Search for the elusive Yo-Yo I'm not sure of the reason but I've always needed to do something with my hands, either flipping coins or bouncing a ball to even just poking the nearest random person. So naturally a yo yo seems like an ideal toy since unlike a ball it won't accidentally bounce away and hit someone in the face (yeah, that's a retail sales career ender).
Now the first yo yo I ever had was a cheap plastic dealie (similar to the picture) that was given away at a conference I volunteered at, but it essentially did what it was supposed to... go up and down on a string, or tie itself in knots. As with many odd little toys and such the yo yo got lost and eventually I tried to find another one, a search of local stores only turned up an intricate ball bearing-balanced-xxxtreme $14 yo yo... in a common lapse of judgment I decided to purchase this yo yo (it was xxxtreme!). Though it looked impressive and even came with it's own tube of yo yo lubricant (seriously) it was a severe disappointment, while using it at work the think hit the floor, cracked, then on the next yo broke apart and hit a customer in the face (meh, didn't like working as a sales clerk anyway).
That ended my yo yo fascination for a while, though recently decided to get another one (of course planning to stay well away from people while yo-ing). Unfortunately visiting local stores proved it nearly impossible to find any really simply toys, one could easily find weird, complicated and just downright stupid toys, seriously what kid wants a transforming princess dinosaur spider rider? (hmm, Christmas is only 1o months away). There were action figures of action stars, inaction figures, dolls with brushable and unbrushable hair, lego kits of washrooms, and plastic toys that looked like something out of a bad acid trip... still no yo yo, and don't get me started on trying to find a simple plastic Frisbee!
Why is it that one can't find simple enjoyable toys... I mean one could probably search for one on eBay or something but that seems like a lot of effort to go through. I don't want to sound like a Grinch but a lot of toys today are totally useless and unnecessary, and without a doubt probably the worst thing one can spend money on. Too bad a lot people don't really have a choice, with the amount of marketing directed at kids, I guess it's not surprising how things are. I'm not against toys, but I think there's a difference in a toy designed to be fun, and ones just produced to make money. Xxxtreme yo yo aside, I think kids would be a lot happier with simple and long lasting toys if they just had the patience to appreciate them... bah, who am I kidding, they're kids - heck even adults fall to the same marketing ploys, how else can SUV's be so popular.
Well, anyway finally did get my yo yo - found one at the dollar store... it lights up... shiny.
Now the first yo yo I ever had was a cheap plastic dealie (similar to the picture) that was given away at a conference I volunteered at, but it essentially did what it was supposed to... go up and down on a string, or tie itself in knots. As with many odd little toys and such the yo yo got lost and eventually I tried to find another one, a search of local stores only turned up an intricate ball bearing-balanced-xxxtreme $14 yo yo... in a common lapse of judgment I decided to purchase this yo yo (it was xxxtreme!). Though it looked impressive and even came with it's own tube of yo yo lubricant (seriously) it was a severe disappointment, while using it at work the think hit the floor, cracked, then on the next yo broke apart and hit a customer in the face (meh, didn't like working as a sales clerk anyway).
That ended my yo yo fascination for a while, though recently decided to get another one (of course planning to stay well away from people while yo-ing). Unfortunately visiting local stores proved it nearly impossible to find any really simply toys, one could easily find weird, complicated and just downright stupid toys, seriously what kid wants a transforming princess dinosaur spider rider? (hmm, Christmas is only 1o months away). There were action figures of action stars, inaction figures, dolls with brushable and unbrushable hair, lego kits of washrooms, and plastic toys that looked like something out of a bad acid trip... still no yo yo, and don't get me started on trying to find a simple plastic Frisbee!
Why is it that one can't find simple enjoyable toys... I mean one could probably search for one on eBay or something but that seems like a lot of effort to go through. I don't want to sound like a Grinch but a lot of toys today are totally useless and unnecessary, and without a doubt probably the worst thing one can spend money on. Too bad a lot people don't really have a choice, with the amount of marketing directed at kids, I guess it's not surprising how things are. I'm not against toys, but I think there's a difference in a toy designed to be fun, and ones just produced to make money. Xxxtreme yo yo aside, I think kids would be a lot happier with simple and long lasting toys if they just had the patience to appreciate them... bah, who am I kidding, they're kids - heck even adults fall to the same marketing ploys, how else can SUV's be so popular.
Well, anyway finally did get my yo yo - found one at the dollar store... it lights up... shiny.
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