We all, when we were growing up, had our favorite toys, the ones we cherished, the ones we played with every day, the ones we coveted because our friends had them and we wanted one too. My favorite toys were always Breyer model horses. I have loved horses ever since I discovered I would never have a brontosaurus to ride to school. I understand my love for horses. I understand how for a child the thought of a large powerful friend to take you away from feeling powerless and vulnerable is very appealing. I understand my love of horses they are beautiful, powerful, awe inspiring animals that are the next best thing to a brontosaurus.
What I don't understand is my youthful affection for Aurora Monster models. Aurora made lots of different hobby models and I liked to assemble models when I was young, but there were none that I had a more complicated relationship with than my monster models.
I had Frankenstein's monster, The Hunchback of Notre Dame, Dracula, and the Wolfman; all of them in glow in the dark plastic. A simple fascination with movie monsters I could understand, but my fascination was anything but simple.I was obsessed. I would look at them, think about them, dream about them, until I couldn't have them in my room at night because my mother was tired of waking up to soothe my nightmares. To see them dully glowing as I went to sleep guaranteed I would wake crying at a most inconvenient hour of the night. Still, there was something about them that I loved.
I remember the ambivalence that I felt when the monster models were moved into the bookshelves in the living room. They were my models I wanted them in my room, yet at the same time I was relieved. Who knows what they did when their green glow faded and I could no longer see them in the dark?
I still have an affection for being scared. I love a good horror movie especially one with zombies, but I still don't clearly understand why. What attracts me to the "safe" peril of a scarey movie is something I have not analyzed; maybe looking too closely into that shadow would ruin the fun.
I always figured you for being into horror. I think it's the hair. Something about black curls says "Tales from the Crypt co-host" to me. I hope that's not insulting; I liked Tales from the Crypt.
ReplyDeleteI'm glad to see I wasn't the only one who loved some classic horror monsters as a child! I've always been partial to the Wolfman, myself. Also, I'm glad I'm not the only one who wondered if they moved around while I slept.
ReplyDeleteAnd, last but not least, those lovely horse models. I never had any myself, but I definitely loved them. This entry felt like something I would write. I'm not upset by that.
For me, monsters never bothered me much. I left them alone and they left me alone. I had all kinds of models growing up...balsa wood airplanes that took weeks and months to build, model cars, boats, trains, ships, and monsters. To me, a monster was a horse. Never liked horses that much. A horse stepped on my beagle puppy when I was four. I still remember him sitting on my lap, floppy ears dangling. Patches was his name...a friend to some is a monster to another. Spirits, ghosts, they walk around, say hi, and go about their day...Patches didn't care much for horses, and me? Horses go about their business as horses and our paths don't cross much. :)
ReplyDeleteI like that fact you appreciate the classic monsters. Freddie, Jason, Michael Myers don't hold a candle to a good ol' fashion werewolf!
ReplyDeleteI figured you to be a horse lover but the monster modeling is definitely a surprise. I never made monster models as a child but I sure had my share of monster toys. And nightmares. But like you I also "have an affection for being scared." There's just something about being scared to death that is so much fun.
ReplyDeleteI can't say I was ever into monsters, or being frightened, but I must admit, riding to school or work on a brontosaurus would be pretty great. Also, as I read this, and think about when you said you wondered what they did at night, it reminded me of Toy Story. For someone who has monsters for toys, I'm pretty sure this movie could have lent credence to your toy based nightmares if you were a child when it came out.
ReplyDeleteI had a similar obsession, I loved the Japanese Gundam models and anything that required glue. Your post brought back a lot of realizations of how obsessed with robots I was (transformers, gundams, legos to a lesser extent, and star wars).
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