This afternoon, I threw small fry his party for his 5th birthday. We had it at a local park, and the kids played, then used clay to make random things, and boy do I mean random. Grandpa grilled up some hotdogs. We had a pinata, which surprisingly with a bunch of 5'ish year olds whacking at it with a stick, it's still in tact. The kids rode the old train and carousel had a decent time. I gave them their goody bags and pumped them full of sugar from the cake.
My frustration stems from the great toys my son received as gifts. For those of you who have kids, you know where I am going...the same frustration arises Christmas morning, while your child is impatiently awaiting for you to open the package, that apparently is more secure than Fort Knox...and the frustration that you find while opening these packages is rather similar to that of going on a quest for the Holy Grail, and bumping into the French, who are taunting you -- all the while saying that they have a Grail...
Okay, so we get home this afternoon, I am putting things up, and he comes into the kitchen, Mommy, can you open this PULEEEZE??? to which I did two things, first I looked at how complex the packaging was, and then I said, sweetie, Mommy is busy, can you play with this....
A few moments later, I found myself in the foyer surrounded by cool, but inexpensive toys...and I begin digging into the packages. The tape they use on these things to secure the box, could seal the Space Shuttle for it's entire voyage....for a million years. Once you get the package open, you encounter these plastic coated wires, with a plastic anchor...you must twist these little wires - which by the way are usually under the toy or on the back...very hard to maneuver and undo them. Then some of these little toys have clear rubberbands twisted around said item...it takes me a good while to get through all his toys, and then I look up to my Mom, and say, some poor person in a third-world country probably got paid 25¢ in a month to twist these stupid things...not to mention all this crap is bad for the environment.
Here's a suggestion for your next round of toy opening with a child...scissors or pocket knife handy, as well as wire cutters, they work amazingly well.
Shoot, the wire cutters were just there in the cabinet...why did I make myself work so blasted hard...
Comments
Reputation: 93
Level: All-Star Since: Jan 30, 2008 
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Posted on: April 20, 2008 9:20 pm
Adult Proof packaging for children's toysi really enjoy your stories .please keep up the good work. |
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Reputation: 98
Level: Superstar Since: Jan 21, 2008
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Posted on: April 21, 2008 7:53 am
Adult Proof packaging for children's toysThe good thing about packaging the kids toys like they do is that on Christmas morning, I get to play with all my tools that I got too. Wire cutters- check. Utility knife- check. Needle nose pliers- check. Bolt cutters- check. Cutting torch- check. |
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Reputation: 99
Level: Superstar Since: Jan 26, 2007
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Posted on: April 21, 2008 1:31 pm
Adult Proof packaging for children's toysi really enjoy your stories .please keep up the good work. thanks...i try to entertain! lol |
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Reputation: 98
Level: Superstar Since: Dec 18, 2006
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Posted on: April 21, 2008 8:39 pm
Adult Proof packaging for children's toysI feel ya Dooks, these toys are very had to open. They seal them down pretty tough. I don't even use scissors anymore when opening the kids toys, I use a kinfe. Great and funny post! |
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Reputation: 99
Level: Superstar Since: Mar 6, 2007
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Posted on: April 22, 2008 5:28 am
Adult Proof packaging for children's toysDook - Been there, done that. You go to Toys/Kids-R-Us, buy say 6 items. The cashier swipes all those items 3-4 times across the pad that's "supposed" to de-activate the Stop Loss (Anti-theft) Device. You try to exit the store, when attempting to pass through the "portal" at the exit, the alarm goes off. GREAT!. In-store security shows up. He/they go through your bag(s) and your receipt, and then either send you back to a cashier to have everything run across the pad again, or they let you pass. Then, when you get the stuff home, you STILL have to perform what amounts to a jail-break to get the TOYS out of their packages. You open up the outer packaging only to find an inner, form fitting packaging that COMPLETELY encapsulates the contents. You go out to the garage and get your snips and utility knife. Use the knife to cut a slot to insert the snips into, then use the snips to cut around the edging of the form-fitting packaging. Being ever SO careful not to damage ANY of the contents. You get the form-fiting packaging off the toys, and now have to deal with those damn twist-ties. Being machine applied, they're on too tight to get the even the NOSE of the snips under them, so you have to undo them by hand. A light at the end of the tunnel? NO !! As you're undoing the twist-ties, you realize that there is a small strip of wood UNDERNEATH EACH of the 3 levels of toys with 1 (or 2) small phillips head screws that run up into EACH of the toys. DAMN !! OK, class, let's review. As you were trying to open the form-fitting HARD plastic encapsulating the toys, you cut the meaty part of your palm, just under the thumb. And then, The Boy was SO fired-up at getting these toys he grabbed at one of them while you were working at one of the twist-ties, thus driving said plastic-coated twist-tie up under your thumb nail (same hand as the plastic cut). And then, finally, due to your injuries and frustration, as well as The Boy's ENTHUSIASM, and the how tight those damn screws are set, and the fact that you don't have a phillips head screwdriver that actually FITS the screw heads - your phillips head scrwedriver slips off the head of the screw, passes through the cardboard backing of the toys and into the meat of the OTHER palm.... TWICE !! And this was just ONE birthday gift. IMO garage/yard sale toys are the ONLY way to go. We still have to clean them, but it's not my BLOOD we're cleaning off them. And, I don't have to try to remember when I had my last tetnus shot. As I said DUKE, been there, done that . O4F
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Reputation: 2
Level: Amateur Since: May 11, 2008
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Posted on: May 12, 2008 5:17 pm
Adult Proof packaging for children's toysyour passage stunk so bad and you spelled duke wrong lady
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