Over the top parenting?

Click on this link to read a column (Sarasota Herald-Tribune) about parents who build extravagant backyard playgrounds for their children. Is anything a parent does to make a fun childhood for their children OK or are there limits to what is reasonable? The columnist argues that simpler forms of entertainment (crayons, paper, tape, etc.) are just as good and sometimes better in terms of encouraging imagination. Do you agree?