Monday, February 1, 2010

Fads...and this time I love it.

I am from the Cabbage Patch Kid generation. I had to have a CPK. I got a Cabbage Patch Kid.Parents were lining up to get their kid a CPK. I think I heard that someone died getting their child a Cabbage Patch kid. The commercials were fun with a cute catchy jingle (I can still sing it for you upon request). The was a demand because stores would run out..making people that much more desperate to get their hands on the beloved Cabbage Patch Kid.

Remember the Tickle Me Elmo craze?Again with the cute commercials and the shortages in the stores. Wii is another one that lasted through at least 2 Christmases. Stores could not keep them on the shelves. That was amazing to me.

This year it is the Zhu Zhu Pet.
Briliantly marketed pretty dumb toy. Emily and Andrew got a few of these things when they first came out. They were done with them before we made it home from the store. I think I have already explained to some of you that my cat had a "zhu zhu" pet mouse for years before they started marketing these babies to kids. I will admit the commercials make this thing look fun and it helps that they are hard to find.

But the latest craze around here truly stumps me. It's SQUISHIES. Yes, the rubber pencil toppers. The ones from the gumball machines.

I know it is not just my kids too. I have talked to kids from other schools and from other school districts. I have seen kids run up to the quarter machines at malls, grocery stores and movie theaters.
Kids at school collect and trade these guys. They know which ones are "rare" and what qualities make them rare (but every machine has some rare ones so they are not impossible to get). They know exactly what restaurants and stores have the machines.

It is amazing to me. How did this happen? There is no commercial, there is no shortage, there is no web-based games to play with them (like Webkins) and they are super cheap. When we go places my kids are begging for quarters. I love it! I love that they will do anything for a SQUISHY! Hooray for cheap findable fads!

4 comments:

Scrappycook said...

We are soooo behind on the fads. We just got the Wii this Christmas, we have no TV so we missed the electronic rodent fad (hooray), but the daycare kids are all bringing those squishy things. I did not even know where to buy them and have yet to see them in a vending machine. We will have to keep our eyes peeled as my kids are feeling left out!

Unknown said...

I can't wait for the next scam...

Julie W said...

Do you need a cow? Justin got one from the "treasure tower" at school last week.

Julie W said...

BTW, I still have my Cabbage Patches if you want to come play.