Charactor school bags.

brooklyn

Sun, Aug 19 2007, 6:57 am

I personally don't have a problem with any of them, but to each their own. I might just start up a frum backpack company, you know with pictures of Har Sinai, the Kotel, or maybe gedolim on them. LOL

greenfire

Sun, Aug 19 2007, 9:09 am

mummiedearest has a huge point with Mr. Rogers - did any of you know that he was a big advocate in the gov't to get public television so that we could teach our children values ... he won ... and he is wonderful ...

I think characters can be fun ... so long as you don't idolize them ... as with all things there is a balance ...

Ruchel

Sun, Aug 19 2007, 9:11 am

brooklyn wrote:

I personally don't have a problem with any of them, but to each their own. I might just start up a frum backpack company, you know with pictures of Har Sinai, the Kotel, or maybe gedolim on them. LOL

I would buy!!! LOL

greentiger

Sun, Aug 19 2007, 9:17 am

Yeah, I don't really see what the problem with character schoolbags are. I probably wouldn't have any problem with my kids getting them, besides for barbie or bratz.

lubcoralsprings

Sun, Aug 19 2007, 9:20 am

My 2.5 year old son has an elmo lunch box and he has never seen sesame street. He knows who elmo is because when we go to toys r us he likes to play with tickle me elmo. I don't see a problem with it because elmo is harmless.

chocolate moose

Sun, Aug 19 2007, 9:21 am

Mummiedearest, truth be told, I did not know all that, but being that "I" grew up with Mr. Rogers, I knew he wasn't overtly religiously . . . it was DH mostly that had the problem with Mr. Rogers.

I'm just trying to show GR that just b/c you don't associate one thign with another, doesn't mean that there "isn't more to it".

gryp

Sun, Aug 19 2007, 10:34 am

Brooklyn, I would buy them in a second! Smile

I love that idea!

choc moose- it's just a train. I'm not worried about it.

greenfire

Sun, Aug 19 2007, 10:42 am

I love the "bratz cartoon" ... I guess I'm just a big kid ...

brooklyn hurry up ... make those "jewish back packs" school is starting soon and they would go like hot cakes - especially in brooklyn ...

TzenaRena

Sun, Aug 19 2007, 11:01 am

My dd's first schoolbag was a pink and purple Tzivos Hashem "breifcase", and she loved it. ( I don't know why they stopped making them). Kids have a powerful attachment to their schoolbag, so I think it's important to keep them free of associations that don't match our chinuch values. Aside from staying away from the non-kosher animals, I would also steer clear of TV characters.

We've bought schoolbags with colors and features ( all kinds of pockets and holders for everything) the children liked. Idea

gryp

Sun, Aug 19 2007, 5:06 pm

Quote:

I'm just trying to show GR that just b/c you don't associate one thign with another, doesn't mean that there "isn't more to it".

To be clear, the thing I bought with Thomas on it is a toddler blow-up bed. We use it once or twice a year. It was a choice between a train and Dora. I would not buy anything with characters on it that would be used often. Uh, except the toddler toothpaste which has a small train on it. It's either that or a bear.

chocolate moose

Sun, Aug 19 2007, 5:15 pm

GR wrote:

To be clear, the thing I bought with Thomas on it is a toddler blow-up bed. We use it once or twice a year. It was a choice between a train and Dora.

Dora is just a girl, right? Does she signify anything? Whereas the train thing has been outed already.

GR wrote:

I would not buy anything with characters on it that would be used often. Uh, except the toddler toothpaste which has a small train on it. It's either that or a bear.

Yushke or a trefe animal...hm..........

gryp

Sun, Aug 19 2007, 5:19 pm

I've read plenty of Thomas kids books in other people's houses and I don't see any Yoshke there.

Sure, Dora can just be a girl, but girls usually have names, and choo-choo trains don't. Even so, I'm not buying a pink Dora air mattress for my boys! Smile

If I had to, sure, I would buy Dora, and cover her up with a blanket or something that the kids use anyway when they sleep on the thing.

chocolate moose

Sun, Aug 19 2007, 5:20 pm

As my son says, the Thomas thing is subtle. Inadvertent. Whereas with Dora, you know what you're getting . .

mimivan

Sun, Aug 19 2007, 5:22 pm

That's interesting about Thomas and Yoshke. I usually only have Torah oriented books for my kids. One day, my mother bought me a Thomas book, and I thought, "oh well, it's just a train. Just this once it won't hurt."

well, that taught me a lesson about bending the rules!

A

shoshb

Sun, Aug 19 2007, 5:23 pm

Quote:

the Thomas thing is subtle.

If it's so subtle that neither mother or child is aware of it, how is it a problem?
And what in the world are you talking about anyway?

mimivan

Sun, Aug 19 2007, 5:28 pm

I'm not an expert, but I think if it like a mushal by them, a mushal used to teach about Yoshke, it communicates some of the tumah, even without being understood.

They want it to be subliminal. That's the idea. That's why it is probably good to avoid secular storybooks altogether. (just my 2 cents. to be on the safe side)

Like I noticed my Rabbi's kids were reading "Lion the Witch and the Wardrobe" which is a less subtle Xtian mushal, and I just had to say something. He was glad I did.

chocolate moose

Sun, Aug 19 2007, 5:41 pm

mimivan wrote:

They want it to be subliminal. That's the idea.

Right, right. I used the wrong word. Not subtle. Subliminal.

mimivan wrote:

Like I noticed my Rabbi's kids were reading "Lion the Witch and the Wardrobe" which is a less subtle Xtian mushal, and I just had to say something. He was glad I did.

Right. Those stories are allegorical. There are many such stories out there . . Wizard of Oz, for example.

shoshb

Sun, Aug 19 2007, 5:43 pm

Please explain the subliminal messages in Thomas. I'm just not getting it.