The commercial sticks in my head like a permanent structure built between my ears and brain. A tattoo of sound that I can't remove. Not so much the specifics of the commercial, but rather the jingle that would come to define a generation of people (and me) who were mostly born into privilege.
To be sure, there were, and are problems in my world. And no one would accuse my family of being supremely wealthy or powerful even by small town standards. So when I talk about privilege I'm talking about the relative privilege of being born and raised in the outskirts of suburbia during the mid to late 80' to late 90's.
But through the advent of television, printers and computers that's not what I felt. Instead, the world I would consume was seemingly made for me. Nothing represents that better than these series of commercials by Toys "R" Us.
I was a kid, and I didn't have to care about the world at large. In fact, we had whole networks and media companies trying to sell to us at all times. Kid culture, toys, and the rebellion against work is set in this time frame as Nickelodeon and The Disney Channel are also being launched and captivating the imagination of huge swaths of children. The ever growing expanse of the American and Western economies was resulting in the access of Nintendos and talking stuffed bears.
I feel this way because I didn't grow up with cable. I got to rent a Nintendo a few times, but otherwise went to a friend's house to play. The closest to Teddy Ruxpin was renting the animated show from the local video store. I didn't get to go to Toys "R" Us because there wasn't one around me (we did have a KB Toys, which was the closest competitor, but they paled in comparison to the behemoth that had become Toys "R" Us). Where my parents were with the resources they had at the time, cable television was not yet part of their plan in 1984. So while I was aware of Nickelodeon, Disney, and the wonders that must have existed within the walls of Toys "R" Us (TRU), those things were treated as rarities and treats.
Still, the commercial gave hope that the real world, this world of work that I saw for my parents constantly engaged with, would not become mine. My people would be the TRU kids. The kids who refused to adopt the personality traits of those of would-be grown-ups.
As the TRU kids outgrew the toy store, they didn't outgrow the jingle. The rise of 'rebel adulthood' seemed to be taking shape. Take the example of one of my favorite actors through the early 2000's, Will Ferrell.
On SNL Ferrell routinely played an outsized man child. Appearing to have the voice of authority, in either the role of a doctor or a father figure, or Alex Trebek, and made them fallible, funny and human. His true break out to stardom was in Old School as "Frank The Tank", an adult who just is not ready to let go of his drinking and partying ways.
I think perhaps we identify with these characters because they aren't grown ups; they remind us of the child inside of us and what we thought becoming an adult with a non-adult attitude would look like.
Another example would be the character of "Liz Lemon" as portrayed by Tina Fay in 30 Rock. A character being simultaneously defiant and accepting of her growth into adulthood and her pretty terrible workspace.
If we look at businesses and politics, again, the general movements have been to promote those that think that the status quo of work is not to be admired and should be substantially changed. The TRU kids chose not to grow up, and then celebrated it.
This has undoubtedly led to individual happiness for some. The ability to not feel guilty as a 38 year-old who still plays video games or enjoys Harry Potter and is someway still connected to youth culture in some significant way is far more common place than it was just thirty years ago.
Unfortunately, there has also been drawbacks. With a few exceptions, it seems that there is a dearth of leadership and a substantive lack of accountability. Our would-be leaders are off to the side as the idea of leadership itself comes, to some degree, under attack. Bosses at most industries now appear to have been people who pursue leadership positions not because they are great leaders, but because they were willing to become or assume leadership.
While Richard Branson, Elon Musk and Jeff Bezos were busy shooting their rockets into space, the country watched, but it was always viewed as a kind of a non-serious joke. The richest men in world couldn't think of a better use of their money than to shoot themselves off of the planet. They are children.
Perhaps we will be the last of a generation to have the "I don't want to grow up" mentality. Our collective lack of maturity has the world arguably on its heels. The lack of adults in the rooms in the workplace and in government has resulted in widespread strife. Toys "R" Us is now only a memory to those of us 30 and older, and maybe with it, the pursued ideology of a joyful and juvenile adulthood.
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