Growing up, my favorite toys were Barbie dolls. My daughters play with my dolls (at least the ones that are still functional) plus their own. This evening we had an interesting discussion over supper about Barbies (because the girls were successful in getting their brothers to play with them).
This is what I learned:
These are the dolls I called (from left to right) Derek (of Barbie and the Rockers fame), Dad (from the Heart family), nothing (because this doll didn't belong to me-- it's new-vintage for my youngest), and Ken. You can see I was not at all creative with my naming. I stayed with the name on the package usually.
My daughters, however, have named the gentlemen (from left to right) John (the one whose head is detached and who gets shoved under the bed), Ken, Joseph, and Fred (the antagonist).
For those of you who feel bad for Fred the Antagonist, I have been assured that he isn't always the antagonist. It's just that if there is an antagonist when they are playing, he is it. They tell me to think of him as an evil businessman.
And there you have it. Generational differences.
