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Why do toy manufacturers hate parents?

Evidence that toy manufacturers hate parents
When my son brought me this to open for him, of course I agreed. But when I saw the packaging -- the evil, evil packaging -- I looked him in the eye and almost told him, "Son, there is no possible way this can be opened. It was obviously intended only to be admired in all of its packaged glory from afar, on a shelf. There's just too much wire and tape and glue and Daddy has a finite lifespan. No, son, let's leave it in the box and hang it on your wall as the sadistic packaging designer intended." And then I went to find the wire cutters in the kitchen from the last box we opened.

It takes a lot of the fun out of ripping open a present, tearing open the box, and playing with your toy. Now the process is: rip open present, tear open box, get wire cutters or untwist the ties, pry toy out of box, peel tape off of everything, cut open shrink-wrapped bags and sealed plastic pouches, and ten minutes later you can actually play with the toy – but the kids have already gotten bored and have gone on to something else. What the hell, toy makers? I understand it makes everything look pretty in the box. I understand if the box looks pretty it’s more likely to sell. But are you so short-sighted that you really don’t care what happens to the package once it is paid for? Don’t you care that opening these god-forsaken packages is an awful experience that young children don’t have any fun doing and that they are often physically incapable of opening their own toys?

Here’s a New Year’s resolution for you: I resolve to buy less packaging, especially packaging that makes my life harder.

Comments

  1. Crystal on 2005-12-30 08:19:44 wrote: Hi! I was going through flicker.com. I’m on this never ending search for photographer’s emails for an upcoming show in San Diego. I came across this weblog. Did I mention I HATE web blongs? I also have an infant and a 10 yr. old. I think I’ll be reading your weblog from now on (that is when I have any time…ha..time, what’s that?!) It’s nice to open presents at in-laws houses and then pass this kind of packaging onto them to open, while bored child opens something else (or nibbles on a cracker, or makes funny noises at the dog, or???) What the hell indead?!!! BTW, if you want to send me your email address, I’ll put you on our photographer’s list….if you want…

  2. Endearing Lurker on 2006-01-01 21:11:01 wrote: Amen, brother. Amen.

  3. Wendy on 2006-01-02 20:53:35 wrote: Amen! Every time I “dismantle” the packaging of my son’s toys, I scream, curse and wail at the manufacturer’s seeming blatant disregard for anyone remotely resembling an intelligent adult’s ability to crack this code…wtf! You hit the nail on the head!

  4. Peter Norby on 2006-01-03 23:03:43 wrote: We did a fair good job on cutting back this year. Not wrapping anything in stockings, using home-made gift bags for most things. But the grandparents sent in a veritable flotilla of tonka trucks and machinery that came in many cardboard and plastic contained units, not to mention all the wrapping paper. I think they accounted for well over half of our trash from that day. Luckily no wires or any of that junk. That stuff is dag-nasty evil. -//

  5. on 2006-01-04 17:12:53 wrote: That reminds me…my manager told me how for baby showers and first birthdays he always gives the parents a pocket knife/scissor tool so that they will be able to easily open all the rest of the presents the child get :)

  6. Roland Gesthuizen on 2006-01-05 07:02:15 wrote: Forwarned, the night before we removed nearly all the plastic bars and twist ties. After tossing all the cardboard into the recycling bin, the kids were delighted to discover the pile of cute plastic bars and ties. From the deritous of all our gifts there arose a new construction toy. (sigh)

  7. The Elk on 2006-01-05 09:07:04 wrote: Next time you find yourself engaged in the maddening process of freeing your childs toy from it packaging… thank a shoplifter. After all, they’re the very reason all that “loss prevention” stuff is there. What’s really funny though is that SL’s still manage to get that stuff out of the package and into a pocket while in the store. All it seems to accomplish is inconveniencing honest people. LOL! :)

  8. Chester on 2006-01-05 14:56:06 wrote: We’ve got 3 precious kids 8 and under. We stayed up late 3 or 4 nights before the big day and painstakenly removed the tape, wires, twists, clips, brackets, chains, glue, etc from the gifts and for some we neatly put them back into the packages then wrapped them. That way on Christmas morning the kids could open them and simply take them out (just like how it should work).

  9. Genuine on 2006-01-06 07:11:30 wrote: It’s a conspiracy by drug companies to sell more Prozac!

  10. Mike Ward on 2006-01-18 08:17:39 wrote: My wife and I have 2 small children; 5 years and 17 months. The new “rule” for birthdays and Christmas to our relatives is that “If you bought it, you unpackage it. If we buy it, I have a small pair of side-cutters I use to get all the twisty wires off the packaging. It cuts the time by about 75%!

  11. rebecca lopez on 2006-02-14 22:19:04 wrote: I know exactly what you mean. I know exactly how you feel. I have gone insane with those things on more than one occasion. I have wanted to relieve it of it’s box by hurling it across the room. I even encountered one that was SCREWED down! They do it not only to keep all the peices in place and it looking nice..but to keep it in the store, unitl it’s paid for. Toys are a big shop lifting favorite, and it was common to remove the item from the box to make it more transportable, and easier to hide.

  12. richard whitcomb on 2006-02-16 20:23:33 wrote: On NPR one day they talked about neat gifts. One of the neat gifts was something called OpenX - it is some special tool used to open those horrible packages - those silver twist ties, the plastic things, all that stuff. So I’m driving the kids to school while I’m listening to this, and the 7 year old boy says ‘dad, what do you use to open THAT gift?’ Ha!!!

  13. Video Martyr on 2006-03-28 19:47:43 wrote: Modern day packaging provides several positive things: A feeling of accomplishment - if you can get it open. An appreciation of product packaging design - What robot put this together? An extention of the anticipatory delight of the new toy - Because the toy inside will just break after 5 min of play. The bemusement that a childs toy, which has been tested 9 ways from september for safe operation, comes packaged in what is really cheap electrical wire! - Will my daughter’s next Barbie be wrapped in Asbestos? Finally, The shear benevolence of manufacturers providing tie wraps for the load after load of land fill sitting along my driveway waiting to be compacted. Morale: Reduce, Reuse, Re-Gift!