Listen to Lena

Perfecting the Art of Conversuasion

We Are Collectors: Disney Planes by Mattel

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Before having two little boys, I had long since forgotten how important “collecting” is to children. Did you have a sticker collection too? It’s hard to find a child of the 80’s who didn’t!

However, collecting is much more than just assembling like-products. Children’s collections, whether they are stickers, stamps, cars or baseball cards, provide inspiration, knowledge and skills. They give children a sense of responsibility; a justified reason to spend their allowance wisely, and a sense of victory and accomplishment as hard-to-find items are crossed off their collector’s list.

(While I had multiple “Grape Stuff!” jelly on toast stickers, the “Looking Good!” gumball machine Scratch-n-Sniff sticker evaded me. I officially stopped collecting some 30 years ago, and it still bothers me.)

In addition to (obsessively) collecting Disney Cars 1:55 Die Casts by Mattel, the boys have recently started a new collection: Disney Planes 1:55 Die Casts by Mattel.

Yes, they’re based on the most popular characters from the movie, and are perfect for recreating all the great scenes. But if you’re looking at the figurines and thinking, “So What? They’re just planes…” – believe me when I tell you, they’re so much more.

Don’t take my word for it. According to Psychology Today, “Childhood collecting, like all forms of play, exercises critical imaginative and cognitive skills. In collecting (children are) plunged deeply into pattern finding and pattern forming.”

“In each instance, the items collected served as repositories of distributed intelligence. In handling, arranging and classifying concrete objects, animating and empathizing in make-believe adventures, children explore an embodied feel for the logical, narrative and social relationships of abstract knowledge.”

“For a time, the objects that are collected store both the what and the how of inner life as the child learns to think, to imagine and to reflect.”

The Disney Planes 1:55 Die Casts by Mattel feature rolling wheels and moving propellers as well as a universal connector in their belly to attach accessories and play set features. Mattel says: “Kids will want to collect them all!”

Nothing wrong with that.

Want to start them young? Fisher-Price offers “Rev ’n Go!” and “Shake ’n Go!” figurines to collect.

“From high above the world of CARS flies PLANES, Disney’s action-packed adventure featuring Dusty Crophopper, a big-hearted fast-flying cropduster who dreams of competing in the Wings Around The Globe Rally. The Fisher Price Shake ‘n Go! Dusty Crophopper helps bring this character to life for kids with cool engine sounds, phrases, and shake-and-drive racing action! Shake Dusty to start the “engine”—the longer you shake him, the more his engine roars! Then set him down on the ground and this cool plane takes off, playing sounds and fun movie phrases as he speeds away!”

Were you a collector? Do your kids collect? 

Reader Interactions

Comments

  2. loriag

    I completely agree with you. My eldest son had a Thomas the train collection. He would receive $2 a week and saved until he was able to buy a train. It taught him so much. It was one of the best things we did with him as a wee one.

    • Lena

      That’s so wonderful to hear, Loria. My boys have learned organization and discipline through collecting, and I love their sense of responsibility!

  3. Judy C (Judy Cowan)

    Collecting Sticker! Yep, I did that and I think my parents probably still have my sticker books somewhere…lol

  7. Flora M

    Those are so cute – hot wheels have always been a favourite collectible among my grandchildren (the boy and the 2nd youngest girl), shoot, even I remember collecting hot wheels as a kid. And Barbies… my daughter growing up got most of the holiday barbies and any special edition ones as well. She still has them too (still in the boxes, packed away safely) the most special being the Bob Mackie Empress Bride Barbie that my mother gave to her.
    Collections are a great way of teaching kids responsibility – it is also just as important to know where to draw the line as some “collections” tend to take over the house LOL

  9. Darlene Schuller

    My daughter collects anything and everything. At 7 years old you’d think she’d beyond the rocks/leaves etc… we can’t get her to focus on just a couple of things. I’m starting to think she’s a hoarder….eww

  10. Victoria Ess

    I am totally guilty of having a sticker collection, which I kept in photo albums and spent hours upon hours re-organizing. Disney planes is an awesome collection to start!

  11. Jenn Erin

    Once you have one item in a collection, you just have to keep going! We are total collectors too! It’s fun to have ALL the different models ;)

  13. Janet W.

    Wow my grandson would love to have these Planes, too! He is currently building up his collection of dinosaurs, but I know he would like these as well.