We all want to be the hero.
In one way or another, each and every one of us would love to swoop in and save the day. It can even be as simple as pointing out to somebody they need to zip up the fly on their pants before going in to a big presentation at work. There are many forms of heroics, from standing up for social injustice or taking a stand against the playground bully.
My point is with costumed super heroes being all the rage these days, it is easy for kids to lose sight of what a hero is or can be.
What makes somebody a hero? Somebody who rises to a challenge? Overcoming adversity of a certain amount? And why do we look outside of ourselves for a hero?
No, seriously, check out the video. It says a lot about our obsession as a culture with heroes. Cheesy as it may be, listen to the lyrics – it is as if songwriter Jim Steinman is channeling our cultural collective unconsciousness. Yes, that Jim Steinman, who wrote Meat Loaf’s Bat Out Of Hell album (but that’s another blog post).
How do we teach our kids to be heroes? Not just a hero to others, but to be their own hero?
This is where the current cultural obsession with costumed super heroes can be helpful.
We recently received three playsets from Hasbro that are themed around heroes. Well, two of them. The third is just…. cool. Stay with me another couple of paragraphs at least.
Xavier has older brothers. Older brothers love “big boy” things, like Marvel films and reading books about dinosaurs eating people. He wants to hang out with them and play on their level. At five years old, he just isn’t there.
Hasbro’s Playskool Heroes line offers up a number of great toys and playsets that enable younger kids to play with “big boy” licenses but in an age appropriate way. Yes, those are my own words and beliefs. Hasbro has the license for Star Wars. Go look at the Galactic Heroes line. Any boy who would refuse to play with those toys needs to have their head examined.
Opening the box of Playskool Heroes led to a major surprise. I was expecting one playset, not three. My son wasn’t expecting anything, so this was a major surprise. It also let to my first frustration.
I will freely admit to not being as familiar with the new Transformers: Rescue Bots line. Apparently it is a television show geared towards younger kids. I don’t think any of my kids were aware of the series, but now Xavier is watching “Transformers: Rescue Bots” on Netflix as I type this out. Well played, Hasbro, well played.
My frustration set in when I was assembling the Transformers: Rescue Bots High Tide playset. Following the instructions it took me over 10 minutes to put together. Not all of the pieces matched the visuals on the instructions. As an adult I figured it out but can you imagine what a younger child would feel if they had to put it together themselves?
Despite this issue everything else is positive (though there is one more frustration, a mild one that I will get into a little bit further down).
Xavier loves playing the hero. Part of his regular pretend play is is as a member of The Avengers. He loves super heroes. These playsets are pretty much perfect for him. Hasbro sent Transformers: Rescue Bots High Tide, Iron Man Armor Up Fortress and Jurassic World Tyrannosaurus Rex. To say Xavier was excited would be an understatement. As you might expect, it didn’t take long for the three playsets to get merged.
Yes, that’s a land-based creature attacking a water-born vehicle. Hey, who am I to squash his imagination with realism? Besides, we’re talking about modern day dinosaurs and robots that transform.
And it didn’t take long for things to get even more complicated as Iron Man was called in to save the Rescue Bots.
This leads into my second and much milder frustration with Playskool Heroes. One of the lines in the contract is, in part, “Any additional expenses are the sole responsibility of the Blogger…” basically meaning if my son loves these toys so much he bothers the heck of me every time we go to the store to get more it isn’t their fault.
I wound up having to by Hulk. You might remember Hulk is Xavier’s favorite super hero.
I don’t know where the Rescue Bot is during this scenario. Maybe saving somebody else. Whatever. He did show up though when things got rough for Hulk.
Oh, don’t worry about Hulk. According to Xavier Hulk punched the Tyrannosaurus Rex’s teeth out. With the dinosaur out of the way it was time for every body else to work out whatever other adventure the heroes were embarking upon.
It may be difficult to see, but that’s the dino trainer (Xavier’s words) working in Iron Man’s fortress on…. whatever dino trainers do with a high-tech fortress.
I should talk about how Playskool Heroes is a line of toys for kids at the stage where they want “big boy” toys but are sized for their hands and development. Honestly, would you buy that sort of talk from me? The truth of it is Playskool Heroes is a great toy for young kids whatever the reason.
There are a lot of features of the toys I didn’t go into. For instance the Rescue Bots ship opens up, the robot will transform and there is a sort of working crane. One of the coolest things about the Iron Man Armor Up Fortress is not that it comes with two sets off armor for Tony Stark, but you can launch him into the suit.
Every day since the Playskool Heroes sets arrived Xavier has channeled his heroic tendencies through play with these toys. While these are fantastical creatures and people that are so far removed from reality, the basics of being a hero are still there. You save people. You help out. You stand up for what is right. It doesn’t matter how you dress it up, anybody can be the hero.
If you want more information on these or the many other Playskool Heroes toys (and if you have young boys, you will) check out Hasbro’s social media accounts as well as their website:
Instagram: @Hasbro
Twitter: @HasbroNews
Facebook: Facebook.com/Playskool
www.hasbrotoyshop.com
ABOUT THE TOYS
Transformers: Rescue Bots High Tide
(Ages 3-7 years/Approx. Retail Price: $29.99/Available: Fall 2015)
RESCUE BOTS fans can dive into big sea adventures as they take command of the TRANFORMERS RESCUE BOTS HIGH TIDE Playset! The new recruit, HIGH TIDE, now acts as the new RESCUE BOTS command center for ocean rescues. Load the HIGH TIDE figure into the command center console, then pull up on the lever to help HIGH TIDE assume full command of his ship. When High Tide needs to dive below for a deep sea rescue, press down on the lever, and twist open the hull to reveal HIGH TIDE converted into his mini submarine form! Preschoolers will be amazed at this easy to do conversion. The High Tide playset also comes with a capture cage with trap door and a crane with multiple rescue tools.
Iron Man Armor Up Fortress
(Ages 3-7 years/Approx. Retail Price: $29.99/Available: FALL 2015)
Tony Stark is ready for the next mission with his SUPER HERO ADVENTURES IRON MAN ARMOR UP FORTRESS playset! Pretend to re-enact one of the most iconic moments from the Marvel cinematic universe—Tony Stark armoring up to become IRON MAN. With lights and sounds, the IRON MAN ARMOR UP FORTRESS playset makes this moment come alive! Place the Tony Stark figure into the top of the IRON MAN ARMOR UP tower and push down on the tower to lower the Tony Stark figure into his armor below, which activates with lights and sounds. The IRON MAN ARMOR UP FORTRESS playset also features a capture cage, Hall of Armor where the IRON MAN suits can be stored, and the ability to be reconfigured so that preschoolers can customize the fortress. The IRON MAN ARMOR UP FORTRESS playset includes a Tony Stark figure and 2 suits of IRON MAN armor – 1 classic red suit and 1 blue suit. This fun playset makes the world of Stark Industries the perfect setting for little heroes’ biggest adventures. Requires 1 AA battery. Demo batteries included.
Jurassic World Tyrannosaurus Rex
(Ages 3 years & up/Approx. Retail Price: $29.99/Available: Now)
TYRANNOSAURUS REX is the ultimate dinosaur for preschool JURASSIC WORLD fans to track and capture! Features light-up eyes and a roaring action. Includes a human figure and a capture cuff to track the TYRANNOSAURUS REX but watch out – the head-chomping TYRANNOSAURUS REX might gobble the human figure up first! Includes a human figure and capture gear. TYRANNOSAURUS REX figure requires 2AA batteries, demo batteries included. Available at most major toy retailers nationwide and on HasbroToyShop.com.
I was compensated for this sponsored post but views and opinions expressed are my own. My thanks to Hasbro and the Playskool Heroes line. If it isn’t obvious the opinions in this blog post are my own maybe you need to be chomped on by a dinosaur.