Film Festival

Archive for April, 2009

There’s a sense in which some imagination may be lost with television, sure. I’m willing to buy that argument - or at least part of it. However, there’s another side to that argument that supporters of this theory may not be seeing, and that is the concept of toys deriving from said television shows.

A great cartoon will not only entertain us and make us laugh, but it can actually enhance our creativity when developed the right way. For instance, if we’re talking about a cartoon in which the main character gets himself into all kinds of crazy situations, the child playing with the toy can still certainly use his or her imagination to pretend their toy in similar binds. Not only does that make use of their imagination, but it takes problem-solving skills to get the character OUT of the messes. Add into that an antagonist or two, and we’re good.

If there is good writing on the show - especially when humor is used - there is a sense in which the adventure is never finished, and that can spill over into toy play. If there are lessons taught in the show, then just maybe our children are absorbing these lessons, are associating the characters with the themes, and will play with their cartoon toys in a similar fashion. It’s just up to us as parents and guardians to get involved with our children’s activities and teach them good play habits.

Cartoons can certainly be abused and made to act as pacifiers, but we have to remember that entertainment is entertainment and has been a great source of imagination and creativity for as long as man has been on earth. It’s what we do with it, how we limit the intake, and how we expand on it that is the key.