So I went to Target
Ok, stop here. I just noticed that I have an awful lot of blog entries that have to do with me going to Target. So many that I might have to consider changing the title of this site to “Mindy goes 2 Target.” It is a wondrous place of profound thought-provoking subjects. Well, ok, it’s just a good store and I like to go there and buy both needed and unneeded objects to maybe improve my life. Alright, digression over, I now resume my story:
So I went to Target at lunchtime because I wanted to get out of the office but not be on the roads too much because, well, you know (Warren cops on the prowl.) I picked up a couple things from the dollar spot and actually found a little scrapbooking sticker pack with a Tiki bar on it, oh how I needed that! Then I was cutting through the camping aisle and I just had to stop and admire the display of tents. You know what I mean, where they have these little mini-versions of the real tents that are just so cute you want to run over to the toy aisle, grab some Barbies and set up a little
campsite right there. I didn’t actually do that but I did take a picture with my cell phone camera. (How did I ever live so long without this important life tool?) Here it is, with my hand included to demonstrate scale:
I have this fascination with “little things” which are not just things that are small but those that are like something big but on a much smaller scale. Miniature. For example dollhouses. We had a great one when I was little, it was actually made by my grandfather and
we had a mix of previous generation furnishings and then a collection of the glamorous “Petite Princess” line of furniture that came out in the 1970’s. I used to love to find and make little objects of everyday life to set up to make it look “just like real.” Another good source of tiny objects in my childhood days turned out to be a place called “Lynn’s Pantry” which was a cake decorating store that was next door to the “Junior Boot Shop” where we would go to buy the ugliest shoes in the world. They had a whole wall with these little packets of items that were meant to be put on top of cakes but turned out to be the perfect scale for dollhouses and we could get objects like little diplomas or rolling pins or cowboy boots.
The toy industry has always been ready to cash in on this fascination with the charm of Very Small Things, such as the Polly Pocket toys they have out now, and the many previous versions of itty bitty people and places. I have a theory about this (as I always do) that it stems from some instinctual subconscious relating of Small Things to our attraction and love for the best Small Things of all: Babies. So that the cave women would take care of their offspring and propagate the race by not being able to pass up the little shoes in the baby aisle at Cave Target without going: “awww! Look at these! Sooo cute!”
Recently I had my Theory of Small Things being unique to females busted by the occurrence of our trip to the Lionel Train Factory. This field trip was organized by my cousin TJ w
ho when growing up was in possession of his own assortment of miniature items that differed from our dollhouse mostly by being vehicles and of course TRAINS. It was over the Christmas vacation when we gathered up all the next generation of cousins, and Uncle Tom, and went to the site of the former factory where they showed us a video of very old guys reminiscing about getting their first train sets, and then we were led back into the Train Room where they had the most incredible display of Small Things ever. You could just look and look and keep on noticing even more tiny details in the little things.
So I needed to revise my Theory of Small Things to explain why men and boys are so enchanted. How’s this: It makes them feel BIG when compared to something so much smaller, as in “master of all I survey.” Like when you go to the top of a tall building and look down and everything seems so tiny that you feel powerful over it.
Yeah, right. It’s just fun to look at tiny things and even better when you can rearrange the furniture or make the trains go around. See:
Ok, stop here. I just noticed that I have an awful lot of blog entries that have to do with me going to Target. So many that I might have to consider changing the title of this site to “Mindy goes 2 Target.” It is a wondrous place of profound thought-provoking subjects. Well, ok, it’s just a good store and I like to go there and buy both needed and unneeded objects to maybe improve my life. Alright, digression over, I now resume my story:
So I went to Target at lunchtime because I wanted to get out of the office but not be on the roads too much because, well, you know (Warren cops on the prowl.) I picked up a couple things from the dollar spot and actually found a little scrapbooking sticker pack with a Tiki bar on it, oh how I needed that! Then I was cutting through the camping aisle and I just had to stop and admire the display of tents. You know what I mean, where they have these little mini-versions of the real tents that are just so cute you want to run over to the toy aisle, grab some Barbies and set up a little
campsite right there. I didn’t actually do that but I did take a picture with my cell phone camera. (How did I ever live so long without this important life tool?) Here it is, with my hand included to demonstrate scale:I have this fascination with “little things” which are not just things that are small but those that are like something big but on a much smaller scale. Miniature. For example dollhouses. We had a great one when I was little, it was actually made by my grandfather and
we had a mix of previous generation furnishings and then a collection of the glamorous “Petite Princess” line of furniture that came out in the 1970’s. I used to love to find and make little objects of everyday life to set up to make it look “just like real.” Another good source of tiny objects in my childhood days turned out to be a place called “Lynn’s Pantry” which was a cake decorating store that was next door to the “Junior Boot Shop” where we would go to buy the ugliest shoes in the world. They had a whole wall with these little packets of items that were meant to be put on top of cakes but turned out to be the perfect scale for dollhouses and we could get objects like little diplomas or rolling pins or cowboy boots.The toy industry has always been ready to cash in on this fascination with the charm of Very Small Things, such as the Polly Pocket toys they have out now, and the many previous versions of itty bitty people and places. I have a theory about this (as I always do) that it stems from some instinctual subconscious relating of Small Things to our attraction and love for the best Small Things of all: Babies. So that the cave women would take care of their offspring and propagate the race by not being able to pass up the little shoes in the baby aisle at Cave Target without going: “awww! Look at these! Sooo cute!”
Recently I had my Theory of Small Things being unique to females busted by the occurrence of our trip to the Lionel Train Factory. This field trip was organized by my cousin TJ w
ho when growing up was in possession of his own assortment of miniature items that differed from our dollhouse mostly by being vehicles and of course TRAINS. It was over the Christmas vacation when we gathered up all the next generation of cousins, and Uncle Tom, and went to the site of the former factory where they showed us a video of very old guys reminiscing about getting their first train sets, and then we were led back into the Train Room where they had the most incredible display of Small Things ever. You could just look and look and keep on noticing even more tiny details in the little things.
So I needed to revise my Theory of Small Things to explain why men and boys are so enchanted. How’s this: It makes them feel BIG when compared to something so much smaller, as in “master of all I survey.” Like when you go to the top of a tall building and look down and everything seems so tiny that you feel powerful over it.Yeah, right. It’s just fun to look at tiny things and even better when you can rearrange the furniture or make the trains go around. See:
5 comments:
Totally reminds me of Zippy !!
Now I miss Target!!
I always thought those little tents were for us birds. We'd fit in them perfectly, so why not?
Gus was totally confused by the tiny tent when he was about three.
Tiny things are there so we can have complete and utter control over some environment, unlike our own.
Did you buy any barn boots at the Junior Boot Shop??
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