Retro toys will have a positive effect on our youth

Remember those cool radio controlled cars you had in the 1980s? Well, Tamiya keeps relaunching at a rapid pace, surely fueled by the nostalgic element they instill in many 30+ men. It’s also having a knock-on effect with the younger generation, as many young children are getting their first taste of these great toys, through their parents, realizing there’s more to life than PlayStation and Xbox.

But it’s not just Tamiya who’s in on this. Many retro toys have appeared in recent years. We had BigTrak. The programmable space-age truck that would occupy the kids for hours, just so they could move it around the living room and drop a can of beans in front of the couch. BigTrak is a bit primitive and even in the 1980’s it was difficult and frustrating to use. Only the most patient and intelligent child would get him to do exactly what they wanted him to do.

Other brands have adapted better to the times. Lego has always included technology in its products as it became popular in society. Scalextric went digital to add another element to its racing systems and modern Meccano variations have been appearing for years. But, in general, there are far fewer ‘hands-on’ toys for children these days.

How many kids these days know how to change a plug? Much less do I expect than in the 1980s, when other toys and hobbies like Meccano, Lego, and Airfix kits were in their hay day. Is it any surprise then that there are less skilled workers these days? Learning through play is an important element for children and these toys offered my generation much more than just entertainment. They introduced me to the everyday tasks of life, such as changing the spark plugs on my first car. How can young people these days feel safe doing what seems to me to be a very simple task?

Teaching our young children how to be constructive and build something with their own hands has to be a positive thing. Think of an average computer game. They are mostly built around destruction. Is this really what we want our children to develop into? There is something quite rewarding about making something from scratch with your own hands and seeing the product of your hard work before you. I don’t see why our society should associate destruction with this feeling of reward through most computer games. It will only have a negative effect on this generation.

So do we have more of a responsibility as parents to entertain our kids in more creative ways these days? After all, being helpful isn’t nerdy. It is actually quite useful in life.