My 11 year old daughter has been preparing for adulthood with an on-line video game called Toon Town. At a glance, it seemed harmless, so I went ahead and subscribed. It is formatted like so many on-line games, where you are a character and can interacted with other characters controlled by other 11 year olds who have suckers for moms. My daughter spends a lot of time on this game. I finally asked her to explain it to me and I was amazed and amused.

In Toon Town, you are a Toon, which is a cat or other acceptably cute mammal, walking like a human, and wearing business casual clothing. As a Toon, you go to Headquarters to get a task. Your task is always to defeat a Cog. Cogs, nefarious erect animals in business suits, are trying to take over Toon Town. You might be assigned to defeat a Micromanager, a Yes Man or a Penny Pincher. Other Cogs are Telemarketers, Bottom Feeders, and Movers & Shakers. My daughter didn’t understand why I was giggling as she explained to me with serious instruction that to defeat a Tight Wad or a Bean Counter you might throw cupcakes at them, give them flowers, or gang up with other Toons and douse them with squirt guns.

Of course, all this battling Cogs affects a Toon’s health. For a post-battle tune-up, you go to a playground. You can select all sorts of fun rides and games to gain strength for another Cog confrontation, but your health can be restored simply by walking.

Does any of this sound like your day?
I wonder, if years from now when she is in Corporate America, she will recognize any of these Cogs in their human form and giggle as she bakes cupcakes at night?