Why Are kids in Such a hurry To Grow Up?

When the View-Master system was released in 1939 it was marketed to adult nature lovers. The first reels were views of national parks and scenic attractions like Colorado’s Pikes Peak. In the ’40s and ’50s young adults fantasized about honeymooning in Hawaii and Australia with reels shot in exotic places all across the globe. Eventually teenagers discovered View-Master in the ’60s and bought groovy reels based on the TV shows of the times like The Monkees, Batman, and Flipper.

As time passed, older kids left View-Master behind to discover electronic playthings. Today, this classic has evolved into a strictly preschool toy, selling under the Fisher-Price brand name. What happened to all the older fans?

This phenomenon is known as “age compression” and it continues in the toy industry today. Simply put, kids outgrow toys faster than they used to. Here’s a great article on this alarming trend from Financial Times.com.