Rejuvenile Kickball, Cartoons, Cupcakes, and the Reinvention of the American Grown-up

When J. M. Barrie's play Peter Pan, subtitled The Boy Who Wouldn't Grow Up, opened at the Duke of York Theater in 1904, it announced the arrival of something entirely new. The theatrical fashion of the time was for so-called problem plays, heart-wrenching melodramas that dealt with social ills and political complexities. Parting that gloom was Barrie's tale of a flying boy, his fairy sidekick, and their adventures in a faraway land where children remained children forever. Part farce, part pantomime, part inside joke, Peter Pan was a tale of pirates and fairies told in the sophisticated language of adults. Based on tall tales Barrie spun to amuse the five sons of a local barrister--his favorite being a rascal called George whom he met in Kensington Gardens when the boy was all of five--Peter Pan was the sort of cross-generational sensation that would become a model for mass entertainments of the next one hundred years. First of the preteen heroes, Peter Pan attracted a rabid following of young matinee fans. But his real power was over a generation raised on fairy tales and nonsense rhymes and now anxiously adjusting to the social changes and gadgetry of a new century. On the night of the premiere, according to Barrie biographer Andrew Birkin, "the elite of London society, with few children among them, emulated Sentimental Tommy by 'flinging off the years and whistling childhood back.'" Wistful, lighthearted, and condemned by a chorus of critics who saw no good in such open celebration of childishness, Peter Pan was the first of the rejuvenile blockbusters. Peter Pan was all the more resonant because it was the product of a celebrated public figure who shared his hero's deep ambivalence about adulthood. James Matthew Barrie was a small and moody Scotsman with a bushy mustache and no interest whatsoever in growing up in any conventional sense. Of this, he'd apparently always been sure. "Greatest horror--dream that I am married--wake up screaming," the eighteen-year-old wrote in his college diary. "Grow up and have to give up marbles--awful thought." While Barrie eventually did get married, to a comely stage actress named Mary Ansell, he made few other concessions to adulthood. When he wasn't locked away in his study, Barrie liked nothing more than practicing magic tricks, wrestling his giant St. Bernard, and most of all, playing with the sons of barrister Llewelyn Davies, whom he dressed as pirates, wrote stories for and about, and kept entertained with his vast knowledge of cricket, fishing, and Sir Walter Scott. There has never been any evidence that Barrie's relationship with the Davies boys was anything but friendly, but their closeness has nonetheless prompted psychoanalytic suspicion and prurient interest ever since. Critics have scoured his biography for clues to explain Barrie's lifelong fight against traditional adulthood. Was he stunted by the death of his older brother, the doting of his indulgent mother, or the rejection of his loveless wife? All those things undoubtedly had a profound impact on Barrie, but one ultimately learns very little attempting to attach this misery or that to his rejuvenile tendencies. Barrie's legacy has less to do with his private sorrow than his articulation of childhood as a poetic and primitive life force that can linger long after its expected expiration. More than a fairy tale, Peter Pan announced the arrival of a new and enduring breed of aOnce upon a time, boys and girls grew up and set aside childish things. Nowadays, moms and dads skateboard alongside their kids and download the latest pop-song ringtones. Captains of industry pose for the cover of "BusinessWeek" holding Super Soakers. The average age of video game players is twenty-nine and rising. Top chefs develop recipes for Easy-Bake Ovens. Disney World is the world' s top adult vacation destination (that' s adults without kids). And young people delay marriage and childbirth longer than ever in part to keep family obligations from interfering with their fun fun fun. Christopher Noxon has coined a word for this new breed of grown-up: rejuveniles. And as a self-confessed rejuvenile, he' s a sympathetic yet critical guide to this bright and shiny world of people who see growing up as " winding down" -- exchanging a life of playful flexibility for anxious days tending lawns and mutual funds. In "Rejuvenile," Noxon explores the historical roots of today' s rejuveniles (hint: all roads lead to Peter Pan), the " toyification" of practical devices (car cuteness is at an all-time high), and the new gospel of play. He talks to parents who love cartoons more than their children do, twenty-somethings who live happily with their parents, and grown-ups who evangelize on behalf of all-ages tag and Legos. And he takes on the " Harrumphing Codgers, " who see the rejuvenile as a threat to the social order. Noxon tempers stories of his and others' rejuvenile tendencies with cautionary notes about " lost souls whose taste for childish things is creepy at best." (Exhibit A: Michael Jackson.)On balance, though, he sees rejuveniles as optimists and capital-R Romantics, people driven by a desire " to hold on to the part of ourselves that feels the most genuinely human. We believe in play, in make believe, in learning, in naps. And in a time of deep uncertainty, we trust that this deeper, more adaptable part of ourselves is our best tool of survival." Fresh and delightfully contrarian, "Rejuvenile" makes hilarious sense of this seismic culture change. It' s essential reading not only for grown-ups who refuse to " act their age, " but for those who wish they would just grow up. "From the Hardcover edition."Once upon a time, boys and girls grew up and set aside childish things. Nowadays, moms and dads skateboard alongside their kids and download the latest pop-song ringtones. Captains of industry pose for the cover of BusinessWeek holding Super Soakers. The average age of video game players is twenty-nine and rising. Top chefs develop recipes for Easy-Bake Ovens. Disney World is the world’s top adult vacation destination (that’s adults without kids). And young people delay marriage and childbirth longer than ever in part to keep family obligations from interfering with their fun fun fun. Christopher Noxon has coined a word for this new breed of grown-up: rejuveniles. And as a self-confessed rejuvenile, he’s a sympathetic yet critical guide to this bright and shiny world of people who see growing up as “winding down”—exchanging a life of playful flexibility for anxious days tending lawns and mutual funds. In Rejuvenile, Noxon explores the historical roots of today’s rejuveniles (hint: all roads lead to Peter Pan), the “toyification” of practical devices (car cuteness is at an all-time high), and the new gospel of play. He talks to parents who love cartoons more than their children do, twenty-somethings who live happily with their parents, and grown-ups who evangelize on behalf of all-ages tag and Legos. And he takes on the “Harrumphing Codgers,” who see the rejuvenile as a threat to the social order. Noxon tempers stories of his and others’ rejuvenile tendencies with cautionary notes about “lost souls whose taste for childish things is creepy at best.” (Exhibit A: Michael Jackson.) On balance, though, he sees rejuveniles as optimists and capital-R Romantics, people driven by a desire “to hold on to the part of ourselves that feels the most genuinely human. We believe in play, in make believe, in learning, in naps. And in a time of deep uncertainty, we trust that this deeper, more adaptable part of ourselves is our best tool of survival.” Fresh and delightfully contrarian, Rejuvenile makes hilarious sense of this seismic culture change. It’s essential reading not only for grown-ups who refuse to “act their age,” but for those who wish they would just grow up. From the Hardcover edition.“I read Rejuvenile excitedly, eager to get to Noxon’s conclusions, feeling over and over that he was describing something I sensed was there but hadn’t quite put into words. An eye-opener.” —Ira Glass, host of public radio’s This American Life “Geezers wearing blue jeans and watching cartoons and playing videogames is not precisely what Bob Dylan had in mind (‘May you stay forever young’) back in the countercultural day. But as Christopher Noxon smartly and definitively explains, never-ending youthfulness—that is, the mass refusal to swear off fun and comfort for the sake of grown-up propriety—is the enduring legacy of the Woodstock generation.” —Kurt Andersen, host of public radio’s Studio 360 and author of Turn of the Century “Rejuvenile is better than any book out there about play. It sweeps together stories of real people being true to their core selves. This is not a book for escapists; it is a book for curious open explorers looking to lead more effective, flexible, adaptive, vital, and still responsible lives.” —Stuart L. Brown, M.D., founder and president, the Institute for Play “Any book that inspires me to rediscover Four Square and Duck Duck Goose is A-OK with me. Rejuvenile made me want to play and it made me think—a stellar combination. Thank you, Christopher, for giving us a concept we actually need: a new, liberating redefinition of adulthood, where you can be a responsible grown-up and still maintain a sense of wonder.” —Sasha Cagen, author of Quirkyalone: A Manifesto for Uncompromising Romantics “With Rejuvenile, Christopher Noxon brilliantly charts the continual turning of the Boomers, X’ers and Y’ers away from the brittle authority of work-obsessed adulthood. We seriously need more playful times, and Rejuvenile will help us get there.” —Pat Kane, author of The Play Ethic: A Manifesto for a Different Way of Living “Christopher Noxon has the same affection for the ingenuous adults he describes as they do for their Ninja Turtles, skateboards, and Lego blocks. Noxon is an avid collector in his own right—one of compelling characters, funny stories, and insights that speak to our mixed-up times.” —Ethan Watters, former Chuck E. Cheese Rat and author of Urban Tribes: Are Friends the New Family? From the Hardcover edition." I read "Rejuvenile" excitedly, eager to get to Noxon' s conclusions, feeling over and over that he was describing something I sensed was there but hadn' t quite put into words. An eye-opener." -- Ira Glass, host of public radio' s "This American Life" " Geezers wearing blue jeans and watching cartoons and playing videogames is not precisely what Bob Dylan had in mind (' May you stay forever young' ) back in the countercultural day. But as Christopher Noxon smartly and definitively explains, never-ending youthfulness-- that is, the mass refusal to swear off fun and comfort for the sake of grown-up propriety-- is the enduring legacy of the Woodstock generation." -- Kurt Andersen, host of public radio' s "Studio 360" and author of "Turn of the Century" " "Rejuvenile" is better than any book out there about play. It sweeps together stories of real people being true to their core selves. This is not a book for escapists; it is a book for curious open explorers looking to lead more effective, flexible, adaptive, vital, and still responsible lives." -- Stuart L. Brown, M.D., founder and president, the Institute for Play " Any book that inspires me to rediscover Four Square and Duck Duck Goose is A-OK with me." Rejuvenile" made me want to play and it made me think-- a stellar combination. Thank you, Christopher, for giving us a concept we actually need: a new, liberating redefinition of adulthood, where you can be a responsible grown-up and still maintain a sense of wonder." -- Sasha Cagen, author of "Quirkyalone: A Manifesto for Uncompromising Romantics" " With "Rejuvenile," Christopher Noxon brilliantly charts the continual turning of the Boomers, X' ers and Y' ers away from the brittle authority of work-obsessed adulthood. We seriously need more playful times, and "Rejuvenile "will help us get there." -- Pat Kane, author of "The Play Ethic: A Manifesto for a Different Way of Living" " Christopher Noxon has the same affection for the ingenuous adults he describes as they do for their Ninja Turtles, skateboards, and Lego blocks. Noxon is an avid collector in his own right-- one of compelling characters, funny stories, and insights that speak to our mixed-up times." -- Ethan Watters, former Chuck E. Cheese Rat and author of "Urban Tribes: Are Friends the New Family? " "From the Hardcover edition.""I read Rejuvenile excitedly, eager to get to Noxon's conclusions, feeling over and over that he was describing something I sensed was there but hadn't quite put into words. An eye-opener." Ira Glass, host of public radio's This American Life "Geezers wearing blue jeans and watching cartoons and playing videogames is not precisely what Bob Dylan had in mind ('May you stay forever young') back in the countercultural day. But as Christopher Noxon smartly and definitively explains, never-ending youthfulnessthat is, the mass refusal to swear off fun and comfort for the sake of grown-up proprietyis the enduring legacy of the Woodstock generation." Kurt Andersen, host of public radio's Studio 360 and author of Turn of the Century "Rejuvenile is better than any book out there about play. It sweeps together stories of real people being true to their core selves. This is not a book for escapists; it is a book for curious open explorers looking to lead more effective, flexible, adaptive, vital, and still responsible lives." Stuart L. Brown, M.D., founder and president, the Institute for Play "Any book that inspires me to rediscover Four Square and Duck Duck Goose is A-OK with me. Rejuvenile made me want to play and it made me thinka stellar combination. Thank you, Christopher, for giving us a concept we actually need: a new, liberating redefinition of adulthood, where you can be a responsible grown-up and still maintain a sense of wonder." Sasha Cagen, author of Quirkyalone: A Manifesto for Uncompromising Romantics "With Rejuvenile, Christopher Noxon brilliantly charts the continual turning of the Boomers, X'ers and Y'ers away from the brittle authority of work-obsessed adulthood. We seriously need more playful times, and Rejuvenile will help us get there." Pat Kane, author of The Play Ethic: A Manifesto for a Different Way of Living "Christopher Noxon has the same affection for the ingenuous adults he describes as they do for their Ninja Turtles, skateboards, and Lego blocks. Noxon is an avid collector in his own rightone of compelling characters, funny stories, and insights that speak to our mixed-up times." Ethan Watters, former Chuck E. Cheese Rat and author of Urban Tribes: Are Friends the New Family? From the Hardcover edition.Witty, big-hearted, and razor smart, this text describes and analyzes a new breed of adult who sees growing up as winding down--as trading playfulness, wonderment, and openness to change for a stultifying life of order.Christopher Noxon has written for The New York Times Magazine, Los Angeles Magazine, and Salon. He lives with his wife and three children in Los Angeles. From the Hardcover edition.