Goodies & Baddies
It was kind of surprising to hear about “Goodies and Baddies” at first. In the US the boys had played good-guy and bad-guy scenarios with their friends but they had always been someone specific – generally a branded character. For example they would come home and tell me that they were red Spiderman while their friend so-and-so was black Spiderman (aka Venom) and would tell me about their fights and adventures etc. However, within a week of the kids starting school in the UK it was all about “Goodies and Baddies.” It was no longer about Spiderman, Batman etc. When watching a movie now they will ask if the person is a goody? It’s not a huge change in the sense they are playing the same games – but it’s big in the sense that their imagination isn’t tied into the constraints of a specific character and they are free to invent their own goodies and baddies scenario. Now instead of being Spiderman when he grows up – my guy wants to be a goody who is a superhero scientist. (Hello Peter Parker!)
