Due: May 21st
In a paper (no longer than two pages, typed, double spaced - with cover page and a fourth page that shows an image of the toy and the caption and source) reflect (you may use some of the words marketers commonly use in their ads for toys – see above) on your favourite childhood toy by adhering to these guidelines: 1. Think back to your childhood. What was your favourite toy? What made it your favourite toy?
When did you decide that it was no longer your favourite toy? Why did you decide that it was no longer your favourite toy (or maybe it’s still your favourite toy – that’s OK – this paper is for my eyes only)? Why or why not? What role do you think the toy played in your childhood (social, psychological, etc.)? Note: no outside references required; text document

The secret of Vegeta and my world within
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May 21st, 2014
Rohith Sothilingam
120578730

What was my favourite toy
What made it my favourite toy
Growing up, I was a major fan of the anime show called Dragonball Z. In this show was a character known as Vegeta who had a rough persona, yet there lingered a softer side to him as well. His endearing perseverance to never give up no matter how beaten up he was proved himself to be a hero in my eyes as a child. I wanted to grow up to live up to Vegeta’s ability to stand up toward any opposition regardless of size or potential of threat. He also happened to be married to a woman named Bulma who seemed to be the only person he would show his soft side to. As if he veiled a façade to all of society yet allowed himself to be vulnerable to the most important person in life. His emotional attachment Bulma enticed my interest toward possibly having a future marriage of a similar nature to this relationship. Due to these factors, I idolized Vegeta.
Why did you decide it was no longer your favourite toy?
What role did your toy play in your childhood?
In my childhood, my older brother and I always had a fairly violent relationship. To this day, we still do not get along well. Thus, I did not have much company in my house that was of a similar age to me. This led me to seek an alternative to how I could possibly have fun trapped inside my own home. I spent a significant time to myself, contemplating within my own thoughts and my own imagination. Every day, I would set aside a set amount of hours to play underneath the covers in my world within my head. In this world existed different adventures, all of a action-packed nature similar to that of an action movie itself. My favourite thing to do was create a show within this world where seasons would pass, much like within a TV show in reality. As each season passed, new characters developed and older characters would die or leave. Initially I played with my hands, forming the shape of two men by having my middle finger of each hand be a man’s head, and the index finger and thumbs of each band be each men’s set of arms. With this logic, I would pin them against each other to fight as if they would on the show, Dragon Ball Z. However, one day I passed by a Toys “R” Us with my father and saw an action figure of my idol, Vegeta. I had mentioned that I liked it and later that week my dad surprised me by bringing it home for me and bought me a second action figure to fight with. Thus, my imagination wandered and I now had physical props in reality to match my dream world. This toy provided me with a significant companion as I was able to have fun simply playing a game created within my own mind, in a world that only existed to me and couldn’t be disrupted by anything in reality whatsoever. As a child, my Vegeta action figure was my escape from reality. My toy was significantly helpful in my psychological development as it helped me think to a higher level and create things within my mind simply because I didn’t have any kids my own age at home to play with.