Found in a small toy/novelty store in Jeju, South Korea.
Two forms of fakery. On the left, a faux Lego set using all the cues and clues of the real, Danish deal for a Lego build set of the Space Shuttle complete with astronaut. On the right, a *toy* Glock pistol. Both kids toys (n’aach on the gun), but each with its own degree of imitation. The Lego bit is a fake of a toy. The gun — well, to the best of my knowledge that’s a real imitation of a Glock, making it a legitimate toy.
Why do I blog this? A curious mish-mash of really fake stuff that outlines the boundaries amongst imitation, flattering imitation, and arguably nasty real fake toys taht don’t seem particularly playful. Is it even worth fussing over the clear delineations between real/fake; virtual/digital; really me/avatar me? What are the stakes that make these lines of distinction things to fuss and argue over?
But wait..there’s more!
More in the category of the *trinket*, as opposed to the refined, detailed and thoughtfully sculpted imitation of a real really dangerous thing that might fool someone who is handling the real, real thing — a gumball machine with a miniature arsenal, for those who just can’t do without the seductive power of things that go boom and blam.
There’s a law here in the State of Hawai’i that minors who play with any kind of toy gun or projectile weapon must be supervised by an adult. [[yeah, right]] Therefore such real fakes like your Glock toy are legal to sell here. That should be disturbing, but such symbols of violence have been ingratiated into the psyches of our society, and are considered perfectly okay to distribute to the public at large.
How sad and unhealthy.