The three stages of toy

If you had a happy childhood like I did, the sight of a toy – almost any toy – can send you into a pleasant daydream.

As children, we could turn almost anything into a toy: a rubber band, a block of wood, a leftover cardboard box. As adults, however, we're expected to turn off this playful approach to objects and settle into a mature, purposeful approach to the things around us.

Lurking below the surface of our grown-up façades is a hidden, toy-loving self that is still eager to find fun in the everyday. The question is how willing are we to admit that it's there? How willing are we to let our world be inhabited by toys again?

There are three stages to rediscovering toys as adults. See if you can figure out where you stand.

1. Denial

You refuse to admit that there's a toy-lover inside of you. Signs that you're caught in this unfortunate state:

• You stockpile Christmas gifts for your nieces and nephews, without realizing that you're actually building a collection for yourself.
• You find yourself in the toy aisle of a department store, unsure of how you got there.
• You keep toys from your childhood where they belong: in a box in the attic.

2. Bargaining

You are okay with allowing toys to take up residence around you – as long as they seem to be something else. Signs that you've moved on to this less conflicted state:

• You acquire desk accessories that are a bit silly – but only if they have an architect's-office vibe.
• You give in and buy that Spider-Man night light you had your eye on – but only because it's going to be a collectible someday.
• You display that toy Corvette from your childhood on your bookshelf – but only to give your Zoom background some intrigue.

3. Acceptance

You no longer mind if you appear immature. You love toys – and you don't care who knows it. Signs you've reached this state of self-affirmation:

• You spot a Darth Vader action figure at a garage sale – and admit to its owner you're buying it for yourself.
• You add a stuffed animal to the pillowscape on your sofa – without trying to convince yourself it's an unusually shaped cushion.
• You unbox your archived Lego collection – and spend a blissful Saturday afternoon building stuff.

So, which stage of toy are you? Here's to reliving childhood joy at any age!

Note: The three tops in the featured image are by Toronto-based designer Tahir Mahmood. I bought them as a birthday gift for myself last month at Inabstracto, one of my favourite shops in the city.