The following student report was submitted by Ambassador League Agent Emily M. during the 2007-2008 League.
As a person who loves and works with children, I have always loved Family Fun magazine. However, I was appalled by your choice of The Roman Arena by Playmobil for a Toy of the Year Award, in the November issue. The Coliseum was a house of slavery, torture and blood-shed. Emperor Trajen (98-117 A.D), once held a spectacle in the Coliseum where 10,000 gladiators were slaughtered just for sport.
No educated human being could be unaware of all the Christians who died in the Coliseum because of their faith. Thousands were crucified, burned alive, gored and eaten by lions. Stalin said, "One person killed is a tragedy, 10,000 is a statistic." One among those thousands was a young mother named Perpetua. For the enjoyment of the audience, she was sent naked into the arena to face a "mad heifer". Her ordeal continued until the crowd was disgusted and cried for it to stop. She was then taken to the executioner who took two blows to behead her. I realize the heavy tone of this letter, so I will not write about the wicked insanity of Emperor Nero or Caligula.
This same arena is your choice for toy of the year?! Your only quibble is, "lacking fingers, the emperor [Nero] can't give his thumbs-up or thumbs-down signal." Next year, will you advertise a plastic tree with little nooses so that children can pretend to lynch black people? Will you promote a deluxe gas chamber with toy Jews included? As a faithful reader of your magazine I was disappointed; this doesn't rise to the standard I have always seen in Family Fun. I ask that you rethink your endorsement of this toy.
