Flashback Friday #6

In this edition of Flashback Friday we will entertain an element of childhood that some of us don't outgrow. Toys. I am mid 40's and still enjoy getting down on the floor and playing with toys with my grandchildren (or any other kids who want to play). When I heard that I was going to become a grandpa, I went looking for some of the toys I played with as a child.

When I was young, there wasn't all the electronic gizmos you see today. Toys didn't play with themselves while you watched them. The vast majority of toys I had would do nothing at all, unless you added a secret ingredient. Imagination.

When playing with plastic soldiers (of which I had hundreds), small scraps of wood became buildings. Sticks became corrals that the cowboys kept their horses in. Tin cans turned into rocket ships that propelled astronauts through space. Give me some plastic soldiers & a pile of dirt and I was good for an hour or so.

We never had any new, but we scoured yard sales for Tinker toys, Lincoln logs, and later on Legos. I did have a building set called Ring-ma-jigs. They looked like mini donuts with legs that you could snap together. You could build & stack to your hearts content. My Uncle Chet was so fascinated with them, every time he came over, he would have me get them out. We eventually bought him a set for Christmas.

I also had an affection for stuffed animals. Mom knew a lady who made sock monkeys, and she brought a dozen over for me to pick one. I loved them all, so mom bought all 12 of them for me. For a while, they went everywhere with me. I took them over to Aunt Shelly's house one time, and forgot one. The next day when we went to get it, we had discovered that one of my cousins had taken a butcher knife to it. He had cut off most of the tail, half of one arm & gouged out a hole in the stomach. Mom did what she could to fix him. He looked odd, but I loved him anyway.

What young boy doesn't like toy cars? I had a few Hot Wheels & Matchbox cars, but a lot of what was called "Tootsie Toys" cars. They were twice the size of Hotwheels, and I always got some for Christmas (mom ordered them out of one of the "toy party" books). They were sturdy & held up through many years & many dirt piles.

Currently in my "toyroom, you will find the above mentioned toys (with the exception of Ring-ma-jigs) along with Etch-a-sketch, View Master, Mr. & Mrs. Potato Head, & a Fisher Price castle with knights. There is also quite the collection of a newer favorite "Rescue Heroes" & their rescue vehicles. The grandkids like to come over to Papa's house to play "cause he's got some cool toys".

(Pictured-Sock Monkey, Lincoln logs, Tinkertoys, Hot Wheels, Matchbox, Legos, plastic soldiers and cowboys & indians)

As I grow older, and I walk through flea markets, I tend to look for the "older" toys. I say to myself, or to Lady Nottaguy-TYG, "I used to have some of those". Then I look at the price. GULP. I wish I still had some of those. But if I did, could I get rid of them? You're right, probably not? What did you like to play with when you were little?