Dad’s stuff

My toddler spends time in my studio and the question in my mind is always how much do I let him mess with. Some of my “toys” have been “sacrificed”: slinky, wooden robot, Kermit the Frog puppet, etc. Others I’ve tried to keep away from him are mostly books. Lately, as you can see below, he’s been deshelving my MAD paperbacks and stacking them up elsewhere.

Above is another. It’s a Batman toy that a kid would put on his bedroom door. I got it while visiting the Seattle area and being trapped in a discount toy store with my pal, cartoonist, Chuck Gamble because of a torrential downpour. If you hit a button or trip a sensor the toy loudly proclaims “Warning. Batcave defense program activated. Please wait for security clearance” while music from Batman: The Animated Series plays. I’ve kept it away from my kid because it makes noise … and if you’re a kid, you’re not going to do it just once. When he was sick a few weeks ago, I broke down and let him play it with. I may live to regret it.