Those of you Toontown veterans know that Toon Valley was the armpit of the districts. If there was any madness outside of Nutty River, it was there. No toon in the right mind would go there. Well, unless you were like me and maxed your non-member toon as much as you could, so you wandered there to entertain yourself. Despite the chaos and oddities, hanging out there taught me a lot of important life lessons.
1. Games can be made from the simplest things.
One of the most popular things to do in Toon Valley was joining a game show. Though really... The only things to do at an estate were to fish, try on clothes, or rent cannons for an hour. In order to make the game shows fun, one had to be created. Sure, there were the classics Simon Says, Toontown Trivia, and Path Race, but the most fun were the most unusual. Roof Race! Spotlight! Emote Dive! Closet Dodge! Those were fun, and the most unusual.
2. Prejudice can happen anywhere, even in seemingly happy places
Say a toon is hosting something fun, a school, a game show, a hotel, a... dating show (I know, eww.), but then you see at the end of their thought bubble: "Cats only!" As a person who favored mice, this seriously ground my gears (Cog pun not intended), and anyone else who favored other animals besides cats and dogs would agree with me. Even if your species is allowed in, you'll be referred to as "mouse","pig", "duck", "bunny", etc. instead of your name. Deplorable. At the very least, you learn never to assume everyone in Toontown, well, everyone anywhere is inherently nice.
3. The Cliques are real (And so not worth it.)
Clans were everywhere. Warrior Cats, Carrot Clan, Lizard Clan, Leaf Clan, even a Gerbil Clan. These toons looked identical, always together and always advertising. It seemed like they were cut above the rest, but after my own attempt to join the Leaf Clan, along with successfully joining the Gerbil clan, they weren't what they were cut out to be. The only real benefit was being part of a group. It was truly no better than real life cliques.
4. Don't pay attention to those who whine for it.
This was most of the madness was in Toon Valley. People simply trying to get noticed, often for the reason of getting a rise out of other toons. The only way to stop them was to stop acknowledging them, and simply not allow them to get to you, no matter what. Once that happens, there's no more purpose for them, and hopefully they'd find something better to do with their time. Unfortunately, not everyone adheres to this rule, and will keep watching and egging those people on.
5. You try to make the best of things, even if you can't stand the people around you
In order to have fun in Toon Valley, you had to avoid getting involved with anything toxic. However, that's easier said than done. Knowing who is for sure takes time, and often when it's too late. But, as long as one knows how to sense drama at the beginning, or at the very least how to deal with it. Sometimes there's no escape, but at least you'll come out a little more unscathed than the rest.
