Working on the Job

Mat	Mike
Awaiting Comment...	It all depends. There are people out there who collect all kinds of things, and Legos are possibly the most practical. Lets compare Legos to another collectable - Teddy Bears for instance. Teddy Bears are a collectible that is loved throughout the world. They are soft, cuddly, and often part of a child’s first memories. Who wouldn’t want a thousand of these around the house? Let’s take a look. First, and foremost is cost. Yes, the Lego sets can be expensive - but Bears can be exceedingly expensive - even in the thousands of dollars range. The value of the Lego set and Bear will both go up over time, with the bear being even more valuable, but, let’s be serious, how many collectors ever even sell their precious collectables? I can’t forget about the guy who sold those Beanie Babies and made millions off of foolish Teddy Bear Collectors - now those Beanie Babies are worth zilch. Next, look at lifespan. Legos are plastic - Plastic will be around possibly until the end of the earth. Bears...fabric and stuffing. Drop a lego in the water and you can still use it. Drop it in anything and it can still be washed off. Try washing Strawberry Jelly or, even worse, Dog Shit off of a Bear. No can do (if you do it will stink to high heaven). If a Lego Star Wars ship was left outside for a year you could still bring it inside and all that may have happened is the color might have faded. A Teddy Bear would be all nasty and falling apart. Storage is another benefit to Legos. You can take them apart! If you’ve grown tired of them, just disassemble the set and put them in a box. You could fit 100 Lego sets in on medium size box. 100 Collectable Teddy Bears would take up ten times that amount - plus they could get ripped, yellowed, and moldy sitting in a box. Now the biggest issue is the number of collectable items. There are only so many Lego sets out there that someone can purchase - there is an end. Bears...there are millions. Some of these people that make these Teddy Bears just take one design and recreate it with different colored fur and clothing. You could collect every bear you ever saw and never have them all. What fun is that? Oooh, I can’t wait to get the brown bear with the Blue Shirt to so that I can finish the set!!!! And finally there is the ability to play with your Collectable. Let’s see...Legos - they can be used to create a million different things. Teddy Bears - hmm, I guess I could use it to wipe my Ass with (something, I’ll grant you, should not be done with a Lego). Now there’s the psychological issue with your collection. Legos and Star Wars are generally collected by Geeks and Sci-Fi nerds. Many of those nerds are computer geeks that loved Sci-Fi and Computers so much they rolled their love into a future job. Ask Bill Gates what movies he liked best and odds are it was a Science Fiction show or film (and I bet he played with Legos growing up). Architects love Legos. Most Parenting magazines recommend Legos as a great learning toy. Love of Teddy Bears...well, I guess you could make some sort of living making Teddy Bears for other collectors. If you put real Bear teeth and claws on a Teddy Bear, you could teach your child to be afraid of real bears. If not, you might have an unfortunate Bear Mauling when you little girl tries to hug that nice looking Grizzly at the zoo. There are conventions for both types of collectors. Let’s look at the fun quotient for both. Star Wars Lego Collectors have toy shows, Sci-Fi shows, and Computer Shows. Teddy Bear Collectors have Teddy Bear Shows. I guess you can also count the Furry Conventions in Vegas and Pittsburgh (largest in the world) for those who like to do more than just collect Bears. I guess you can’t have sex with a Lego (ouch!!) so Teddy Bear type shows (Furry Conventions) sorta win out here - if you’re into that thing. In final thought, there is the practicality of collecting Legos vs. Teddy Bears. If a person has collected enough Legos over time, they could possibly build a house out of it (or at least a small tent). Legos could offer shelter. Bears burn well, but the foam would stink (could make you sick) and would eventually burn out. Legos are fun - all ages can play with them. There are even Lego Computer Games out there (big sellers). You could even have a future architect in the family due to the influence of Legos. Legos are also genderless - boys and girls can enjoy. Teddy Bears are generally for Girls, Homosexuals and Pedophiles (not necessarily in that order). Show me a guy who has grown up collecting Teddy Bears, and I’ll show you a guy that likes his dates hairy all over! So, if you have children and want them to be creative and successful, stay away from Teddy Bears and give them the gift that will last longer than they will - Legos! -Muckmeister
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