Do you have a fetish for toys? Do you buy toys that are manufactured by Disney or Sanrio? Well, you’re not the only adult who still thinks of him- or herself as a child. Many adults are spending their money on merchandise such as Hello Kitty and Walt Disney toys.

You would think that after elementary school, adults would stop buying things that are created for children under the age of … whenever elementary school ended.

Yet, some adults do not grow out of childhood, when the person they admire is a cartoon figure.

As adults, is it normal to still feel an attachment to your favorite cartoon figure or to your favorite stuffed animal?

I wouldn’t say it’s wrong, but at some point you need to let go. It’s like an attachment to a special blanket when you were 3 years old. Your parents had to sit you down and explain to you that it was time to let go.

Well, now you’re an adult. You should know by now that the SpongeBob bedsheets and pillow covers that you still have are not for you anymore. Because you now know that SpongeBob isn’t real and that there is no undersea town of talking sponges and fish.

Nazia Khan, senior psychology major, thinks its normal for adults to buy toys, but to an extent.

“When adults associate themselves with fake characters to the point where they’re decorating their homes and furniture based on that association, then it’s really not normal,” Khan said.

However, if adults cherish a toy that meant a lot to them when they were kids, then it’s obviously normal.

Having an attachment to a fake character was something relatively acceptable when we were children.

As children we believed that there was such a man who was half-spider and half-human, and imagined at one point that we could possibly fly … with a wash towel.

As we grow older, though, we came realize that there really was no such thing as SpiderMan or the ability to fly with just a piece of cloth.

Unfortunately, some adults have yet to hit that reality; they have yet to realize that cartoon figures and toys are not real, but fiction.

I think it’s normal owning a toy for the sake of reminiscing, as does sophomore business major Ashley Klopstock.

“My stuffed animals let me connect to my childhood memories,” Klopstock said.

But purchasing toys as adults due to the fact you’re still amusing yourself with them is totally not normal.

As adults, we should be entertaining ourselves with books and associating with real characters, not fake ones.

Although buying toys for the sake of childhood memories is normal, associating deeply with a fake character may make others question your mental state or maturity level.

If you find yourself in love with Hello Kitty pillow covers, bedsheets, watches, T-shirts and what have you, then you really might need to check in with reality.

Remind yourself that you’re an adult, legally able to drink, to live on your own and do anything you want, except become a kid again. That goes against the laws of nature.

OK, let’s not go that far though; let’s just stick with basic logic and reason.

Say you’re a guy who loves Superman and who has a Superman T-shirt, keychain, steering wheel cover, boxers and bedsheets. It’s safe to assume, then, that you’re a guy who probably cannot carry on a simple conversation.

You cannot possibly argue that a guy who believes himself to be a superhero is in fact mature and aware of the world around him. If he can’t differentiate between what is real and what is not, then how do you expect him to understand what is right and wrong?

Sean Reuyan, a junior psychology major, thinks otherwise.

“Men are adventurous in nature,” Reuyan said. “We live out our fantasies through these characters, because we find it adventurous. I would rather have a guy idolize or mimic a superhero rather than a villain.”

As children, each of us has imagined ourselves to be that superhero or villain. However, buying toys for the sake of simple amusement is not normal for adults.

We know that toys such as Mickey Mouse and Hello Kitty are surreal.

With that said, I think it’s normal to have a treasured childhood toy as it may remind you of your childhood memories.

The next time you go out to buy a toy of any sort, be it Hello Kitty or Disney, remind yourself that those toys were for another day and time, which you’ve already lived.

Nadiah Niazi can be reached at [email protected].