Some people have asked me what kind of topics do Madelaine and I discuss in our Religion in Pop Culture class. The answer to that is many. We've found the religious aspect in rap music and dieting. We've made connections to God and comic books. And we've seen how modern heroes, like the Tejano music star Selena, can reach "saint-like" status within a matter of days. Leaving us with the final thought, no matter what your religious background or beliefs are, God is truly alive and well. And he's living right amongst in our pop culture.
Which is why, I'm posting my final presentation. Kinda like a tribute to all I've learned from Mrs. Speidel this past semester.
Toys. We've heard of them. We know of them. We have them. It's an object meant to be played with. Usually, for the most part, toys are associated with children, but it's not uncommon for animals to have them and even a few adults. If you know what I mean. Toys, and play in general, are an important and necessary part of the process of learning about the world and growing up. Children use toys and play as part of their education to discover their gender identity, help their bodies grow strong, learn cause and effect, explore relationships, and practice skills they will utilize as adults. But who knew they shared a relationship with religion in general?
The origin of toys is prehistoric. Dolls, animals, soldiers and miniature representations of the tools adults used, made from materials found in nature, such as rocks, wood, grass, and clay are always found at archaeological sites, In Ancient Greece, when Greek children came of a certain age, it was customary for them to sacrifice their toys from their childhood to the gods.
And while they weren't burning their toys, the Greeks were busy searching for Jews who were learning the Torah. According to popular myth, the Jews devised a toy that could double as both a game and a teaching tool, also known as a dreidel. A dreidel is a four-sided top, played with during the Jewish holiday of Hanukkah. It was used by the Jews who played with it in order to fool the Greeks if they were caught studying the Torah, which had been outlawed.
Such is the power of toys. Toys have been even used to predict the future.
In Korean culture, a baby's first birthday is celebrated with a great ceremony. The mother and father lay several objects and toys in front of the baby and whatever the baby reaches out for, supposedly predicts what skills the child will excel in, in the future.
And while toys were busy predicting the future, they are also being used for work. Between the Dark Ages & the Middle Ages, when children were old enough to play they were taught how to work and use weapons and tools.
In the mid-17th century, a wave of religious reform, caused Oliver Cromwell, a Puritan to enforce an Act of Parliament banning Christmas celebrations and Holy Days, all over England. Cromwell, believed it was his mission to cleanse the country of decadence, the reason being that Christmas and Sundays were wasteful festivals that threatened core Christian beliefs. Not surprisingly, the ban was hugely unpopular and many people continued to celebrate these days in secret. Including children. Toy manufacture's came up with the idea of religious toys, like Noah's Ark, so children could still play with toys while learning their Bible lessons.
As technology changed and civilization progressed to what it is today, toys also changed. They were now mass-produced, making them cheaper to make and cheaper to buy in stores. Parents could now spend their money on printed instructional toys that would aid learning and morality, such as pictorial alphabet cards, dissected map puzzles, books and board games.
In the 1890's, when spiritualism was a big fad, someone came up with the idea of communicating with the dead using a small piece of wood, called a "planchette." William and Isaac Fuld cashed in on the idea, and in 1892, they patented the Ouija board. A Ouija board is used to predict the future, but according to Parker Brothers, the Ouija board is simply a game, but to believers, it's much more. It wasn't until World War I that it became a big success because it was used to keep in touch with loved ones who'd been sent into battle. Since then, Ouija board sales have boomed during times of war.
Some toys have the power to influence people. Building blocks can influence future architects.
Model dinosaurs influence can future paleontologists.
Even dolls possess a certain je nais se quais that have the power to influence people greatly.
Cindy Jackson, an average run-of-the-mill girl from Indiana was influenced when she received her first Barbie doll. To Cindy, Barbie was the epitome of glamour and happiness, an icon to be worshipped. In 1988, she was left a small inheritance which enabled her to begin having cosmetic surgery. Cindy used the money to transform herself, with nine surgeries, into a real-life walking, talking Barbie Doll.
According to Cindy, "from an early age I had been made aware of all the things about my appearance that could be improved."
Her extreme makeover influenced Tim Whitfield-Lynn, who changed his name to Miles Kendall, and between both of them, they spent over $300,000 in cosmetic surgery to become the world's first "real life" Ken and Barbie. But Cindy and Mile's extreme lifestyle isn't the only controversy brought on by toys.
In fact toys have even caused quite a stir in recent events. A month ago, during a recent toy drive, the Marine Reserves' Toys for Tots program turned down a company's offer to donate 4,000 Bible-quoting, talking dolls. Bill Grein, vice president of Marine Toys for Tots Foundation, said the offer was turned down because Toys for Tots doesn't know anything about the religious affiliations of the children who receive its gifts.
"We can't take a chance on sending a talking Jesus doll to a Jewish family or a Muslim family," Grein said Tuesday. "Kids want a gift for the holiday season that is fun," yet on the company's website, their mission is stated as: The objectives of Toys for Tots are to help needy children throughout the United States experience the joy of Christmas.
'And in keeping with the Holiday Spirit, some toys are in fact, regarded as holy relics. A must-have for the toy enthusiast, who will stop at nothing to have the hottest, doe-eyed, furryiest, plushest toy of the season adorning the bottom of their Christmas tree, believing this inanimate object can bring peace and goodwill to all mankind. Or at least to their families. And I should know...I'm one of them!
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