Summary

The article reflects on the nostalgia of simple, low-tech paper toys from cereal boxes, contrasting them with modern children's technology-centric play.

Abstract

The author reminisces about childhood memories triggered by discovering a paper hippopotamus toy on the back of an Annie's Mac and Cheese box. This toy serves as a reminder of a bygone era when children engaged with simple, imaginative playthings, such as mail-in offers for plastic submarines and reading the back of cereal boxes. The article contrasts this with the current generation's preference for digital entertainment, as seen through the eyes of the author's wife's singing group children, who opt for phone apps over traditional entertainment like TV or DVDs. Despite concerns about the impact of technology on children's attention spans, the author finds reassurance in his son's affirmation that such low-tech toys remain appealing and fun, preserving the value of imagination and whimsy in play.

Opinions

The author has a fond nostalgia for the simple, low-tech toys of the past, which sparked imagination and required physical interaction.
There is a concern that the current generation of children, with their constant access to sophisticated technology and smartphones, may be losing the ability to engage with simpler forms of play.
The author worries that technology is negatively impacting the attention span of children.
Despite these concerns, the author is relieved to learn from his son, who works with Parent Lab, that children today still appreciate and enjoy low-tech toys that encourage creativity.
The article suggests that there is a timeless charm to toys that require assembly and interaction, such as the paper hippo toy, which can bridge generations and still captivate children's imaginations.

Return of the Junior Birdmen

It’s like a relic from a different age/ Could be/ Ooh-ee

Paper hippo toy, back of Annie’s Mac and Cheese box. Photo by Noel Holston

I was about to toss the empty Annie’s macaroni and cheese box in the recycling bin when I noticed the cartoon hippopotamus on the back.

What’s this? A paper toy? Yes.

And just like that, I was transported back in time.

I was eight years old, sitting at the breakfast table and reading every word on the back of a Wheaties box with Mickey Mantle on the front.

I was trimming the “Proof of Purchase” label off a box of Kellogg’s cornflakes so I could mail in my order for a free plastic submarine that would dive and surface in the kitchen sink if you loaded it with baking soda.

I was learning to sing “Up in the Air, Junior Birdmen” at Camp Tiak:

And when you hear the announcement That their wings are made of tin, Then you will know, Junior Birdmen You have sent your box tops in.

It takes five box tops Four bottle caps Three wrappers Two labels And one thin diiiiiime

The hippo, so retro, on the back of Annie’s box is billed as a music maker, but it’s more accurately a castanet. You help your child cut out the hippo. You glue on a couple of bottle caps. You fold it along the dotted line and — voila! — your child or grandchild has a little rhythm instrument.

I loved the idea, but I had to wonder if this toy is really not so much aimed at kids but at parents who recall such simple low-tech toys (and Crackerjacks with prizes inside and making forts out of shipping boxes).

I wondered in part because a woman in a singing group with my wife recently brought her two kids, ages 7 and 9, with her to a rehearsal. I offered to set the TV on Nickelodeon for them or to break out my DVD box sets of Looney Tunes and Rocky & Bullwinkle & Friends.

“No thanks,” they said. “We have our phones.”

Later, I noticed that they were talking to each other by phone from across the room and using an app that allowed them to substitute any number of alter-ego faces for their own at the thumb push of a button.

Sponge Bob was speaking their words one second, Hello Kitty the next. Or a dragon. Or a dog. Or a hamburger, flapping its buns like gums.

OMG, I thought, what is having technology like this at their fingertips going to do to this generation? We already seem to have the attention span of gnats.

I texted a photo of the Annie’s hippo toy to my son in Minneapolis. Not only is Xan a father, but he’s also a writer/producer for Parent Lab, a parental support app: https://app.parentlab.com/

“We made that one a while back,” Xan texted me back. “Things like that are still fun!”

Sigh of relief. Thank goodness kids now aren’t beyond simple playthings that require imagination and a sense of whimsy.

My granddaughter, Zinnia, is not 7 or 9. She’s 12.

If you want your own hippo toy, this is what the front of the box looks like. Photo by Noel Holston (Author)

Excuse me now, please. I have a hippo to cut out.