The Dark Side

11Nov08

We have officially entered the era in which we contribute to the Lucas Empire’s fanatical grip on the consumers. We have light sabers, a jedi knight robe and costume, and an increasing collection of action figures. Not to mention the vintage X- & Y-Wing and Tie Fighters, the Millenium Falcon…all collected by my husband and now out in full force.

But I hate licensed things–the costumes, action figures, games, clothing, swag, etc.   Unfortunately, these are precisely the things that grab young children’s attention.  Plus, my husband works for a major animation studio, so there is a certain amount of this stuff we are required to have.

We try avoid purchasing licensed things as much as possible, which you will know proves very difficult if you have a young girl who likes princesses.  Still, we managed with relatively few Disney things, substituting instead more generic princess toys and great, inspired dress-up clothes.  Of course, the movies and their plots still captivated her imagination, but we managed to fight off the worst of it.

So why have I caved so quickly  and easily to this particular dark side? Is it because Finn is younger & I’m just too tired to resist? Is it because Ella likes lightsabers, too? Is it because my husband loves Star Wars and I’m giving in to him? Why is this universe so much more palatable than any other licensed one? I’m sure you have lots of answers, I have some too, all the obvious ones. But I’d still rather they played with the piles of astronauts and rockets that are not tied to a particular universe, that don’t come with a ready-made, if endlessly complicated plot.

But maybe, it’s because while there are lots of ways to be a princesss, there is in fact no such thing as a generic light saber. Once you’ve got that in your hands, the force has got you.

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Tags: light sabers, Star Wars