Why is childhood marked with fads? Maybe it’s a new game, a clothing style, or a collectible item—something catches the attention of kids (perhaps a few adults, too) and they all become obsessed with it.
Labubu… Pop-Its… Funko Pops… fidget toys of all kinds… I can now safely say I’ve been immune. And at this point, the only reaction they get from me is a slow blink or a raised eyebrow.
I struggle to see the appeal. Does everyone liking or having something make it inherently more desirable? I think not.
But this was not always the case. No… no… I fell victim to many fads as a child.
And from the multitude, I have selected three.
Pogs
Cardboard circles with graphics printed on them. Stack them up and throw the metal “slammer” at the pile to… I don’t know… were you supposed to flip them over? Nobody ever explained the rules to me. I had a couple of plastic tubes full of these things—for some reason, it gave me satisfaction to just look at them.
At one point or another, it was explained to me that some people “played for keeps.” I was also told that *this was a form of gambling* and, therefore, I was not allowed to participate. I could own pogs, but not play pogs.
Crazy Bones
This was a trend I tried to participate in, but never really understood. Lumps of hard plastic shaped into strange characters. To this day, I have no idea what you were supposed to do with them. Did you throw them? Bounce them? Flip them? Surely there was some sort of game to play. In fact, I can faintly remember instructions being printed on the package, but it never made sense to me.
I can remember taking my hard-earned monies to the toy store, buying packs of Crazy Bones, opening them, and then thinking: “huh?” I wanted to get on board, but I think the train left without me. Over a few months, I continued to buy packs—perhaps thinking one of them would hold the answer of why they were popular. I ended up throwing them all in a drawer one day and then forgot about them.
Pokemon Cards
If ever there was something I was really “die hard” for… it was Pokemon. The video games, the trading cards, the merchandise… I even went to a few conventions.
I never actually learned the official rules of the card game, so I developed my own way of playing. Of course, I never had anyone to play against, so it was just me with a bunch of cards spread out on the floor pretending to battle an opponent. Wait, wait… I know that sounds really pathetic, so before you judge… let me tell you the bright side: I never lost.
Somewhere, there is a bright red box full of about 1000 Pokemon cards, including the entire base set and a bunch of first editions. It was in a closet at my parents’ house… I’m pretty sure it’s worth money now. Maybe I should go find it.
Okay, yes. This fad never left me. Selene and I spent years playing Pokemon Go. And a few months ago, I replayed through one of the Gameboy games.
I will always be a Pokemon Master. No one can take that away from me.
What was your childhood fad?
Good morning and happy Monday, friends.
Happy Beltane! Happy start of May!
- New Article: A Year in Review: 2025 – 2026
- New M3 Episode: Amber Rae, Conservation Art, and the Floridian Mythos
Well, I got some fun content out this past week. If you’d like to see a highlight of my accomplishments over the last year, then please join me for my “A Year in Review” post. It’s tradition! If you’d like to catch a brand new episode of M3, then go watch my chat with Amber Rae. Both are conveniently linked above.
The good news first! I’m now completely done with my Spring semester. I just finished up a very, very dull research paper. Grades haven’t been finalized yet, but I know I’ll be pleased with my performance.
Of course, there is one thing left: a course evaluation. I was trying to give the professor the benefit of the doubt, but since they’ve basically ghosted me, I fully intend to tell them what I really think. My dissatisfaction is about to take the form of a dozen small circles with ratings between “5 (Strongly Agree)” and “1 (Strongly Disagree)”—you can bet I’ll be strongly disagreeing with a lot.
In other news, I was sent a delightful review of my book from Lady Serpent of The Keeper’s Path.
You can go and read the full review or… buy the book for yourself and write your own.
I’ve got some speaking engagements coming up soon, so I’m sure you’ll hear more about that in the near future.
Now for the bad news: No fun food pics or anything to show off this week. We had to pop over to the west coast of Florida for the weekend and just returned last night.
Okay, okay… I hear you. Here’s a picture of Loki to tide you over until next time.
I have about 2 weeks until the start of my Summer semester. Hopefully I’ll be able to get some cool stuff done before then.
Stay tuned for more soon!
Aerik Arkadian 
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