TOYS

Last night I watched Toy Story 3 on DVD. I really should have seen it at the cinemas, but oh well. It's a fantastic movie and I can see why people are pushing to have it nominated for a 'Best Picture' Oscar. It's a super tight script filled with intricate little subplots and a vast array of new characters. Remember the Fisher Price phone on wheels? Classic. This morning I got thinking about the other toys I played with as a kid and which ones were my favourites. I remember being a big Ninja Turtles fan and owning all kinds of turtle-related stuff. I had Master Splinter. Bebop and Rocksteady. The 'Lifeguard Leo' even squirted water out of his mouth. All very rad toys.

Then there were the toys from Hook (1991). Awesome film, incredible figurines. The swashbuckling 'Peter Pan' had a twisting torso feature that made his swordplay look semi-realistic. It was pretty fuckin' cool, but not nearly as cool as the Lost Boy 'Rufio' complete with skateboard and windsail! Bangerang.

Plenty of other toys would come and go throughout my childhood. But as these Toy Story films suggest, there's always that one special toy a child never forgets. It's the toy that rules the roost, wins all the battles, and gets to sleep on your pillow at night. For the character Andy, that toy is a pull-string cowboy named 'Sheriff Woody'. For myself, it's the tough as nails 'Battle Armor He-Man'. Some days you could find him riding around on a vicious green tiger named 'Battle Cat'. But mostly, he'd just be rolling solo causing all kinds of mayhem within the toy kingdom that was my bedroom. One time, I even saw He-Man hijack a spaceship and nuke the shit out of a makeshift car-park filled with matchbox cars. That's just what he did. He was the most powerful man in the universe! And he was my favourite toy. I have great memories of playing with He-Man. I just hope that wherever he is today, he's still kicking ass and ruining other kids' playtime.