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Low Tech Toys?

Posted by Cliff on from the but-these-things-never-go-out-of-style dept.

hypertex asks: "Remember those cardboard tubes you used to look through and see all patterns the crystals produced? I've been looking for a kaleidoscope (for my 3-yr old) and no brick and mortar retailer seems to carry them. Even finding an knowledgeable employee was difficult. Walmart, Toys R Us, Kay Bee, Discovery and Disney stores are just a few to 'just say no' or 'it's too low tech' How can something so simple fade into obscurity? What else is gone?" What are some of the toys that have such a universal appeal that they should never be removed from the shelves? What toys surprised you when they fell into obscurity and what items have shocked you by their ability to stay on the shelves?

3 of 152 comments (clear)

  1. I was shocked that I couldn't find a Go board. by 3-State+Bit · · Score: 5, Funny

    I bet most people who read slashdot regularly have heard of Go. But when I was in New York over the summer, none of the big huge retail stores carried a board! Grrrr.

    Crackpot theory:
    The reason stores don't carry kaleidescopes anymore is that they're not under patent or copyright, and so no one can overprice them. If one company started selling it, another company would sell them for less, until you approached the cost of production. If toys started selling for $1 or $2 for something fun and lasting, stores would cannibalize their own sales. (And profit percentages.)
    End crackpot theory.

  2. Cardboard tubes by m_chan · · Score: 5, Insightful

    Remember those cardboard tubes you used to look through

    Any cardboard tube that came from wrapping paper, paper towels, whatever, became a light saber. Too bad they broke so quickly.

    Little yellow squares of construction paper glued to bigger red pieces of construction paper taped around our wrists so we could be Space Ghost.. that was great. I think I reached my creative peak there, probably because I became distracted by the glue.

    Lawn darts (way before congress banned them). Now that I think of the games we played, it was probably good that those went...

  3. A stick and a piece of string... by MacAndrew · · Score: 5, Interesting

    ...was always enough for me.

    Yeah, my kids didn't believe me either.

    Part of the fun of having kids is getting to regress. I love these old unstructured toys that don't break and don't trap you into ding the same thing over and over ad nauseum. Unfortunately I think many have fallen victim to higher labor costs and the demand for greater margins.

    We've emphasized low tech toys (no batteries is ideal) and it hasn't been to hard too find them, especially as these toys have enjoyed a sort of yuppie renaissance. The main problem I have is with the expanding use of plastic and declining quality of the toys, like Lincoln Logs just aren't the same now.

    So the higher end toy stores like Zany Brainy and Imaginarium (regional?) have a higher proportion of sturdy, imagination-driven toys like blocks and alphabet jigsaw puzzles (I like the Lights, Camera, Interaction! line available everywhere, even our Borders bookstore ... they must be old-fashioned, they don't seem to have a website) and the like. Unfortunately, they have higher prices.

    Of course, you can always take refuge in the internet.... Hey, anyone know why they discontinued Weeble Wobbles? ;-) But the best toys are the ones that "made it" -- my kids play with my old Brio train set, which is a wonder of simplicity, and free.