Turmoil in the Toybox

by Phil Phillips

The cassette deals with the way toys and cartoons are being used to introduce the occult, violence and pagan religions to millions of our children.

Genres: Religion, Christian, Nonfiction, Christianity, Parenting

191 pages, Audio Cassette

First published January 25, 1986

Reviews

[Sara · Rating 1 out of 5]

This book ruined my childhood.

[JDP · Rating 5 out of 5]

undoubtedly the greatest source of unbridled comedy. this book claims that my little pony is in league with the anti-christ. you can't make this stuff up!

[Rex Hurst · Rating 1 out of 5]

An unintentionally hysterical book on the Occult terrors lurking in the toy boxes of American children. This was originally written in the 80s and revolves around most of the toy lines I grew up playing. And while I did become a Satanist, I doubt it was because I once picked up a Cabbage Patch Kid.

Make no mistake, this is not really a full sized book. Ostensibly it is 191 pages, but seventeen of those are the gallery filled with pictures of toys which you already know how to visualize, ten of those are footnotes, and the font size is extra large. I will get something out of the way, to the author's credit he doesn’t claim the problems with the toy industry is due to a Satanic cabal as did many of his brethren. He is more focused on occult influence from humanist and eastern religions, but his worries are exaggerated to a ridiculous degree.

Pastor Phil Phillips (No to be confused with the singer of the same name, the one who gave us “Sea of Love”) was an evangelical missionary. That is one who roams around in revival tents and so forth, with no permanent flock to call his own. In order to make an impact, give himself some distinction, he decided to “bravely” go after the toy industry (not any specific company mind you- don’t want to get sued) for inserting occultism into their daily lives. Currently he’s running a non-profit in Texas, called God Loves Kids.

The author has a shaky idea of what should be considered occult. He never fully explains it, either because he doesn’t know, or perhaps it was more effective as an ill-defined catch-all term for non-Christian. Or should I say non-evangelical fundamentalist Christian, which is its own thing. This was written during a time when there was a big anti-Catholic push in the fundamentalist community. The pope was the antichrist and spreading the word of Satan. Anything not part of foot-washing baptist dogma was suspect, which is why you have doom peddlers like the author lumping Buddhism, Judaism, Wicca, Satanism, and Hinduism into the same evil lump. I suppose, though, from his perspective it is.

The author does make some good points about parenting. Rather, he parrots some good points. Much of the useful information here is cited from other sources, which I will give him credit for. He has done research and does not plagiarize. Though much of what he has to say is common sense. Pay attention to what your kids are watching on television, limit the amount they watch each day, make sure they are eating healthy. Howver, as most of the toy lines he mentions here Rainbow Bright, He-Man, Crystar, etc are dead franchises, which tends to lessen the impact of his message.

He saves special venom for Masters of the Universe and Dungeons and Dragons. Apart from the supposed occult angle, was use of cartoons to push toys. This was a hot button issue at the time, and He-Man was the first cartoon and toy line to be produced simultaneously. After their massive success, nearly all new toys and cartoon followed the same pattern. He rails against this as a brainwashing of children to be mindless consumer drones, and so on. The occult angle is specious. Skeletor had a staff with a ram’s skull on it, a sign of evil. This offended our author even though the character is clearly the series main villain. He-Man is the most powerful man in the universe, when that should be "Je-Sus".

He then goes on to bash various other toys and cartoon. He does state that while the toy may appear to be harmless, they in conjunction with the cartoon may call up occult practices. My Little Pony is evil because, “the unicorn is a symbol of the antichrist.” In this case he’s getting his occultism mixed up. He writes, “the New Age, also known as the Golden Age, is referred to as the Age of Aquarius or the Eon of Horus.” Now this perhaps a little esoteric but New Age has nothing to do with the Eon of Horus. The latter is part of the philosophy of the Thelemites, the religion promoted by Aleister Crowley and associates. Lumping them together as if they are the same thing demonstrates a lack of understanding on the author. While there may be some similarities, there is a significant enough difference in my mind. Care Bears, G.I.Joe, E.T., Star Wars toys and so on are attacked next. Basically anything you enjoyed as a child was evil in some manner and that's why you're such a horrible person.

The purpose behind this occult influence is prompt the kid to act out occult practices with the toys, while the child is under the impression that they are just playing. The toy acting as an occult avatar or surrogate for the helpless child. Then the child will supplant the toy and perform the evil rituals or rites or what have you themselves (the specifics are unclear), allowing them to be seduced into the homosexual lifestyle, abortion parties, and general evil.

The condemnation of Dungeons and Dragons (which my parents briefly fell for) centers around the same hoary old chestnuts anyone who played tabletop RPGs in the 80s will be familiar with. Most of it is typified by the quote at the beginning of this review. RPGs are Satanic, they teach occult practices and evil magic, they cause the loss of a personal ego into a paper homunculus, etc. The author only mentions D&D by name, but I assume his ire extends to all other RPGs as well, though he more than likely doesn’t know what they are.

I’ve heard all of this before. It sent me back to a frustrating time when I had to patiently explain to my parents how bullshit it all is. They didn’t believe me, but I eventually wore them down until they shut up about it. "The book says", "The book says" was their mantra, as if the printed word couldn't be a lie. Guess what, it can and does!

In general this book takes a lot of material gathered by other groups on toys, films, and cartoons in the 80s and puts a paranoid fundamentalist spin on it. As I wrote above, the fact that most of these cartoons and toys are now defunct, and that those who played with them are all adults, shines a bright light on how crazy these suppositions are.It's fun for all the wrong reasons.

[Leah · Rating 1 out of 5]

This book ruined the childhood of many people I know! I can't believe how many people actually took this book seriously!

[Dave · Rating 1 out of 5]

I remember reading this when I was younger. I made the mistake of sharing it with my mother, who latched onto it and started combing through my toys and entertainment.
The truth is: this is fear-mongering in its purest form. Having grown up and discovered my faith on my own, I'm shocked and dismayed by the often tenuous and ridiculous connections Phillips makes. There may be some comedy value in this, cringeing and awkward as it is, but don't read it for any other purpose.

[David · Rating 1 out of 5]

(Fixed some typos 6/13/16)

Yeah, I was a kid in the 70s/80s who's Mom bought into this kind of material. The quotes from the book speak for themselves:

-------------

"Usual things happened during the time he was setting up to shoot the photographs for me -- like blown fuses and problems with the camera equipment -- things that never before had happened. When he realized what was happening, he called my parents and told them. After praying with them, he went back to work without any problems. It was apparent to us that Satan was trying to keep this ministry from being launched."

"SMURFS . . .Everyone thinks the cartoon is 'cute.' But don't let that innocent facade fool you. Underneath the 'cuteness' is a cartoon laden with the occult, which is presented mostly in the form of magic."

"There are many other cartoons that are filled with violence and the occult. Among these are The Thirteen Ghosts of Scooby Doo, Speed Racer, Tarzan, Spider Man, and G.I. Joe. All of these should be considered unsuitable for children of any age."

"There have been many cases where children have died while trying to 'fly out the window' while imitating Superman."

"Cabbage Patch Kids . . . When there is a manufacturing defect with the doll, instruction is given to return it to the manufacturer. Unlike other toys, the child simply is not given a refund or replacement. Instead, the manufacturer sends a 'death certificate' for the 'dead doll.' The child then receives a completely different doll, so that the new doll will not look like the 'dead' one."
[ note: http://www.snopes.com/business/consum... ]

"My Little Pony . . . Unicorns and winged horses, also known as a Pegasus, are derived from Greek and Roman mythology. . . . Because these toys are based on mythological creatures, they are occult. Mythology is in contradiction to God's Word. . . . The unicorn is a symbol of the anti-Christ, which the prophet Daniel described in his vision as the little horn which rises in the midst of the ten horns."

"In a sense, Care Bears offer a form of Humanistic psychology, designed to include love, involvement and spontaneity, with the goal of instilling personal growth and the achievement of full human potential. Putting it simply, Humanism teaches: we are God; there are no absolutes; and we control our own destiny."

"Many parents have expressed concern that their children, after watching the 'He-Man' cartoons, go running throughout the house with plastic swords held aloft shouting, 'by the power of Grayskull, I have the power!' God's Word warns us that only by the blood of Jesus do humans have any power and authority over others. There is no mention of the power of Grayskull"

"The name , Masters of the Universe, implies that these characters are superior to humans and that they are on the same plane as God. But there is only one God and He alone is the Ruler and 'Master of the universe.' Thus the implication of their superiority is blasphemous."

"Psychiatrist Dr. Thomas Radecki is quoted in Dr. Brothers' column as saying this is the 'most massive sale of war ideology to a generation of children in any modern nation with the exception of Hitler's Germany.'"

"Satan is methodically teaching our youth that demons are real, but cute, friendly and helpful. Unknowingly, youngster will ally themselves with demons and become willing disciples and slaves of Satan."

"Yoda taught Luke Skywalker, a type of Zen Buddhist monk, about the ever-present Force. It may be interesting to note that the Force is a word used by witches down through the ages to describe the power they receive from Satan."

"After E.T. arrives at Elliot's house, he and Elliot become joined by a psychic link of mental telepathy. The two even levitate together above the trees while riding Elliot's bicycle. Mental telepathy and levitation are common practices of mediums. In Deuteronomy 18:9012, God specifically prohibits anyone from practicing as a medium because it is 'detestable' to the Lord. In Galatians 5:19-21, Paul warns that anyone practicing such shall not inherit the kingdom of God."

"Toward the end of the movie, E.T. becomes very sick and dies. He then resurrects himself and ascends in his spaceship back this planet. This scene is similar to the resurrection of Christ and his ascension into heaven. The difference is that Jesus is God; whereas, E.T. is a demonic -looking alien who is not God. Throughout the movie, E.T. is portrayed as having God-like powers."

"One thing I try never to do in my presentations on toys and cartoons is speculate. I cannot speculate. I need facts."

[Dann · Rating 2 out of 5]

Alarmist pseudo-science, Turmoil In the Toybox examines the messages being taught to children through the toys that they play with. Author Phil Phillips looks at popular toys such as He-Man, Barbie, Cabbage Patch Kids, GI Joe, Transformers, and Carebears to see what types of play and world view they are encouraging and what effects they have on children. A lot of his concerns are legitimate and sensible; such as taking imaginative play too far and the levels of violence children are exposed to in cartoons. However, he doesn’t seem to see a distinction between fantasy games and occult worship, and ends up labeling any toy that doesn’t acknowledge Jesus (which is all of them) as occultist. Phillips also underestimated children’s ability to separate imagination and the real world. And the writing is rather weak, particularly in how he integrates bible verses, letters, and other resources, which can be a little confusing in how they’re worded and structured. Turmoil In the Toybox is far from practical and seems to miss the point of playing with modern toys that allow children to re-enact and continue the adventures of the movie and TV characters that they love.

[Ben Rankel · Rating 1 out of 5]

This book ruined my childhood.

[Brittanie · Rating 1 out of 5]

Like many of you, this book also ruined my childhood. I’ve been deconstructing for years, but before the process can ever be complete I need to fight Phil Phillips.

[Nicole C. · Rating 1 out of 5]

I've read this book three times now - twice for a book blog I used to do, and now again for my podcast. Phillips was operating right at the height of the Satanic Panic that swept across the United States in the 1980s; the Panic ranged from such things as He-Man being full of occult images, to supposed Satanic cults kidnapping children and abusing them for rites, and of course, heavy metal music and role-playing games put you in league with Old Nick himself.

Entertaining in its craziness, but I knew some people whose childhoods were ruined by this book.

[Alex · Rating 2 out of 5]

An evangelical pastor preaching about how all your childhood toys are the work of Satan sounds hilarious, but it isn't when it goes on for two hundred pages. Every joke runs out eventually, even for me. Halfway through this book, amusement turned into genuine concern for the author, who apparently hates having fun.

His arguments are nothing you haven't heard: Toy soldiers teach children to enjoy violence, barbie dolls create unrealistic expectations for girls, and certain baby dolls distract girls from enjoying their childhood while they have it. I think the latter was about the cabbage patch kids, I have never seen them in Germany and I do not have an opinion on them. I must say, in fairness, that Phil Phillips isn't all wrong, but he takes the moral panic too far. He is completely right, parents should take care of what their kids play with, but he says this after an entire chapter on why He-Man is a homosexual satanist (among other things), so at that point, it's a little late to urge moderation instead of panic. From what I heard, the reaction of parents who took this book serious was not a moderate one, but rather to have a panic attack whenever they saw their kid so much as touching He-Man.

Speaking of He-Man, the show unironically taught me valuable lessons about friendship and charity. It was cheesy, but it did the trick. Back in the day, when I was watching cartoons daily and didn't go to school yet, I may have been at my kindest. I don't think it would be much of an exaggeration for me to say that cartoons did more to socialize me than years of public schooling. I think toys are the least problem in todays education. A bigger problem might be that we put well-behaved kids in classes with juvenile delinquents and overworked, sometimes even aggressive teachers. To rub salt in the wound, the aforementioned delinquents often end up not passing a class, and so they end up a year older than their peers, making them top athletes compared to them. I remember just such a kid. One day, he got into a fight with me, and hurled my bag halfway across the room to intimidate me. I cannot say I was intimidated, but I was impressed.

My point being, with the botched education of today, toys - and, nowadays, media - shouldn't be the greatest worry of teachers or parents. And it's not just the school system. The same parents who later try to control what their children watch and play are often the same ones who send them to an overcrowded kindergarten for hours every day from a very young age, instead of keeping them at home and playing with them. I knew of one who censored her sons posters and CD's at home, so none of them was of a violent band, yet she also slammed him against a drawer when she got angry at him. To this day, I am impressed at how skilled this kid was at telling lies, no doubt because of his practice at avoiding countless regulations at home. One of my main problems with books like Turmoil in the Toybox, then, is that they serve as a red herring. Instead of cleaning up their own yard, parents look for enemies in toys, television, video games, or even books. They don't admit that they failed at teaching their kids and instilling values in them. They work with the newest methods of psychoanalysis, but they don't work on their temper issues. It reminds me of young, aspiring strength athletes who do whatever is in their power to raise their testosterone levels, besides actually working out. This endless search for shortcuts might be one of the defining moments of our age, and while I cannot blame Phil Phillips personally for it - he did, after all, advise parents to interact with their kids - his book still plays into this trend.

Now, I am not saying that you should allow your kids to do whatever they want. Far from it. Sometimes, even outright prohibitions may be called for, if your kid respects you enough to respect those prohibitions. Just don't go looking for the boogeyman that ruins your kids in the media it consumes, or the toys it plays with. They may have a detrimental effect, or they may not, but I doubt that a single adult is dysfunctional over watching He-Man as a kid.

[Lindsey crazypretty · Rating 1 out of 5]

This book was seen as a "how to keep your kids from the devil" in the 80's and 90's. It's author had no children of his own, wasn't a psychologist or had any training on how to raise children. He had no business writing this book and admits he was looking for a "ministry" and with a little browsing through a toy store, decided toys had demonic properties and powers so he felt compelled to write this book. Through some "unexplained circumstances" he felt satanic powers were trying to keep him from getting his message out. Well, the cult leader I was raised under took hold of this book as a powerful way to raise godly children so he promoted and sold the book at his seminars and online. Mind you, Phil Phillips had no children, degree or understanding of how to raise children and yet, his book resonated with fearful parents who decided to do no research on this man and blindly believe him.

Phil wrote a few more awful "beware of the demonic powers in your kids toys, tv and movies" books that my parents also purchased and used to restrict my access to the outside world.

So, sarcastically I say, "Thanks Phil" for ruining parts of my childhood for your own financial gain and religiously needy ego. Seriously I say, this book should be banned as it is a complete lie that too. many blind christians choose to follow. It is not a healthy book.

[Benjamin · Rating 1 out of 5]

It is certainly important to protect children from certain things, sex violence, that sort of thing that find themselves in children's entertainment sometimes. However, this book takes it to the extreme. Star Wars, He-Man, Care Bears, and many others are Satanic according to this book. Star Wars promotes homosexuality somehow (I don't remember the exact argument it's been a long time since I read the book). Had this book been written years later I am sure Harry Potter and Pokemon would have been added to the list.

[RebL · Rating 1 out of 5]

I learned about this book from the "Leaving Eden" podcast and thought, that sounds like some prime mid-80s Satanic Panic propaganda that I need to get my hands on! So I Interlibrary-loaned it and boy, was I not wrong. It's hi-larious.

First off: [citation needed]. There are a few citations throughout, but to surprisingly few sources. SO MANY of Phillips's claims COULD be cited and aren't ("There was an article in USA Today that said..." "This father wrote me a letter that said...") that it gives a feel of, well, just being made up. It actually probably is just made up. It just feels junior-high. My 8th grade English teacher would have a field day with the red pen.

Second: It's just SO BADLY produced. Random italics. Rampant misspellings (e.g., "Rubics Cube"). A funky, non-standard font that changes sizes every so often for no good reason.

Third: The whole thing is just, like, his opinion, MAN. The book can be summarized thusly: "Does this toy have an accompanying cartoon? Then it's demonic." I can't believe it went through nine printings, but scared parents spend money on things, and apparently it was a good enough grift that Phillips wrote a sequel (that I won't read, thanks).

One star for the laughs.

[Nathan Woll · Rating 2 out of 5]

I read this because I found it in my parent's basement and it brought back some nostalgia. I think it was the first non-fiction book I ever read. My mom had it when I was around 10 and back then it looked like a sweet book about toys.

Anyway, it hasn't held up much at all which I kind of expected. I gave it 2 stars instead if 1 because some of the research on kids and toys is still relevant and chapter 4, for instance, I basically fully agreed with. Also, the warnings against all the violence in children's television and toys was ahead of it's time. (Though I think he went to far criticizing Wile E Coyote and Roadrunner)

The crazy parts are the chapters about D&D, certain shows, and his fascination with the "occult". The author sincerely believes that magic (he even specified both white and black) is real, demons are real, rainbows are a New Age symbol used to "signify their building of the Rainbow Bridge between man and lucifer who, they say, is the over-soul", and mythology is of the devil.

There's just too much ridiculous nonsense to justify a higher rating.

[Graham · Rating 2 out of 5]

A hilariously overwrought campaign against the evil of children's toys and television shows in the 1980s. I wonder what the author would make of 21st century fare? Although he attempts to create a logical argument and follow it through with numerous examples, this is nothing more than a classic 'killing off' example of religious argument which has done more to turn people off fundamentalism than anything else.

The book is unintentionally amusing throughout and the examples given ludicrous. He has a real axe to grind against He-Man just for declaring himself the 'Master of the Universe'. Oh, and he doesn't like Care Bears either. Yoda is castigated for extolling Buddhist values, and ET just looks like a demon.

Meanwhile, the author tells us that he conversed with God during a cross-country road trip, that Satan personally intervened to stop his photographer taking pictures of the toys in question by blowing fuses, and that 'in Tibet, Tibetan monks have been known to levitate themselves 100 feet in the air and travel more than a quarter of a mile'. Okay then...

[Joseph Keenan · Rating 1 out of 5]

This book is actually ghostwritten by a christian woman.

Having grown up in these times, the Satanic Panic was also against role playing games and music too. The "in depth examination" of the industry is nothing more than unsubstantiated accusations which sound more like the work of a drunk, schizophrenic, homeless person prattling on about how demons and devils are everywhere.

It shows more of the mindset of a fundamentalist christian than it does about woo woo stuff like demons being real. It's a text book of misunderstanding just about every critical thinking process that even a kindergarten kid would have.

[no elle · Rating 4 out of 5]

this is rly funny if u didnt grow up under the oppressive weight of evangelical christianity. it would be a gr8 book if it was abt the impact of consumerism/marketing/advertising on children cuz ol phil really brushes up against that with his analysis but alas its abt the lurking threat of the occult sinking its claws into tiny lil malleable minds by way of he-man & ET. sorry ET ur a fetalic demonic entity jesus doesn't love you! GO BACK TO HELL WHERE YOU BELONG!!!

[DJ · Rating 1 out of 5]

This jackass ruined so many evangelicals childhoods. Cabbage patch kids and Halloween weren't the enemies, it was the so called Christian pastors who made money off of manipulation, fear mongering and control.

[Kittie · Rating 1 out of 5]

This book ruined my life.

[Al · Rating 1 out of 5]

On the one hand, absolute peak satanic panic written by an absolute fanatic mad man, on the other I am suddenly way more interested in watching He Man

[Ὀλιγόπιστος · Rating 1 out of 5]

This unironically made me want to watch He-Man, play with My Little Pony, and worship Satan. Not necessarily in that order.

[Olivia · Rating 2 out of 5]

I'm not sure how I feel about this book. It had a lot of information in it and quite a few things I agree with but at the same time, most of these toys aren't even relevant today. However,the stats about tv are kinda shocking and it would be even more shocking to see the same ones today. Most of the book focuses on toys that were made from TV shows so the book was really mostly about tv. I doubt I'll read it again

[Alex · Rating 5 out of 5]

I laughed so hard when I read this! Haha!! Oh, geez.. Lemme' tell ya, if you don't believe in God, or if you loosely believe what the Bibe says, I would reccomend this book for you. You'll get a good laugh out of it and also see how screwed up some people are. I loved it!

[Nathan Brown · Rating 1 out of 5]

This book is nothing more than a bunch of fear-mongering rubbish! And the author is nothing more than a money-grubbing con artist, hiding behind a veil of religious morality. Anyone who bases their beliefs on the writings of Phillips is making a HUGE mistake.

[Patrick · Rating 2 out of 5]

Some thought-provoking insights, but also some specious logic that damages its overall credibility.

[Phil · Rating 1 out of 5]

From the good old days of the Satanic Panic when they found the devil in all aspects of life

[Laura]

This very dated and unrateable book was quite amusing. It's honestly kind of impressive that this guy did all this research before the mainstream internet? Even though he does parrot urban legends and just general misunderstandings and things I'm pretty sure never happened. A casualty of less vetted sources.