Quote: “The fact that French toys literally prefigure the world of adult
functions obviously cannot but prepare the child to accept them all…”
-Barthes Mythology Pg.53
The quote I chose for this blog post I believe has an overarching theme that can be applied to not just French toys, but any toy from any origin in general. This reading had a lot of interesting topics, themes, and ideas scattered within each section. This quote in particular stood out to me the most however because it highlighted something I never put much thought into previously. When considering the denotation of a toy we think of something a child plays with as they are growing up. The connotation however differs slightly. Toys come in a variety of forms and serve a variety of different purposes. Barthes used the example of dolls that urinate in the reading. How this doll prepares young children (dominantly females) for the mundane tasks of being a mother in the future. This is a key example as to how toys are prefiguring adult functions.
There are two important things that this quote has made me realize. First being, just as Barthes had examined, there is a theme in toys to producer children who are users, not creators. The second being, that that there is a gender stereotype placed on children's toys.
One article I found supports Barthes's ideology about toys being created with more than just play in mind. The example the article mentioned was the Easy-bake oven. This toy is created with the intent to emulate a behavior and habit of adult ownership and to learn to use something that has been created by somebody else. The article went on to explain how girls toys express these values even more obviously. The author stated how girls’ toys were simply younger, pinker versions of accessories and beauty aids they will buy as adults. This really changes the meaning of the word ‘play’. What used to be associated with having a fun innocent way to pass time, has now become associated with the word ‘work’ that habituates children to their future roles and positions.
The next article I found focused on the impact certain toys have on play. Barthes's mentioned in the reading how toy’s are moving away from their natural state (wood) and instead becoming “graceless” and substances of displeasure. In the article I found it asked about what families could take away from the research found in the article. The findings concluded that basic is better. They found that the highest-scoring toys were those that were quite simple: wood blocks, wooden vehicles, and a variety of others. These toys were so highly rated because they are open-ended and can be used in a variety of ways. They also have been around for generations which adds the longevity factor.
This quote has helped me think of toys in a new light. I used to only think of toys as something that existed to entertain children, I never really thought about why certain ones exist and others don’t. I think that in a society where we are trying to promote individuality and equality, we should transcend those values into the toys we create for children. It is astounding that Barthes was able to highlight such a ‘norm’ decades ago. If more people gained this insight, I think that we could see significant changes in the toy industry as a whole.
-Evan Fister COMM 160
References
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