The main restriction we placed on our children's toys was economic - and that was a jaydub issue, come to think of it. So they grew up making their own, not just due to poverty but also because it's fun to create stuff. One day, for instance, my son was sitting nearby while a favorite Sister (tm) was visiting us. To keep the rest of his brain busy, he picked up an empty kleenex box and some embroidery floss and turned it into a loom and began weaving himself a bookmark. Sister interrupted to ask, "Do your kids always do that?" I answered "yes," which was the plain truth.
My daughter had a "pretty shelf" in her room where she displayed favorite found objects. She also had a miniature park on top of her bookcase, with trees made of castoff wire decorated with live plum blossoms in season. There was also a pond made of a jar lid.
Most of their toys were second-hand - we had *no* money - and I can't remember what they were, beyond the fact that there were no Barbies (more because my daughter and I were countercultural souls than because I thought Barbies were "immoral" or anything) and my son's toys tended toward building kits and video games rather than guns.
As to TV, my son developed an interest in ThunderCats during its brief run. I always found it difficult to forbid him things, but I disliked the lack of craftsmanship and militaristic tone of the show. However, I don't remember outright forbidding him to watch it; I simply ridiculed the intro -- "KittyCats ... HO!"
Permitted shows for our kids included: Mr. Rogers, Sesame Street, McGyver, Gargoyles (I liked the idea of scary creatures fighting for Good), Batman (my favorite superhero when *I* was a kid) and all the old Warner Bros. cartoons of a Saturday morning. An American art form, dontcha know. I even counted Bugs Bunny as Art homework, because my son at that time wanted to be an animator, and knew enough to assess technique while watching cartoons.
Also Dick Cavett -- yes, my son was a Cavett fan at the age of three!
GentlyFeral
P.S. Neither of my kids are jaydubs today; apparently I brought them up right!