[merylsilverburg]

I used to play outside a lot as a kid. We had a backyard that had a lot of trees towards the back but in the middle of the backyard was just one very large pine tree that I could crawl under and into. So I used to play make-believe and stuff, like I was in an enchanted forest and when I stepped out of the tree, I "emerged" onto magical lands or that I was a thief and robbed the rich, a la Robin Hood - and the pine tree was my hideout. *crickets chirp*

But yes, I agree that toys are pretty expensive although I don't recall seeing Harry Potter or firemen sets for that much (90 euro? That's $126 dollars!). As a kid, I used to play with Barbie dolls and my mother would give me an attitude because $25 dollars for a Barbie was too much at the time.

Sadly, this is a bad time to be a kid considering all the lead poisoning from toys lately.