Where have all the good toys gone? The New York Times reports on the disappearance of classic toys such as Erector sets, and the over-emergence of video games and remote control robots. The phenomena is a shift in what children want when they play with toys. The more classic toys required the child to create and be more imaginative. Associate Professor of Education, Curriculum and Teaching, Susan Recchia says that "Children now expect some sort of stimulation rather than thinking they will create the stimulation."

There may be an even bigger concern at hand. Recchia adds that "there is passivity that comes from having toys that entertain you." In the toy commissions' consideration of new regulation standards for children's toys, they may want to consider whether we're making them more passive.

The article, entitled "Where Did You Go, Raggedy Ann? Toys in the Age of Electronics" appeared in the February 12 edition of the New York Times.

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Published Tuesday, Sep. 18, 2001