I grew up in a house where sports heroes had names like Andretti, Rahal, Evel Knievel, and the guys we knew from the track that went faster, week in and week out, than everyone else.  There were the Yankees… of course… as a kid from New York. And then there were the other kinds of heroes, the ones I knew my parents looked up to, and that was a different level of cool.  Some were musicians, some politicians, a few were hard to pin down.

In addition to the three other things I’ve learned about parenting, is that my girls love when I play with them. My older one learned early on that if it has wheels, it gets daddy’s attention. I have nothing against tea parties, dress up, or playing dolls, but when superheroes, dinosaurs, or robot car things come out I am the first to drop to the floor and see what’s what. I like to know how this can work with that or how does this thing make that growling sound.

The heroes that these toys represent have jumped into Superstardom, they have become so big that even if my friends didn’t know who Mario Andretti was or had never heard of Bobby Rahal, they know Jurassic World, the Transformers, and Iron Man. Everyone from generations apart watch the same shows, these same movies. Certain characters enter the public eye and stay. They never leave and it becomes a way that many of us end up connecting with others, as sort of a touchstone that resonates with a large part of society.

The thing about heroes, whether they’re comic book, big screen, or sports, is that they connect us to others in a positive light. I remember connecting with my parents over their heroes but not to the degree that it happens nowadays.

When I busted out these toys for my little one, I did it over a few days to give each of them their place in the spotlight. The Jurassic World dinosaur has been tucked away in a crib, shuttled around in a stroller, and took the walk to school.  I think he made some new friends. Not surprisingly, the action figure first rode the dinosaur like it was a horse and eventually became a light snack.

She’s Prone to Goofy Faces – It’s part of what makes her awesome.

Sorry about the bad lighting, I didn’t want to wake her.

You don’t want to see her when she’s angry.

The biggest squeal was when the little one screamed, “I love Iron Man”! Then the ten year old sat down. I don’t think it was because I had just asked her to empty the dishwasher, either. But, we’ll never know. When the arguing stopped, they were playing together and connecting over these sames characters that have been following me around for years.

Some things don’t change.

I was just on their website and they have a 20% off special on all Marvel toys and games.  Use Promo Code: Marvel20.

For more info: HasbroToyShop

Disclosure: Thanks to Playskool Heroes, I was compensated for this post and they sent stuff for my kids to play with.  Not for me to play with, of course. My views and opinions are my own.