I spent lots of time doodling whales and sharks in my notes, the octopus was always my favorite, always thinking that the seven seas were infinitely large. I'd wonder what it would be like to pilot a mini sub, deep-sea research sub or even massive nuclear sub. Later did I realize that not every kid grew up near the beach or even a large body of water, so they didn't share the same interests. Too bad for them!
You can put some of the blame Disney for the early influence as well. The movie 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea, the park rides the Submarine Voyage and Pirates of the Caribbean were very strong memories of my childhood. These things taught me to fear and respect the creatures of the deep. They showed how amazing ships were. The Submarine Voyage in particular introduced me to the underwater narrative, themes of Atlantis, mermaids and sea monsters that sparked my imagination.
I understood that many of my childhood friends dreamed of being the star quarterback for a super bowl team or even becoming an astronaut and exploring space. These things never interested me. Piloting a submarine was an achievable goal, something tangible. The sub was a window to another world, far more fascinating than space travel. There was life underwater, changing terrain, vast unexplored areas, many wonders yet to be discovered. In space there was nothing but... space. Cold, dark empty space for millions and millions of miles in every direction. In my lifetime we would never have the resource to visit other planets with the speed that we could visit other continents. Space travel was a science fiction dream but the real application of science was exploring the sea. To be a pilot of a sub that explores the ocean floor, treading through the unknown, it would be the closest we'd ever come to finding out what it would be like to discover life on another planet.
The toys my parents got me reflected this curiosity. My favorites were the toys that could float. Submarine toys with action figures were my favorite. My big brother had the majority of the G.I. Joe's and vehicles. Some of the Cobra boats were really keen but early in childhood I preferred to play with Adventure People from Fisher Price. These were action figures of everyday heroes. Some came with camping gear and a kayak, others had motorcycles. Some drove dragsters and funny cars. One had a parachute and a couple with scuba gear and a boat. My parents must have got me all of the sets that Fisher Price made, most of them I still have in the garage, those that I'm missing I can easily go to eBay for.
My two most favorite sets were the deep sea diver with octopus and treasure, and the submarine and helicopter set. I figured that a deep sea diver must feel like an astronaut leaving the shuttle. He is weightless, tied to a lifeline and his suit is a self-contained atmosphere. So while I'd never take a ride into space I could imagine that I wasn't missing much. I spent years having all sorts of adventures with these toys. Unlike Eddie Murphy my childhood bath time toy was a floating submarine, I never had to fight a brown shark. I'll consider myself very lucky for being that kid. Even today I am fascinated where I hear a story about the game studio that looks like the inside of the Nautilus. Or when news reports surface of giant squid footage, I'm all over it.
Granted I don't play with toys anymore (wish I had the time though) and the only things I collect are the odd Hulk toy and the occasional vinyl figure. I realize that it's been 30 years since I've seen anything as playful as the old Adventure People series... that was until recently. You may not know that Mattel bought out Matchbox a few years ago. Those would be perennial rivals Hot Wheels versus Matchbox under the same label. Some of the best Mattel toy designers are now collaborating on new products for Matchbox. Mega Rigs is a series that features interchangeable parts. It's not a Lego system where you can build anything but instead more generic one where you can swap out wheels for tank treads or tack on a helicopter propeller. I thought the series was okay, mostly because it allowed kids to create their own vehicle combinations. Some time ago they created a Mega Rig ship and submarine one as well. My interest was piqued but I didn't buy them as the toys were a bit pricey for my budget. So I just let them go. Over the holiday season I saw that the big retailers Sams Club, Costco, Target began offering special boxed sets of Mega Rigs. There was a bundle with the ship and submarine in one set for a low price.
One variation of this set offered an extra motor, one offered a shark. I chose the latter and picked it up just to have. Both ships float and each comes with all sorts of accessories and figures. While they aren't as large (in scale) as the Adventure People toys they were still pretty big. These toys helped remind me of my childhood and love of the sea. They made me want to share these interests with you. Of course this is a videogame blog so I have to connect the dots. Tune in tomorrow when we look at the best submarine videogames.
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