Post by crowschmo on Dec 5, 2017 13:25:09 GMT -5
Or basement, or garage, or "rec" room.
No, I'm not talking bats in one's belfry or voices in one's head. I'm talking TOYS!!! Actual TOYS!! Since Christmas is almost upon us, once again, as it hurdles toward us unmercifully, I'd thought I'd bring up a little nostalgia. After all, part of the appeal of our favorite show is that nostalgia factor. A lot of us were of that same generation as the Brains when the show first came out and we latched on to it and "got" it. They brought up a lot of memories with the commercials they mentioned, or movies, TV shows, books, pop culture references and whatnot.
And TOYS!!! Creeple People, Easy Bake Oven, Stretch Armstrong. The list goes on.
So, I thought I'd get the ball (Super Ball!) rolling and mention some toys I remember fondly. Obviously, I'm not going to mention every single one in just one post. I'll spread it out a little and give others a chance to put in their memories of birthdays and Christmases past. (Who else couldn't wait until that two ton Sear's "Wish Book" made it's way to our front porches?).
I'll start off things with the queen of all toys - Barbie. Yes, I had Barbie dolls when I was young. Don't judge. Boys play with dolls, too, they just call them "action figures". 'Kay. BTW, I had a G.I. Joe doll, also. (He dated Barbie a few times, though he was a bit shorter).
I had that Barbie camper with the sliding door. It included a vinyl sleeping bag, a fake plastic camp fire, and I don't remember what else. I had that green sports car of hers as well. And the horse that she could ride. It came with a stand and you could lever it back and forth and it made a "clopping" noise. They sold Barbie clothes separately, I didn't have to buy a whole new stinking doll every time I wanted to change an outfit. I had Ken, Mod-hair Ken (heh), and some other brunette woman doll, I forget her name (Stacey?). I had Skipper. (Or, maybe that was my cousin who did). I had a Tuesday Taylor doll (Barbie sized version of Tiffany), she was the same size so she fit right in with the gang. I had a Dynamite doll (who was possibly a gymnast or something? ). Yeah, I think I had her and not Skipper. I think either I or my cousins had a dog of some sort that went with them, a collie maybe? I'll have to look that up, don't remember if there was a dog for Barbie or not. My cousins had the Dream House.
I didn't call her "Barbie" when I played with her like those stupid commercials they had of girls playing with her. (I know, it was a Barbie commercial and they had to emphasize the name). I wasn't part of the "gang" - I didn't say, "Hey, Barbie, let's go to the store" or whatever. My friends or cousins and I would just "become" the dolls and disappear behind the curtain. We would just act out our little stories. I didn't worry, like those idiots some years ago, if the DOLL had a JOB or anything, that was part of the whole "imagination" thing. She didn't have to come with a damn career all set to go. I didn't worry that her figure was "unrealistic" and I could never achieve such perfection, those thoughts never occurred to me.
I remember being encouraged to be creative and not having every little thing out there for me to buy. There was a book or something that showed how to use household things to make furniture and stuff for one's little world. Like taping Q-tip boxes together with decorative shelf paper and making little dresser drawers. A clear toothpaste cap stuffed with a bit of cotton stood in for a cup of milk, that sort of thing. I don't remember what else. But it was fun using my own imagination to get all this stuff and not have to have every little accessory ready made and that I needed (or my parents, rather) to shell out money for.
I had other dolls, I'll get to that, this is getting long. What toys or games did you all have that you remember playing with as a kid? Include pictures if you want. And - is there anything that you wish you'd kept? Anything that you still have?
No, I'm not talking bats in one's belfry or voices in one's head. I'm talking TOYS!!! Actual TOYS!! Since Christmas is almost upon us, once again, as it hurdles toward us unmercifully, I'd thought I'd bring up a little nostalgia. After all, part of the appeal of our favorite show is that nostalgia factor. A lot of us were of that same generation as the Brains when the show first came out and we latched on to it and "got" it. They brought up a lot of memories with the commercials they mentioned, or movies, TV shows, books, pop culture references and whatnot.
And TOYS!!! Creeple People, Easy Bake Oven, Stretch Armstrong. The list goes on.
So, I thought I'd get the ball (Super Ball!) rolling and mention some toys I remember fondly. Obviously, I'm not going to mention every single one in just one post. I'll spread it out a little and give others a chance to put in their memories of birthdays and Christmases past. (Who else couldn't wait until that two ton Sear's "Wish Book" made it's way to our front porches?).
I'll start off things with the queen of all toys - Barbie. Yes, I had Barbie dolls when I was young. Don't judge. Boys play with dolls, too, they just call them "action figures". 'Kay. BTW, I had a G.I. Joe doll, also. (He dated Barbie a few times, though he was a bit shorter).
I had that Barbie camper with the sliding door. It included a vinyl sleeping bag, a fake plastic camp fire, and I don't remember what else. I had that green sports car of hers as well. And the horse that she could ride. It came with a stand and you could lever it back and forth and it made a "clopping" noise. They sold Barbie clothes separately, I didn't have to buy a whole new stinking doll every time I wanted to change an outfit. I had Ken, Mod-hair Ken (heh), and some other brunette woman doll, I forget her name (Stacey?). I had Skipper. (Or, maybe that was my cousin who did). I had a Tuesday Taylor doll (Barbie sized version of Tiffany), she was the same size so she fit right in with the gang. I had a Dynamite doll (who was possibly a gymnast or something? ). Yeah, I think I had her and not Skipper. I think either I or my cousins had a dog of some sort that went with them, a collie maybe? I'll have to look that up, don't remember if there was a dog for Barbie or not. My cousins had the Dream House.
I didn't call her "Barbie" when I played with her like those stupid commercials they had of girls playing with her. (I know, it was a Barbie commercial and they had to emphasize the name). I wasn't part of the "gang" - I didn't say, "Hey, Barbie, let's go to the store" or whatever. My friends or cousins and I would just "become" the dolls and disappear behind the curtain. We would just act out our little stories. I didn't worry, like those idiots some years ago, if the DOLL had a JOB or anything, that was part of the whole "imagination" thing. She didn't have to come with a damn career all set to go. I didn't worry that her figure was "unrealistic" and I could never achieve such perfection, those thoughts never occurred to me.
I remember being encouraged to be creative and not having every little thing out there for me to buy. There was a book or something that showed how to use household things to make furniture and stuff for one's little world. Like taping Q-tip boxes together with decorative shelf paper and making little dresser drawers. A clear toothpaste cap stuffed with a bit of cotton stood in for a cup of milk, that sort of thing. I don't remember what else. But it was fun using my own imagination to get all this stuff and not have to have every little accessory ready made and that I needed (or my parents, rather) to shell out money for.
I had other dolls, I'll get to that, this is getting long. What toys or games did you all have that you remember playing with as a kid? Include pictures if you want. And - is there anything that you wish you'd kept? Anything that you still have?