Do childhood toys influence who you are?

[Ryzu 984]

So I've noticed for a lot of people, the toys and things we are given or see as a child influence us to become who we are. For example; kid given access to video games, he or she will possibly become a gamer. So then I thought after setting that rule out, what influenced me? Thinking back to my childhood. No father because of a divorce and I had a stepdad for a while (also divorced), but he barely spent time with me. The toys I had access to were mainly my few stuffed animals and any of my brother's and sister's old video games. Being a kid things like zelda or pokemon absolutely fascinated me, and i would swing a stick around like a sword and every once in a while recieve a plushie of a pokemon. Fast forward to the stepdad's divorce, we moved into a new home. My mom was always working and my sister always wanted to hang out with her friend, but had to watch over me, secretly brought me with and I met my friend Ethan. He had at least 50 pokemon plushies and we would always play pokemon mystery dungeon with them. Weird thing though, there may have been funny or awesome moments while we played, but there were sweet ones too. Like a guy pokemon giving a flower to a girl pokemon that he likes. So that wraps up the toys and stuff I had when I was a kid, and looking at myself now, it seems those tiny little games grew into so much more. Video games turned me into a strategy master and gave me a powerful analytical skill. Pokemon plushies turned me into a somewhat girly- who am I kidding I watch a show about candy colored ponies for god sake- a tomgirl and sensitive but also protective, loving, and straightforward. So I was wondering, any toys you had as a kid influence you?

[N.W. 3,619]

I grew up with Legos and I'd like to become an engineer if that means anything. With that in mind I also spent a fair amount of my childhood in the woods playing soldierl, it was only later that I really got into video games. The thought of becoming a game designer or joining the military has crossed my mind, but engineering is still my number one pick.

There is certainly some influence,  but it varies from person to person.

[M'aiq the Liar 5,804]

Well, all we are is a collection of our ideas and experiences. So if those toys influenced personal ideals and formed personal experiences then they most certainly can have a role in shaping and influencing who we are. But the level to which it happens varies from person to person of course.

[Snow Frostflame 3,568]

when I was a kid I played with toy cars and collected the things I had suitcases full of the them all rare cars from the 90s and 80s and the first few years of the new generation I would always play by myself always creating cool stories so yeah I guess since I like to write stories now a days

[Guest]

I grew up with Legos and I'd like to become an engineer if that means anything.

Funny coincidence, that's exactly my case !

 

My mother also didn't give me any kind of plastic guns, bows, or stuff like that, and I am now a pacifist to heart just like her

That doesn't mean I don't enjoy the occasional game of TF2 though.

 

So yeah, it makes sense that the toys you play with greatly influence who you are.

[DubWolf 18,661]

Hrmm. Most of my toys as a child were Lego (and airplane die cast models), but I'm not sure how that's shaped me . I'm an engineering major, but I doubt that Lego influenced that desire, if that's what you mean.

[SOULEATERROX 39]

i used to play with tow cars  (mostly hot wheels) a lot and old games (Sega and NES). the main thing i did with hot wheels were police chases. now that i am older, i would like to be a cop and i also like to collect old things. so i guess it did made me the person i am today. I also read on someone's blog that their father made them like spiders and creepy stuff and now  that person is not afraid of spiders or anything creepy. so whatever you do in childhood makes you the person you are :3 

[rarity1 461]

My parents didn't buy me much toys so I downloaded papercraft things from the internet but I don't think that made me very creative.  I owned a piano but I am more of a metalhead.  My parents bought me a computer and I ended up becoming very skilled with technology.  I think I collected more computer games and software than toys and became a technology enthusiast.  I doubt childhood toys influenced my field of study because I am not studying any computer related course.

[~Asuka <3~ 867]

Yes and no, I suppose.  I used to play with toy cars all the time when I was a kid, but these days, I have more interest in the history of automotive companies than I do in the cars they make.  But, I did play with dinosaur toys when I was younger, and it's my dream to be a paleontologist.  So there's that.  When I was young, I used to read books about outer space, and these days, I'm enthralled with space-themed television shows, anime, and manga.  

 

So, I suppose, the answer should be 'to an extent'. 

[Visual Spectrum 1,932]

I had a lot of educational toys. I also had a lot of stuffed animals I would play school with. 

 

Based on that, it would seem like I would become a teacher; however, I don't have a job, but my hobbies are drawing and writing. 

[Professor Annabella 330]

Disney seems to think so

 

[Rainblow H. Ash 5,091]

I'm on the fence about this.

 

My brothers and I all pretty much had the same toys that we shared when we were younger, yet we all turned out very different from each other. I think toys do play a role in early childhood development, but I'm not sure if it's just the toys that you have that shape you and not also how you play with them and who you play with.

 

I did have a lot of medieval toys, like those Dragons Megablocks when I was little, so I think that may have helped me with my interest in Medieval history quite a bit.

[The Crimson Cross 7,533]

Talking.

Hm.. I guess I didn't really play with many toys when I was younger, so I'd have to use my imagination, and find ways to play games with other children (my brothers and sisters) who were around most of the time.

I always had people to talk to, and even adults there, so I'd say that it very much had an impact on who I am today, because well anyone who knows me well knows that I'm particularly talkative.

 

It may be the case that it's just who I am, but I guess it's kind of hard to tell with this kind of thing.

[wowowowo 132]

seeing as I'm not a badass robot that turns into a car and fights other robots that can do the same thing... no

[CriticalStylus 65]

I really enjoyed Lego as a kid, chiefly Bionicle. Toys generally gave me a good understanding of structure and balance.

[LightningMana 147]

I played with ponies my entire childhood and I'm now customizing/remake them as a income

 

And I played with toy cars, and I have a car and drive it o3o

[Sceethe 704]

i never had any plushies, action figures or anything like that when i was a kid.

i did have an immense amount of legos,which just added to the already big collection my brother had.

I also read a lot of comics and books.

I had a lot of Donald Duck Comics and stuff like that, i also had the usual Harry Potter, LotR and books like that.

 

then came the video games, and internet in general.

i think those two things influenced me the most in my life,both positively and negatively

 

now, i am trying to distance myself from games to make myself more space for my newfound passion: Art. but sering that half of my friends are gamers, its not gonna be easy

[CT-1138 3,184]

I don't know if they influence me as a person, but I definitely know they influence my wallet.