Daniel makes stuff, and, in his spare time, writes about things like movies, kid culture, and geek stuff.
The Economics of Potty Training

If you’ve ever been through the potty training process with a kid, you know exactly what is meant by “the economics” of it. In just a few words: Stickers. Gummy bears. Lauded praise. Treats!

Yup, exactly.

That’s why Chicago Pop’s thorough analysis of the “Applied Economics of Potty Training” is so hilarious.

We did not invent the use of stickers as a type of currency. Stickers have been used to incent toddler behavior as long as we can remember, probably since the dawn of adhesives. Like gold or precious stones, stickers have an intrinsic value to the toddler’s eye. So the first step in potty training is to establish a standard of value between a certain amount of potty production, and a certain number of stickers. In our study, this standard was 1 : 1, or, 1 sticker to 1 poop or 1 pee-pee.

Prior to this step, poop has no value. Suddenly, it is worth one sticker, and if he pees, maybe two. The basis for exchange has been created, and through the miracle of economics, poop has become a commodity.

Of course Chicago Pop pays due diligence to the economic roadbumps along the way – chief among them, the feared “Grandparent Hyperinflation” of the commodity market. Duh duh duh!

Nov 06, 2009 :: Tagged under: , , , :: #