A toy craze has taken over our house. They are tiny, with little faces, and both my children can’t have enough of them. SHOPKINS! If you have no clue what I am talking about, consider yourself lucky. Shopkins are a popular series of little grocery-themed figures with adorable names that are ranked by availability – common, rare, ultra-rare, special edition, and limited edition. These tiny little personalities have created quite a stir in the toy world, as moms and dads everywhere are on a hunt to complete their children’s collection.
For my family, it began with an odd little YouTube video my two year old son was watching over someone’s shoulder in the waiting room at my daughter’s dance class. He was captivated by this bizarre video of two people opening up tiny bags of little toys that I would soon learn were called Shopkins. So captivated was he, that I let him watch the same video at our house on a day that I needed to get some chores done. Big sister also expressed great interest in watching other people and their well-manicured nails open up these hot new toys. Feeling guilty that my children were engrossed in watching other people open and play with toys, off to Target we went to purchase our own!
And so it began, a world of Creamy Bun Buns, Pa Pizza, Zappy Microwave and a never ending quest to find a limited edition. Not even Santa could manage that one. Being a popular toy, there were trips to the store only to find an empty Shopkins section where we met other disappointed children also looking in vain for just one package! I found myself on a Facebook site for traders (because let’s face it there is a Facebook site for just about everything) where moms like me traded our Googy in the white for Toofs in the blue. I suddenly realized that I was having my Cabbage Patch Kid moment. My children needed to find Delish Donut in the pink as much as I needed the blonde Cabbage Patch Kid with a pacifier.
As funny as it is to reflect on this current toy obsession, I actually find these grocery store cuties to be a great toy for my children to play with together. The two of them can spend a good hour in interactive play. It’s also been satisfying as a family to complete one of the season’s collections and trade with people in other parts of the country. Let’s hope this craze stays for awhile because this mama is not ready for a new hot toy to come into the picture!
What has been your Cabbage Patch Kid Moment as a mommy?
