AIBU to veto tacky merchandise?

[abbyfromoz]

DD is almost 2 and is starting to get really keen on Peppa Pig. Everywhere we go we hear 'Pebig!!! Pebig!!'
I don't mind her watching it.
I know she would ADORE wearing Peppa P.J's or eating on a Peppa plate- cuddling a Peppa doll or wearing a Peppa backpack- but it makes me cringe with the tackiness of it.
I feel quite mean but I don't know what it is- i just really can't stand tat.
she has plenty of (mostly) wooden toys or nice looking ones eg, schleich, heimess or brio...and loves her drawing easel
I also don't like anything with a slogan or motif (eg. 'Here comes trouble') puke.
Am i depriving her? Or does anyone agree with me?

[yellowhousewithareddoor]

stiffles a giggle.

[AuntLucyInPeru]

It seems I already comply with the mumsnet default setting on this of 'PJs, pants and plates' for brands goods :-)

[Librarina]

This thead's rather handy as I'm expecting my first and was assuming I'd only buy lovely wooden toys and carefully chosen educational pieces (!)

It has made me remember the delight I felt when I came home from school and my Mum had decorated my entire bedroom in Strawberry Shortcake - wallpaper, bedding, toys, hot pink curtains, the lot. It looked like Strawberry Shitcake herself had threw up in there. And this was the early eighties when character merchandise was nowhere near so prevalent as it is now so she'd had it all secretly brought over from Canada by a lovely aunt.

Looks like I'm going to have to adjust my expectation a bit, but I think the advice upthread about investing in decent storage is wise.

[Messandmayhem]

My son is crazy for Disney Cars. And to a lesser degree, Toy Story (particularly Buzz Lightyear) and Spiderman. We have so much Cars stuff, including a Lightning McQueen bed. He is 3 1/2 and this has been ongoing for a while now, certainly the bed was bought last summer. My 1 1/2 year old daughter likes cats, so Hello Kitty is starting to be quite popular with her.
As for slogans, I like to wear slogan t shirts myself don't mind some of them, but I don't buy ones that are, IMO, inappropriate such as the "princess" "cutie" "babe" type ones for girls, and I don't like ones with "naughty" etc on them.

[seeker]

On my ds's 6th birthday, I changed his duvet cover and pillow for a Liverpool FC one while he was asleep. He still remembers waking up to it as one of the best moments in his life....l

[JambalayaCodfishPie]

"Toys so tacky they probably came from a happy meal?"

God forbid, eh?

Your friends with four boys? They think you're a snob.

[ThePigOfHappiness]

Op please don't be like that about toys. Don't be so controlling about what your house looks like, especially on the basis that its your money that's paying for it. It's also your dd's home where she is entitled to have things she wants too

[LovesBeingWokenEveryNight]

Nice.

Well I hope you soften somewhat for your dds sake, you really only buy toys that you like the look of because it's your money and if might make your house look a bit messy. Jeez controlling much? I thought toys were about learning and enjoyment. You'd better start telling her not to bother writing to Santa as he will bring her what you he feels is best.

[Mooshbag]

I hate tat, but DD likes it and childhood should be fun. She loves wearing her Peppa Pig rain coat.

[CharlotteBronteSaurus]

most people i know had the same idea
we all have a couple of shelves of beautiful, wholesome, improving wooden toys, which invariably stay on the shelves as the DC prefer to play with some brightly coloured plastic

and agree that it can help to channel their desire for character clothing towards PJs/pants/hairclips, so they're not head to toe in Moshis or whatever

[DialsMavis]

Happy Meals.... Oh fuck, how awfully tacky

[Mooshbag]

seeker I love that

[EeyoresGloomyPlace]

Yes, YABU. And a bit of a snob, but perhaps you realise that already.

Toys are for children, yes it's your house and your money but your dd lives there too. I get what you're saying, some of the branded merchandise is truly hideous, but so what if it makes your LO happy. Don't buy the big stuff, its too expensive anyway, but what's the harm in some pjs, plates, hair slides or a few figurines?

The Peppa figures are shit though, the arms break off withing about a minute, get them second hand so its no such a big deal.

[superbagpuss]

my DT have a car theme room, not tacky as I used internet to get nice things but they love it. it makes them so happy. you are an adult such a long time, childhood is a time for fun and some tat. my dh and I had dull bedrooms as children and didn't want the same for our DC. toys wise they have a mixture of wooden and plastic and lots of books, all gets played with

[utopian99]

We grew up in a house where we only got to watch ski Sunday and the Attenborough documentaries so no attraction really to merchandise (although there was probably less in the 80s)
People say your kids might feel left out but neither me or my brother did.. we did have plastic toys- playmobil, duplo/lego though. The best 'toy' I remember was access to buckets of drawing & painting equipment and clay/fimo/etc. I'm sure we made enough tat of our own but my parents obviously had great patience (and storage in our rooms for most of the ahem 'creations'!). I'm planning to try to do the same with our ds and any others..

[wonderingsoul]

i agree to to apoint.

i refuse to buy character tops, as i think they look tacky, i have seen very few that i have thought where nice.
pjs i dont have a problem with, duvets ONLY if they are more cotton then polly as the duvet just doesnt stay in it and always ends up at the bottom in the morning.

plastic tat.. no problem with it.. long as its sturdy, i very rarely refuse to buy £1 store thing or from store 21 as the toys just fall apart.

[MrsReacher]

When DD1 was 2 we decorated her whole bedroom in Barbie ! Wallpaper, border, curtains, quilt cover, the lot. She is 17 now and still sometimes randomly says "ahhh do you remember my Barbie room!" So look at it as creating childhood memories

My SIL DS was never allowed anything with characters on. I remember him in reception with a grey material bag almost as big as him because she liked it while all around him were Disney cars and Thomas the tank. His clothes were also always really expensive and then she would stress over him getting dirty.

OP Let her enjoy her childhood and you enjoy it because it goes so quick. Mother of teens here !

[BruthasTortoise]

I wonder if you're a friend of mine? Four boys here and, yes, our house is coming down with tiny plastic figures, Lego men, toy soldiers etc. maybe I missed the parenting memo which informed everyone else that we should be hand carving wooden figures from solid oak. As it is I tend to buy my children the toys they like within reason as playing is supposed to be fun. You sound lovely...

[abbyfromoz]

Haha- i love the fact that people are calling me a snob? Nice. If all else fails resort to personal attacks right? Clever.
I would assume you are taking it personally and in that case don't. I never said other people couldn't buy tat. I just rather wouldn't.
I agree- storage is key. I will accept a certain amount of tat will makes it's way in but hopefully a balance.
Also love the idea about creativity. When i was a child we had a room under the stairs where mum stored craft things for us. Stamp kits, sewing box and fabric etc. We never got bored good memories.
We also spent a lot of time outside building a treehouse, riding bikes, picking mulberries and making then into jam... I don't seem to remember any toys besides barbie (which i adored) and my baby doll Rebecca who i will be passing on when DD is old enough to not draw on her face

[JambalayaCodfishPie]

I didn't call you a snob. I said your friends think you're a snob.

They're laughing at your pfb-ness about creating perfect childhood memories, wooden toys, treehouses and jam.

They, having four children already, know the reality of it.

"I know she would ADORE wearing Peppa P.J's or eating on a Peppa plate- cuddling a Peppa doll or wearing a Peppa backpack- but it makes me cringe with the tackiness of it." loosely translates as "Sorry sweetheart, I dont want you to be happy - what might people think if they saw you???"

[abbyfromoz]

Oh! I didn't realise you knew my friends? And you are so kindly speaking on their behalf?
Oh please. Don't use your made up insight as a guise to insult me indirectly.
You can translate it as that i don't want my daughter to be happy- but if you were logical you would realise that she has plenty of other toys that make her happy and since when was it a prerequisite for a child's happiness to give them everything they want? Hmmm?