Thursday, May 22, 2008

How To Buy Back Your Childhood...


Most of the time here on Blue Sky Disney we talk about the Mouse. It comes from a perspective of my childhood and how that childhood has been affected by Disney specifically and entertainment in general...

I've mentioned about going to Comicon... a sort of pop culture gathering in San Diego that is the Mecca of Geekdom. Nerdvana as I often call it. My friends and I have been going for a decade now. It's truly a fun day where we get to become kids again... the only thing that reminds us we're getting older is the fatigue we face come the end of the day. Each year before we go we always joke about how we're going there to buy back our childhood. It's an inside joke amongst my group of friends, but it's also the truth...

As I get older, I seem to find myself collecting animation, toys and games of my youth as well as many other things that remind me of that time when I felt safe. When I felt guarded by parents and a world that showed me it would all be fine. A world that encouraged me to dream and wonder... Hmmm. Where have I heard those words? Disney is a direct reflection of this. A shining example of what we wish for in an idealized world. Was this the world we lived in or was it just an idealized version that we only remembered through our childish eyes?

I'd have to say it was a little of both.

When we go to Comicon we tend to search for items that bring back that feeling and remind us of cherished moments with friends and families. Wether I'll come across a comic I read as a kid or find a foreign poster of one of my favorite films that isn't widely available in America, I find each time I go on one of these trips I feel like I'm on a safari. Wading through the crowds like an adventurer pushing through the brush of a thick jungle I scour the desert for an oasis. Many are found, but it takes time and patience. Each booth tends to have a little something to offer. Each person you come across has that look in their eyes that tells you they're coming for the same reasons. They've got their credit cards out and are ready to empty those fat wallets for this opportunity.

From what I say, it sounds like I've got a shrine filled with memories of my childhood. Such is actually not the case. THX-1388 happens to be the one with the shrine or temple, if you like(Not many people I know have a life-size Han Solo frozen in Carbonite!). I'm usually very picky and always aware of my limited space for such things. I don't collect action figures, I don't collect Star Wars to be honest... I really don't even collect much Indy merchandise. I do collect movies. I collect posters. I even find old magazines that I used to have. Maybe a comic book or two... As I've stated many times, I love serials, I love the 20s, 30's and 40's so I enjoy many things that have to do with this period and I adore artwork, so I have a good deal of that in storage or lining the walls around me. But I am a timid collector next to all my friends in California and elsewhere.

No one gets to literally go back into their childhood... but it sure is nice to buy back the memories of it. Sometimes that's how I feel when I walk down Main Street toward New Orleans Square to get in line for Pirates of the Caribbean. Sometimes I feel like that when I'm sitting in a darkened theater sipping a soda while watching a great film. And other times I feel like that while I'm cozying up on the sofa reading a really good book. That's one of the reasons I write about Disney... it makes me remember my childhood. It makes me feel young again. And it helps me buy back my childhood...

Again.

7 comments:

Anonymous said...

I I like Disney, too.

and you spelled Innocence wrong.

Anonymous said...

Nice commentary. I know how you feel.

Anonymous said...

thx 1138, surely.

You're more or less describing me too, thanks.

Anonymous said...

I collect vintage pinball machines and arcade games from my youth for the same reason. Thank goodness I have a garage, money and an understanding wife!

Anonymous said...

Sounds like you're have the typical Gen X extended childhood thing. Almost all of the Disney "fans" fit this profile. Read this article on this...

http://www.thisisby.us/index.php/content/the_extended_childhood_of_generation_x

Only in the first world countries do we have grown men being the biggest consumers of comic books, video games, and cartoons.

Spokker said...

"Only in the first world countries do we have grown men being the biggest consumers of comic books, video games, and cartoons."
Was your post just a thinly veiled attempt at calling every grown man who is into Disneyland a nancy boy, to put it gently?

Come on, say what you really feel :)

Anonymous said...

Come on, say what you really feel :)

In other words, "I don't want to hear or read anything that's positive, so don't be positive at all."