much of it as you can doing what you want. So long as it doesn't interfere with others, go wild.
Hell, find someone who consents and go wild with company! it's 2x the fun!
Just like in the xkcd.
It's only sad if you give others the power to judge you.
Once you're older than 99 you're not allowed to play with Lego's anymore
Poor Dick Van Dyke.
Between the ages of about 13 and 17, teenagers are very sensitive to peer pressure and are also trying hard to be more mature, so they police each other's and their own interests against being 'childish'.
Once they're old enough that they don't worry about looking like kids, if their peer group is chill and non judgemental (for example, in quite a lot of colleges and universities), they relax and enjoy some toys again.
It's common to reject the previous stage in maturity temporarily. So middle schoolers don't want to be mislabelled as primary school children and high schoolers don't want to be mislabelled as middle schoolers, just as college attendees don't want to be mislabelled as school children at all etc. With enough distance, "NO!" becomes "lol, no" and people relax.
I can't stress the importance of having a chill and non judgemental peer group for this process to work enough, though.
In a house with children, playing with the kids is always being a great parent, but can also be neglecting sharing the burden of work, and there's a lot of work, so play activities can also be seen as negative. Maybe that's why some of the parents aren't into fun. Often parents try to be sensible and responsible while grandparents unashamedly have fun.
TL;DR: It's a sign of further maturity to stop policing maturity.
I feel like toxic school induced social dynamics play a role here too
Absolutely.
I'm a dudely guy. I love my smoker (where do you live that they're doing it that often? Even here in Texas it's a niche hobby 99% of the time). I work on and ride motorcycles. Woodworking. Hog hunting, but that's mostly to keep wild hogs from tearing up land of people I know. I love camping. Music production. So I'd be considered pretty normal, minus the sports, if someone were to know my hobbies.
But also I've got some plushies in my home studio. I like them, they make me smile. I've got a bunch of retro games on modern equipment. I read a lot of fantasy and that includes a healthy dose YA fantasy. In addition to tabletop games that a lot of folks play I have an entire shelf dedicated to kids board games that I play.
I don't have kids. Never will. I'm the crazy uncle to everyone else's kids and we have a great time when they're over. And if anyone doesn't like my childish hobbies they can go fuck themselves.
Liking kids stuff isn't sad at all. Ever. If you aren't harming others and you're having a good time then anyone who gives a shit has stepped way the fuck out of their lane. If you met the most amazing person tomorrow and wanted them to be your partner and they found out about your hobbies and made fun of them, even if they were perfect in every other way, that's not the right person for you.
Now I'm not personally a Lego person. I don't have the concentration for it. But if I found out you were my neighbor I'd 100% offer to smoke a brisket or whatever you eat and supply some beer if you'd bring over the Atari for some Combat or have an extra RC car that we can race. That sounds like an incredible way to spend a Saturday if I'm not headed out of town.
Hell yeah, fantasy. I just finished reading all of the Discworld books in chronological order. I didn't think I would like it jumping between characters, but it was actually refreshing taking a break from themes and characters.
I will never stop liking plushies :3
Legos are awesome and when you're an adult you have money to buy them. Is the wood paneling creative or just home maintenance?
More for enjoyment. Covers up bad drywall work, and i love the look and smell of wood!
I love the replies in this thread and agree with them whole heartedly.
Enjoy playing with toys. Keep that imagination strong. Don't ever let anyone else make you feel wierd about it.
Never. You're an adult and can do as you please. Also, Lego is very much an adult thing as much as it is for kids. They make plenty of sets now that adults would probably enjoy much more than kids, like the Botanical and Icons.
To be fair I'd be more surprised by a kid playing Atari than an adult. The 2600 came out almost 50 years ago.
And there's nothing wrong with enjoying "kids stuff", no matter your age.
I work in IT and I think most of us still enjoy Lego and retro consoles and games.
Granted I do work with a ton of nerds.
We fought over a cool Lego car set for our white elephant gift at the Christmas party hah.
Basically just enjoy what you like and don’t yuck anyone else’s yum.
IT is a wild and wonderful variety of people. Once knew a guy who would, between tickets, use the whiteboard on the wall (we were in a room originally meant to be a classroom) to draw. I think the coolest was the Evangelion art that was bigger than I am.
The only thing that's sad is being ashamed of your hobbies and interests. Do whatever you want with your free time, I promise that nobody gives a fuck.
At the point that you do it not for fun, but for an obligation to your past self or for the potential profits later down the line
Otherwise, there is no limit. Age limits on fun are a capitalist lie
My fiancee and I build Legos together, play games together and there is nothing wrong with that. Rules like this are purely fictional and societal pressure. Just do what you like, you're a grown up! Even if someone tells you you shouldn't, you don't even have to do something with that :)
It's perfectly acceptable to play with Lego's all the way up to age 99. Then you have to stop.
Sad toot for Dick van Dyke.
/sarcasm
Never.
I'm 48 and this is only a small part of my home office.
Being an adult lets me make adult money and spend it how I see fit. Always wanted a Lego Star Wars collection. Now I just need better displays.
I'm 38 years old and still play with Beyblades. Do what you love as long as it doesn't hurt others or yourself.
C.S. Lewis
"People that mind don't matter and people who matter don't mind". Do what makes you happy, life is short and we get one shot at it.
Personally I love nostalgic stuff. 80s/90s stuff rocks.
Never, but judging people for petty bullshit is beyond sad, pathetic even. If "kid" stuff makes you happy then hell yeah!
Yeah, I'm the wrong person to ask. I'm 43, have a massive Lego collection, and play games in my spare time (what the kids leave for my wife and I).
(Edit) You should Google "AFOL" groups - Adult Fans Of Lego are all over the place. And even if you don't end up joining any, they have some impressive builds!
Also look up "lego moc" (My Own Creation) for homebrew Lego creations.
Some nice sites for Lego collectors and builders:
Bricklink
Rebrickable
Brick Fanatics
I play with Lego and anyone who doesn't like it can gargle my nuts.
Suck mah balls kenny!
Friend of mine who just retired, started getting into Lego for the first time in his life. You’re never too old
Well...
Dick Van Dyke is so pissed.
You have adult money and thus can buy all the cool stuff.
Why wouldn’t you?
Like anything it's sad when it starts to become harmful, and that's probably not based on age.
Never. And don't ever let anyone tell you so.
What's the point of being an adult if you don't get to act childish?
But seriously, if something harmless brings you joy, embrace it.
It isn't sad, PERIOD
Children's toys like games are limited in their function and scope. I don't think that makes playing with them sad ever but it can be more rewarding to make things with less constraints some times.
I feel like Ive been playing less games now that games turned to hobbies turn to a career in which I can try to solve complex problems in more creative ways.
I still play with blocks, little puzzles, games, etc though, so again a hard cut off doesn't really make sense to me.
It isn't sad if you're happy.
There is no point when a thing like that is sad. Life is short. You do you and enjoy what you enjoy. Fuck them for judging you.
You and I are of the same make. Embrace your freedoms, enjoy your life to the fullest. Don't let societies insecurities drag you down.
I say anything that fuels creativity is a good hobby to have. Legos can build lots of things especially if you have a engineering mind.
Atari games I'm sure are fun, but I'm also sure they spark some kind of imagery in your mind that if applied elsewhere (ie art) could be seen as creative. Or you know... Just fun.
Where i draw the line: you're 30+ yrs old, and no kids but your favorite show is Bluey... 😒
I have a better idea. Instead of worrying about the people who find it sad, spend your energy finding the like minded people who know it's badass.
Adults are children with responsibilities (and sometimes with money).
I mean I do use it as a form of escapism, but my life is tip top otherwise, so id say its not a big deal.
Its just hard to find others to enjoy the same things! Id love to have a goldeneye night or a lan party or something but it seems like no one does that anymore.
I was thinking how there's healthy and then unhealthy escapism. A break versus avoidance.
That aside, in support of you, I can't see how building with Legos for part of the evening is any 'worse' - less mature, sophisticated, or what have you - than watching some sitcom or YouTube slop. Certainly not sad in either sense of the word. You are actively feeding your creativity and maybe processing out life stuff (play therapy is a thing, even for adults). How cool is that?
This was more or less my response when looking at the question. If it's an unhealthy, hyperfocus escape, then it's kinda sad. But just a fun thing that you enjoy spending time doing with the other life stuff in check? Not sad, go nuts.
Waaay back in the day when I lived in a little fishing village, we had a community falling domino guy. He lived with his mom, and my family had reason to stop by his house to pick some stuff up once. The whole scene struck child me as kinda sad. But taking a step back: the guy had something he really enjoyed, he brought it to the broader community for them to enjoy pretty often, and he had a place of note in the local community through that. Took away quite a bit of my initial impression.
It's sad when you cry while playing with them. Unless the story you came up with while playing was just so good it brought a tear to your eye.
I, personally, don't have a high regards for kids toys ( besides things like tubs of random lego pieces because creativity is king ) besides stuffed animals, so my opinion is biased against them.
I'd probably end up saying around highschool for plastic action figures and all that. If you collect just to have, though, I cannot say anything against that because it'd be hypocritical considering I collect stuffed animal friends.
But I wouldn't let a spoil sport like myself stop you from doing what you like. I just happen to completely outgrow plastic toys a good long time ago.
I do not really judge people for enjoying their childhood toys, but back when my son was a lot younger, he really enjoyed watching youtube movies of adults playing with Thomas the Tank Engine toys. Now that was creepy. Also, the fact that people are actively monetizing this felt a bit dystopian.
I think kid stuff is fine to like. Legos even say on the box you’re allowed to play with that until you turn 100. I think playing with toddler toys is probably a bit sad though, just cause that’s indicative of a psychological problem to me. But I’m not gonna tell someone what toys they can and can’t play with.
Basic answer is: at birth. Also, never. In fact, both of them. And no one. All of that is valid in the same time...
More complex answer is that nothing is objectively sad. What is "sad" and what is not is entirely human-made concept. And in order to be as close to truth as possible, it must be treated like that.
A bit better question would be something like "What is your current personal preference for X?". That acknowledges that 1) we are dealing about subjective, rather objective affair, 2) or is not an eternal trait but a possibly temporary affair that can change after some time.
That way, different people, different cultures in space and time have different opinions. As long as we know that it is an intersubjective thing, it is OK. If some opinion can get you in trouble (like saying that some moons orbit around Jupiter), you may use that knowledge to survive. But otherwise, it is up to you how you live your life. They universe is providing a lot of possibilities and you can tap into its creativity and let universe manifest thru you. Please, enjoy it, it is great and I really want more people to cocreate the universe into its fullest. Eg. by building some new cool LEGO building 😊
I get inspired about this relativism point of view by the Integral theory of Ken Wilber, and by opinions of Leo Gura from Actualized.org 👇 https://youtu.be/UyBETFn5KXk
You'll usually like them during an acid trip, and shortly afterwards you're usually sad.
Liking toys and buying them is fine. Obsessively collecting them and making them your identity or buying 300k worth of some dead guys lego is fucked.
It's not sad, it is infantalizing, whether that's "good or bad..."
https://theconversation.com/the-infantilization-of-western-culture-99556
As to spectating sports (rather the participation) :)
congrats, you're the normal one !
It is not about the what but about the how.
Toys generically is kinda big. It would be sad if all you could do was play with only one set for months. If you're constantly getting new-to-you toys then it's just something you enjoy and love.
I am a reseller so I do get new things to play with. Ironically I don't mess with toys that much. Old LCD screen toys are neat and leap frog stuff comes to mind.
Do what thou wilt.
Do what you like, but I‘d advise you to try some of the things others do. If you don’t like it, fine. If you do, you enhanced your horizon.
In my opinion there are people who just stick to what they know. Therefore, enhance your horizon.
By the way, there are several different types of "kid" toys 😅 https://mstdn.ca/@paulisci/115769767114526283
😬
Of course do whatever makes you happy.
But, from my pov... Given time most people downsize eventually, sometimes financial realities unfold and all the toys and collectibles you don't have room to store gotta go, and often you don't get what they are worth if you sell them. If you plan of giving them away or don't think that kind of change will happen in the near future, then continue to enjoy.
14
but it's okay again at 22
I believe you are asking a specifically biased and chambered audience
personally I don't have any of this little baby nostalgia
I'm torn. On one hand people should like what they like and that's that - it's nobody's business. On the other, I once worked with a morbidly obese and very unpleasant guy who was obsessed with various toys and figurines. It's hard for me not to associate such a child-like obsession with a general failure to grow up and take a bit of responsibility for your life.
That said I watched Transformers:The Movie with my kids recently, and remembered just how much I loved it.
My perception of someone with a toys hobby is similar to what you describe, but only if: