So we’re in the process of buying even more crap for the kids to play with, all because it’s Christmastime and that’s what we’re supposed to do.

Elaine and I are in Toys (backwards) R Us on Sunday night, and I notice that they’re selling Luke Skywalker’s X-Wing and his Snowspeeder. And really, for all intents and purposes, they’re the exact same X-Wing and Snowspeeder that I had as a kid.

Going back to the 1950’s, has there ever been a line of toys that have had the staying power that Star Wars toys have had? Yes, I know GI Joe is still around, but they’re not like the GI Joe’s we played with as kids. Actually, they’re more like the GI Joe’s our dads played with. And of course Barbie is still around and bigger than ever. Hot Wheels, Matchbox cars… okay, I’m negating my theory here.

Has a movie ever spawned such popularity that 30 years after it came out, kids are still buying the toys featuring the original characters? I mean, it’s not just Anakin here. You can buy Han Solo frozen in carbonite. You can buy Cinnamon bun-haired Leia. There’s something about this that I find amazing.

Star Wars toys: bridging the generation gap. I guess that makes up for Jar Jar Binks, George Lucas.

Jim: I think Cam is on to something. Those of us who grew up in the 1980s had a plethora of cool toys, particularly the big three, Star Wars, G.I. Joe, and Transformers. I guess we had also-ran toys that didn’t make much of a cultural impact - GoBots, Battle Beasts, some thing where the good guys and badguys chuted along on ribbons strung out across the room. 

Still, it’s kind of hard to see Power Rangers or any of the other toy concepts on the market remaining popular decades from now. Really, it’s the old standbys - Star Wars, GI Joe, Transformers, Barbie, etc., that still dominate the toy shelves.

Indeed, the point about the lasting power of the original Star Wars movies illustrates that we haven’t had too many really distinctive cultural icons appear on the scene recently. Spider-Man, X-Men, Batman, Superman — as entertaining as some of these recent movies have been, all of these characters are decades old.

Am I off-base to suggest that in the Prequel trilogy, the only character that visually memorable was Darth Maul? We all want to be Jack Bauer, but we don’t play with his action figure or dress up as him for Halloween. (Because nobody plays Jack Bauer.) I liked Buffy and Angel and Firefly, but Joss Whedon’s hits were always sort of cult hits. (By comparison, just about everybody knows who Darth Vader is.) The Matrix series stumbled with Reloaded and self-destructed with Revolutions.

On a related note regarding toys, one of the toys that I miss playing with the most are Legos and Construx. I can’t quite understand why using these things to build something is considered something just for children. Somehow its considered perfectly rational and mature to draw a blueprint to illustrate an idea, but if I put a bunch of plastic pieces together to tangibly show a concept or a plan, it’s kiddie stuff.