31 Times Adults Took Kids’ Stuff And Ruined It For Everyone, Really, As Listed In This Online Thread
You can say that nostalgia is a certain kind of dopamine injection into our bloodstream: it brings about a familiarity of positive memories that make us feel great. 8 in 10 people say nostalgia hits them on the occasion with 4 in 10 claiming it happens more often than that. So, overall, it's awesome.
But some can't handle the nostalgia. And so they grow up into adults who still partake in some things they used to do as kids. While that's not wrong, sometimes being an adult and doing kid things can have an adverse consequence, like ruining it for the younger generations. Either because of supply and demand and the physics of economics or just because it's cool—so cool that it becomes an adult fest with a no kids allowed sign on the door. And that's just mean.
Need examples? Say no more, fam, scroll down.
More Info: Reddit
This post may include affiliate links.
da_predditor said:
Childhood. Parents who film their kid’s lives for likes and subs are s****y.
HeftyPockets replied:
We really ought to pass a law about monetization of childhood. It shouldn't be lucrative to milk your children's lives at their expense.
OpalLaguz replied:
France is the only country to have laws explicitly protecting minor "influencers" with limitations on the hours they can be working online, protections for their earnings, and the ensuring their right to have content they feature in be removed upon their request.
Illinois just passed a law requiring influencer families to set aside 50% of earnings made from usage of minors in monetized social media content to be set aside in a blocked trust fund for the child. It's the first US state to do so.
Youth sports:
When I was a kid 30 years ago, you’d have a practice or 2 a week plus a game on Saturday. Then if you loved sports, you’d get together with buddies in your ample free time and mess around playing super fun pick up games.
Now, many kids are having full weekend tournaments like every weekend. And tons of practices. They rarely have the free time to just play with their friends for the fun of it.
Sure they are better athletes than we were, but are they better off?
My brother has soccer two or three times a week and games on Friday and Sunday. He LOVES it and it’s one of the best ways to manage his ADHD.
After school hobbies!
Around the age of 47, I decided to pick up guitar again. So I went to a local school and enrolled as a adult. I would see parents harassing their kids and berating them for not being better. I think the majority of them have lost the idea that extracurricular activities are too help your child out of their shell and also to have fun. Not to make them a professional of any sort or the best of the best of the best.
Wizard_of_Claus said:
My Little Pony.
DoxieDoc replied:
I watched it with my sister growing up. At one point we watched a video of a comic con or some such panel. A bunch of sweaty dudes were asking questions one after another. Then the sweetest little girl who was being encouraged by her dad stepped up to the microphone and very timidly (but bravely) asked about one of her favorite characters.
The scoffing and jeers coming from the crowd for the little girl not already knowing some fandom trivia was f*****g disgusting. Had I been the father that day I would have taken the mic and given them an earful.
Lucky-Advertising501 replied:
There’s nothing worse than those kinds of nerds. My heart aches for that little girl!
Similar thing happened to Star Wars, fantasy space opera meant for all age groups. The fandom is overrun by insufferable neckbeards who relentlessly s#it on anything that 1) isn't the original trilogy 2) doesn't specifically pander to their tastes. New fans are shunned and mocked for (how shocking) liking stuff aimed at new fans. It's horrendous.
I think video gaming, in a way, has been ruined.
The market for adults is larger than children and that's fine because video games aren't only for kids anymore but I've noticed how hard it is to find games for kids that are actually good.
All the most popular kids games are fuelled by micro transactions, season passes, always online and crazy YouTube personalities screaming obscenities at children.
What happened to games like Spyro? A cool little dragon trying to do the right thing and fight evil. No blood, no gore, no AR-15s or grown men in their thirties hurling insults at you down a mic.
When I was ten I wanted to run like Sonic did. My nephew is ten and he wants an Assault Rifle from Fortnite...
I dunno, maybe I'm just outta touch.
IronBabyFists said:
The obvious answer to this: the future.
corpsie666 replied:
This is the best answer in the thread.
I originally read it as if you were being sarcastic, and then my brain really processed it and realized how correct it is.
PumpkinPieIsGreat said:
YA books. I'm an adult that reads them. But the characters are TEENAGERS. People get upset that teenagers act like teenagers, in books targeted at... you guessed it, teenagers.
Gneissisnice replied:
I'm always amused by goodreads reviews on YA books where they're like "the characters were immature!"
Well yeah, no s**t. They're like, 13.
That's actually part of why I like YA. Characters make dumb decisions but it's part of their growth and they come out better for it.
In adult books, when the characters do something stupid, I'm like" you're 40! Why are you acting like this??? "
As a stressed out adult, sometimes it's just nice to escape and read about characters who are actually finding their footing and true love instead of having all the problems of adulthood.
Sol-Blackguy said:
Pokemon Cards. Scalpers were so down horrendous they were raiding McDonald's during the pandemic
TheFleshPrevails replied:
Most hobbies get this treatment now. Losers wanting to play stock market and ruining games in the process.
InspectionLong5000 replied:
There was a post here recently about scalpers buying up f*****g driving tests.
It's gone beyond causal hobbies/recreational activities.
People in the UK paying "brokers" £500+ because they use bots to buy all the test slots when they release.
Life is so strange at the minute. Everyone has a side hustle out to make money at other peoples' expense.
Flipping houses, cars, trainers, Pokémon cards, concert tickets, driving tests, you name it. If you need it, be prepared to pay extra.
Oh yeah a good game is Magic The Gathering for a replacement- more complex and more reading, but rlly fun and the art is, in my opinion, better.
Disney
Also just want to chime in and day this isn't really the fault of adults today. I'm a 34f and I'm not really an adult. Neither are most of my friends. There was no "adult" space for us to move into. The boomers are STILL working and living in their homes so we're working ok jobs, renting with roommates or living with our patents and spending money on stuff/experiences that's marketed towards a "young adult" lifestyle because then at least we get some enjoyment. There's a concentrated marketing agenda towards infantilizing young adults so we don't have meltdowns over the fact that most of our lives are below that of our parents.
Pretty much any fandom aimed at kids.
The main one that comes to mind is My Little Pony. Dudes in their 40s obsessing over and sexualizing these characters is about the creepiest thing I can think of.
Build A Bear: As a former employee I don't care if you came in and bought some stuff animals. Hell, there's some cool ones like pokemon. HOWEVER just cuz I worked there doesn't mean I have a whole collection myself and watch every show and movie that's partnered with the company.
Yes I was an adult man working at a stuffed animal store. Yes I bought a couple pokemon for myself. No I don't wanna hear another grown man passionately talk to me about My Little Pony and PLEASE I DONT WANT TO SEE A CUTIE MARK TATTOO YOU HAVE ON YOUR A*S CHEEK EVEN IF THERE'S NO KIDS IN THE STORE CURRENTLY.
We got my daughter a Pikachu one she adores. The look of horror on her face when they kept shoving the tubing up it's bum to fill it with stuffing. I had to video it, priceless!
chris14020 said:
Pretty much any kids' toy. The scalpers are working harder than ever to f**k it up. Video games? Check. Pokemon/whatever is popular cards? Check. Lego sets? Check as f**k. Fuzzy egg furby like critters? Check check. If scalpers can leech money out of people with it, they'll do it.
PinkFloralNecklace replied:
Screw it, scalpers just ruin things for everyone else in general. I hate when bots buy out items just so someone can resell it for twice the price. It’s frustrating that people who might genuinely want/need that product now might not be able to buy/afford it just because someone else was greedy. It also just gets kind of absurd with some things where scalpers get 10+ stockpiles of items that already aren’t cheap just to hopefully resell them at an even higher price. I get wanting to make money, but scalping is pretty scummy most of the time and definitely ruins things for a lot of people.
raviolixx said:
the word ‘daddy’
Faustias replied:
the only time my mind didn't spark its horny-a*s neutrons on the word daddy is when that smurf guy on guardian of the galaxy said it: He's was your father, but he ain't your daddy.
Ok-Alternative8714 replied:
My grandma had tons of black and white musicals where the women constantly called the men daddy. And then the men called the woman baby. Judy Garland and Fred Astaire era, I don’t know when that was, the 1940’s. It confused me as a kid.
So I think it’s really funny when people complain about how weird young people are using the terms, when the Boomers had it in so many popular movies and songs. (I’m not saying you were complaining. I just hear a lot of people talk about it like it’s a recent thing)
For me it's the other way around: how can someone call their sexpartner something you'd name a parent? I can't look my boyfriend in the eye and call him daddy and be aroused all at the same time, it makes me feel gross.
aprairiehocompanion said:
Minions.
moonbunnychan replied
I remain baffled as to how and why minions, of all things, became the thing of choice for unfunny boomer memes.
bpwhittle replied:
I’m convinced it has something to do with the overalls.
Nyami-L replied:
My mother does love them, but I put her the first movie (with Gru, not the minions alone) when she almost died from a sickness. It was one of the things that got her to laugh in a bad time in which she was bedbound.
Dont-ask-me-ever said:
Trix.
lamtevya replied:
When I was a kid I felt so bad for that rabbit. I still don’t understand the idea behind that marketing campaign. Was it- being greedy and mean is hilarious. Buy our cereal”?
Just give the bunny some cereal you sadistic little s**ts.
They ran an ad for a little while that was a campaign that allowed you to vote on whether or not the rabbit would get some Trix. I think you had to mail in a box top with your vote or something. I voted “share” with all of my sensitive little heart. “Greed” won by a landslide. That’s when I first became disillusioned with voting and people in general.
I think most of us felt bad for the rabbit. That vote sounds rigged.
annqueue said:
I'd say Earring Magic Ken, but I don't think all the gay men buying it ruined it. They made it more awesome.
throwaway384938338 replied:
Earring Magic Ken wasn’t really ruined by adults. Mattel clumsily copied a gay-sex trend in an attempt to be hip. It was cursed from the start.
MysteriousStaff3388 replied:
That’s one of the best marketing mistake stories ever. I love this for Mattel.
Hehehehe I will never tire of the Saga of Earring Magic Ken. He has a c**k ring necklace and a lavender mesh shirt… you can’t tell me NOBODY knew what they were making 😂
Clowns. My daughter was able to enjoy them when she was little but now they just make her think of killer clowns. I get that a lot of kids (and adults) were scared of them regardless but these days scary clowns are almost the only kind I ever see, and I think that’s kind of sad.
Edit: Clowns as we picture them have been around for like 140 years but they definitely weren’t considered scary by the masses until the last few decades. Lots of things we currently find terrifying weren’t typically considered that back in the day. For example, look up old pictures of people dressed as Easter bunnies. You’d think they’re objectively terrifying but without the popularity of the horror genre most people just didn’t feel that way. Of course there’s always been people freaked out by these things - kids are often scared of people in any costumes, as any mall Santa can tell you - but “Ronald McDonald” would not have existed if clowns were as commonly considered creepy back in the day. I don’t think it’s a huge loss to society or anything but it’s an interesting shift. I had not expected to spend a lot of time convincing my preschool aged kid that “killer clowns” don’t actually run around killing people.
Snow-Dog2121 said:
Hot wheels.
Dwike2 replied:
Worst memory I have of comic con. An exhibitor gave a kid what must’ve been an exclusive at their booth. Grown men rushing and crowding the kid pressuring him to sell his toy. His parents moved him away promptly but I imagine he was shaken up by the experience. Went from a cool moment of unexpectedly getting a toy to grown weirdos getting in his face.
linoleumknife replied:
The collectors be crazy. 20 years ago I worked the night shift at Target stocking shelves, and most mornings we would have the same 3-4 guys come in right after we opened to search through the Hot Wheels we put out overnight. And for all I know they were hitting Walmart next.
Collectors wanting rares doesn't need to ruin hotwheels for kids. When I was a kid I had 100 or more hotwheels because for a while it was a promo. Shell station I think. Fill up with 8 gallons or more of gas - get a free hotwheel. My grandmother and her fellow librarian coworkers would save them for me so I got lots of free ones. The point being - I was never seeking "rare" hotwheels. I was just a kid having fun with them. Something modern kids can still do. If your kid can't have fun with toy cars without seeking rares then that is on you and your parenting. I just liked to watch them zoom down the track.
bigredthesnorer said:
Beanie Baby collectors.
Delores_Herbig replied:
This photo of a divorcing couple dividing their beanie baby collection in court always makes me laugh. So ridiculous that people thought they were like stocks.
xXSushiRoll replied:
You should've seen the squishmallow community during COVID. It was just nasty.
illy-chan replied:
Random speculation really went up a notch during lockdowns. The retro/used video game market went from spotty to absurd across the board.
Franko_Magic said:
McDonald's.. remember when it was all colourful with dumb character mascots and playgrounds?
KnoWanUKnow2 replied:
McDonalds itself is responsible for that. They originally targeted young families, which is why they had playgrounds and ball pits and kids birthday parties. Then they decided that young adults were a better target as they had more money and less cooking skills. So McDonalds now has gourmet coffee and an app.
Eventually they may decide that nostalgia is big and start targeting boomers or something.
The_Sign_of_Zeta
Well, it’s that and they were getting a lot of s**t for targeting children with advertising unhealthy food, which caused food sales to drop.
I think this was a big mistake. Yes, we are adults but we want our childhood Mickey D's back! Now the food is awful and too expensive there is no reason to go unless starving with zero other options. And there is always taco bell open later and I choose that first between the two
MaddenRob said:
Ball Pits at the arcade.
Silver_Scallion_1127 replied:
I used to work at chuck e cheese 20 years ago around the time when they discontinued it in every store. It's insane seeing that adults would throw dirty diapers and trash in there when they could of AT LEAST just left it on their table. We would even have to wash every ball once a week through a special rack and run it through our dishwasher. Let me tell you, you can fill up over 5 large trash bins a week and it's just purely disgusting how often kids throw up or make accidents in there with no report. I was so happy that they discontinued but at the same time, it did suck that it's not a thing anymore and anyone would slack.
Ughhhhhh ball pits.... im horrified what I was swimming in at McDonald's cause you know they didn't have a special dishwasher. Remember the snakes in the ballpit urban myth?
Star Wars George Lucas is very explicit that they're kids movies, but adults make their entire personality into finding whatever little fault they can and circlejerking it online. It's probably the most toxic fan base there is, full of giant dorks with sticks lodged so far up their a**es they can't enjoy a movie about space wizards with laser swords (also, if you hold the OT to the same standard as the PT or ST, then the OT is hot garbage too)
Pain_Monster said:
Legos 🧱
They used to be for kids but adult collectors have made the prices skyrocket to insane levels nowadays
goffstock replied:
I feel like like the opposite has happened: There's a steady stream of good, fairly affordable kids sets and new ones are added all the time. It seems like they've just diversified and added a good number of complex sets that are much more complicated, have more pieces, and a correspondingly high price.
Kids definitely aren't being left out. Pokemon on the other hand...
Source: Am dad. Buy lots of Legos for my son and just about everyone else's birthday.
heuristic_al replied:
This is my take as well. I was getting so fed up with all the starwars stuff and was thinking is that all there is? But I looked into it more and realized it's just in addition to all the normal types of sets they've always been doing.
They produce LEGO for every age and interest. We have Lego Duplo with the big parts, Lego Friends that ny daughter likes, Lego City and also Lego for my husband, because he is a fan.
JustKittenAroundHere
Facebook was meant for college kids...
EricInAmerica replied:
Initially. Until they decided there was more money by expanding.
Zombie_Fuel replied:
And they were right.
_HacksOnMacs_ replied:
Nah. Expanding didn't make them more money. Flipping the switch on data farming and then selling it to the highest bidder did. After all the s**t they pulled should be required to have Zuck's chat mandatory on every page that uses their crap like a smoking warning on cigarettes:
RazMani said:
Well. If you believe paying 1000s of dollars for a comic book is being ruined in some way. I would say comics. The ruined part would depend on who you ask.
HabitatGreen replied:
I mean, a lot of comics were never aimed at kids to begin with. Unless we are specifically talking about comics aimed at kids, of course, but comics in general? I don't think it fits this thread's criteria.
krw13 replied:
I find a lot of things in this post in general are missing the mark. Scalpers are ruining tons of things... but tons of the items throughout here have room for both adults and kids in their market. Yes, an adult is more likely to be able to afford scalper prices, but if they aren't scalping and are just trying to enjoy the product... it wasn't adult consumers who ruined the product, it's scalpers.
You can still get comic books for like...4 bucks, the rare ones are the only stupid expensive ones. Sorry you dislike they are actually being treated as the art form they are.
sighcommagroan said:
Squishmallows, people trying to resell these LITERAL STUFFIES for 3x the price online.
C4242 replied:
Really?! As a parent of an 8 year old, I love these things. Getting presents for her classmates birthday parties has never been easier.
el_ghosteo replied:
There’s some special edition ones that get scalped. The Pokémon Pikachu/Gengar ones were promoted a lot and then sold out and resold at high prices within minutes :/
Pepsi_Cola64 replied:
I saw a snorlax one at A PHYSICAL STORE that was selling for $59!
Ebay, beanie babies and tickle me elmo was when this c**p started. THE ABSOLUTE WORST KIND OF PEOPLE ARE THE TOY SCALPERS, BUYING EVERYTHING UP BEFORE CHRISTMAS TO PRICE GOUGE DESPERATE PARENTS LIVING PAYCHECK TO PAYCHECK AND CAN'T BUY GIFTS EARLY!!!
xxgunther420 said:
Getting autographs from athletes at games.
buymorebestsellers replied:
Getting g autographs from Disney Characters.
My 4yo kid was knocked to the ground by a bunch of Brazilian adult tourists who climbed over the rope to get an autograph of Sleeping Beauty.
To get an autograph of an unknown woman. In a costume. Of an imaginary character. From a fairy story.
Moar_Cuddles_Please replied:
I hope security tossed them to the back of the line for climbing over the rope and being rude in general.
Okay, gonna say this again: Brazilian Tourists do not represent most Brazilians. Taking a family of three would cost at least two year's salary for someone making minimum wage. These are entitled upper-middle class Brazilians.
OperationIdiotFace said:
Toy collecting. Just grown adults creating a giant industry that produces nothing but landfill bait.
Secksualinnuendo replied:
Without adults the toy market is pretty small these days. Adults make up 40% of toy sales. I know adults buy most things but I mean they are buying for themselves 40% of the time.
abraxius replied:
Collecting for investment is the issue. I buy Lego sets and build them. It’s a way for me to relax and enjoy my time off work. The issue is people who are collecting as an investment rather then a passion.
MrKite6 replied:
I see so many posts in Lego Facebook/Reddit groups of people showing off closets or even rooms filled with unopened Lego sets talking about their "investment" and it just feels so wrong.
Oh please. Just let people do whatever the hell they want with their own money!
BlooregardQKazoo said:
Bluey. Even though it’s always been a fantastic show and still is—I watch it with my nephew but he’s really just an excuse to watch it without being judged, it’s that good—there’s always depraved people who make things weird.
Casuallyperusing replied:
Joined the Reddit group for Bluey expecting a place talking about when the new season is coming out, and seeing general normal wholesome info about a kids show my kids are obsessed with.
Left after the constant "blueysona" self-insert posts by accounts that are all about NSFW art.
minimuscleR replied:
I was surprised, just checked. That content has been banned now (rule 4 on the subreddit). People are very happy. Looking at the posts it looks mostly like a chill smaller sub now.
Lapras_Lass replied:
They looked to the Bronies and saw the writing on the wall. I'm glad they shut that down.
I'm getting old!! I read through this and didn't understand a single reference apart from Reddit. Lol!! 👵
Bootybandit6989 said:
Mexican child parties iykyk😆
Fun-Pomegranate-9614 replied:
The wildest party I’ve ever been to was a 1 year old’s bday party.
ManaFrmHeaven replied:
This is awesome and hysterical.
-Baldr replied:
You never forget seeing your aunts and nieces grinding on your mother's boyfriend.
Those parties are a*s. Literally, a*s is all you see. Even the abuelas are dancing in tiny skirts. Which I mean, power to them. But I feel bad for the 20 kids trying to sleep through [music] blasting at 80dB. Wishing they could forget everything they've seen that night.
Paper Routes I had a morning route when I was growing up. It taught me so much about being responsible. . NNow grown ups have taken them over . They've taken what was 3 routes for 3 kids , put the m together and do them with their car .
Almost all of these come down to a bad economy. Kids don't have spending money like they used to, and adults are working side gigs/summer jobs on top of regular jobs or running hustles because wages aren't keeping up with cost of living.
Most of these are about toxic capitalism. Everything is about money. Imagine a world like the 60's where you could work 40 daytime hours in a minimum wage job and still own a house, buy food and have hobbies. Not interested in all the 'isms from back then, but the balance of life and work was better then.
Gonna be down voted, but... The only thing worse than entitled Boomer nostalgia is entitled Millennial nostalgia. That's all this is. Adults rarely ruin everything. You didn't realize that you were getting interested in something that adults also were interested in. Video games. Games in general. Movie collectibles. I could go on, but since this will eventually be down voted into oblivion, I won't bother.
Almost all of these come down to a bad economy. Kids don't have spending money like they used to, and adults are working side gigs/summer jobs on top of regular jobs or running hustles because wages aren't keeping up with cost of living.
Most of these are about toxic capitalism. Everything is about money. Imagine a world like the 60's where you could work 40 daytime hours in a minimum wage job and still own a house, buy food and have hobbies. Not interested in all the 'isms from back then, but the balance of life and work was better then.
Gonna be down voted, but... The only thing worse than entitled Boomer nostalgia is entitled Millennial nostalgia. That's all this is. Adults rarely ruin everything. You didn't realize that you were getting interested in something that adults also were interested in. Video games. Games in general. Movie collectibles. I could go on, but since this will eventually be down voted into oblivion, I won't bother.
