Pretend play begins after a child’s first year as they offer an empty cup to a teddy bear or cover him up with a washcloth to stay warm. Little kids love to act out their everyday experiences, copy Mom and Dad and enter a land of pretend.
The next step is taking on a characters and dressing up. Usually, that has been left for the preschool set as they transform into pirates, fairies, firemen, or princesses. They love to act out characters seen in movies, books or in their everyday experience of going to the doctor, buying groceries or playing in the park. At three years of age, children are capable of more abstract thought and can generate elaborate stories to act out as they rule a kingdom, chase the monster, or live in fairy land. Kids practice dialogue, bravely enter new worlds and learn to negotiate with other children as they decide on the story line, costumes, props, and solve problems.
Younger siblings want to get into the act, watching big brother and sister. When it is time to try on the costumes, toddlers trip over the longer costumes and can’t keep up. The newest costumes from Jakks Pacific are designed for the 2 year-old and up so younger brothers and sisters can join the dress-up play and not be dragging the costume behind them.
Buzz Lightyear is timely as “Toy Story 3” was just released and little boys want to blast off to save the toys of the world. Sized for the smaller set, the soft top has enough padding to puff out Buzz’s chest for extra strength, a red button to activate his wings (kids’ arms), and a shiny purple hood for fast blasting. Silver trim on the pants streamline the flight,
Buzz’s constume was slipped on first thing in the morning over pajamas! When I saw my little friend breeze by, I pressed his red button and Will’s arms shot up, ready for takeoff “to infinity and beyond!” Comfortable for takeoffs and landings, this costume took a little boy through rescues and adventures, tumbles and flights.
The opinions expressed in this review are solely those of the author. “Buzz Lightyear costume” was provided for review by Jakks Pacific .
