There is nothing better than the feeling of getting a new toy when you were young. That feeling of surprise or hope is something that burns into your memory for life. It also carries over into adulthood for most of us. The problem is that most of the toys that we want now are just a little more expensive. Its funny how a ten dollar hunk of plastic that brought hours or days of fun has been replaced by a hunk of metal stamped into a car, motorcycle or any other form costing thousands of dollars more, now that we are adults. Even as adults we scan the internet searching for pictures or sales of those toys that brought us so many good memories. Some things were simple. A basic ball and bat kept some of us busy for the summer while for others it might of took something electronic to occupy our time. I guess it would depend on what era you grew up in. I was lucky. I got to grow up in a time where old school toys were on the edge of extinction and the wave of our electronic future began. It was a great time to grow up because we had the very best of two eras. This post is all about jogging some memories of the lucky kids that grew up in the 70's and 80's with a few old school standbys thrown in as well.
Some of us had older or younger siblings that at the very least cut our toy draw around the holidays in half or by a third but the upshot was that we got to play with their stuff also even if it was made for someone younger or older. At one point or another I think most of us had a Fisher Price toy or two in our homes. Fisher Price was started in the 30's by Herman Fisher and Irving Price with Price's wife Margaret doing most of the design and lithography. They made a lot of pull along toys made of durable wood that would hold up for years. Some of the most popular Fisher price toys were the Little People family play sets made of wood people and plastic buildings. They came out in the early 60's and were a company go to for decades.
This is a Colorforms set from 1974. Colorforms have been around since 1951 and are still sold today. It also happens to be my wife's favorite toy growing up.
During the late seventies and all through the eighties brought us the birth of electronic gaming. Here are some pics of the early years.
One of my all time personal favorites is the old Evil Knievel play sets. Very popular all through the seventies.
How bout those Tonkas?
And who could forget marbles?
No matter what toy you got growing up some were ones that you would never forget about. It wasn't always about the latest and greatest thing advertised on television that year. Sometimes it was about the person that gave it to you. My mom and dad gave me many things growing up that I will always remember for the rest of my life. One of the best things about seeing old toys is what it makes you remember. The photo below is of weird little men made with pipe cleaners. Some have swords made from toothpicks and shields made from old style pop caps. Growing up I had an uncle that made these for me by the hundreds. We spent hours playing together and carrying on. A ton of great memories. He had Scoliosis and spent years in and out of hospitals as a child. He would gather pipe cleaners and things to make these men to play with while he was there. He has been gone for a few years now as well as any of my original "Stretchy Men". One of his last Christmases with us he made me some of these guys. You can always find a few of them on my tree every year.
A special thank you to Debbie Bigelow for the use of her childhood toys. Also to Tom Carnegie for the Tonka and marble photos. I would like to wish everyone a Merry Christmas and a healthy and prosperous New Year.
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