From the moment a baby is born, that baby is molded in the eyes of their elders. As the baby grows into a child many toys are given as presents and awards by the parents. These toys shape the personality and future of the young child for better or worse. Natalie Angier brings up the point in Drugs, Sports, Body Image and G.I. Joe that, "Some researchers worry that Joe and other action-hero figures man, in minor fashion, help fan the use of muscle-building drugs among young athletes, even as doctors and sports officials struggle to emphasize that such drugs are not only risky, illegal and unsporting, but, in many cases, worthless in enhancing performance." Through shaping our children like this, we are leading them down a path that could give them a negative outlook on life. However, does this really have a huge effect on the thinking of a child? I do believe that small things can affect an individual's life in a big way, but anything can have an effect on somebody.
Toys
G.I. Joe (IDW Publishing)
Shipwreck in his later uniform.It depends on how you grow up and the way you perceive certain things. Small things affect people in big ways such as friends and music; but in this case the argument does not work, because anything can have an effect on somebody and toys are especially driven to make money.
Friends have a huge impact on the type of person you become, because of the tendencies and actions that come with being around them. A friend can mold your life in a completely different way. Most people pick up drinking and smoking from hanging out with friends and are trying to fit into the crowd. In the poem "Barbie Doll" by Marge Piercy it shows how people can effect how a person thinks about themselves.