Time Magazine did a story on the 100 greatest toys of all time, so of course I just had to see what made the cut. Some of them just didn't do it for me (I don't know why, but I was just never a big Sock Monkey man. Love the car commercial with the dancing, rapping stuffed animals, but to play with the real toy? Not for me). Others, such as Chatty Cathy, brought back funny memories (the doll was a Christmas present and, somehow, the string had gotten snagged and the "present' started talking before I had actually opened it). And some just left me with a warm glow of favorite childhood memories:
I'm not sure if Golden Books really should rank as toys, but they certainly figured prominently in my childhood I also loved those comic books based on classic books. Long gone, and they're now collector's items, but lots of fun and a good intro into the full book. I believe that Warner is now publishing graphic novels based on the classics. I think that's a great idea!
Here's the complete list and the article (via Presurfer):
So, are any of your favorite toys on that list? Are there any of your favorites that didn't make it? What toys or games take you on a warm trip down memory lane? And the big question...do you still have any of them? (I confess that I have Barbie dolls in my attic. I'm afraid to look and see what shape they're in. I know for sure that Barbie had a little tear at the neckline, so that her head kept falling off. And Ken? Oh, poor Ken. He was one of those with fuzzy hair, and part of his hair wore away, so a good friend and I colored his blond hair black with a marker and then coated it with clear nail polish so that it would stay. What a sad experience for a hero)!
I hope your toys fared better than that!
Best Wishes, happy memories and happy reading!
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My mom kept her Barbies... they look well used. :)
ReplyDeleteI still have my Barbies, My Little Ponies, some game boards games, some Golden books, and other childhood momentos... it is amazing what toys keep coming back through the years and which they made changes to...
I just gave my four month old granddaughter a golden book like her father and I both had. Loved them and glad they are still around.
ReplyDeleteMy two year old grandson loves to play with cardboard construction blocks and a slinkie when he is at Grandma's. More old faves.
I think it's great when children rediscover things that had so much meaning for their parents or grandparents. And sometimes when the companies make changes, people get really upset. Our old Monopoly set was falling apart and when I went looking for a new one on Amazon, people weren't happy that they had made the box square, so that the bank and board were affected. Later, I found a classic version (although I think there's one now with a digital bank). And books. I wish I had kept more of my kids' books. We have the Shel Silversteins and some of the Dr. Seuss ones and they each kept their favorites, but I gave so many of them away...
ReplyDeleteI sill have books from my childhood & my children have all theirs. I grew up learning that books are precious & are to be treasured. My children, indeed all the family, are the same. Books should make a top toy list. At the top perhaps.
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Marybelle, isn't the feeling you get when you open a childhood book wonderful? I have this book that was my sister's. It's in terrible condition (it was that way when I first saw it) and someone had colored in it. It's written on something not much better than newsprint, the cover was gone when I first saw it, as well as the front couple of pages, so I don't even know its name, but...it's a wonderful collection of stories. All I have to do is pick it up and flip through the pages, and it takes me to another world.
ReplyDeleteMy favorite toys, if you can call them that, were the original Crayola Crayons and a coloring book. I still love to smell the crayons...it brings back memories of my childhood. Sometimes when I'm shopping with my daughter and I pick up a box of crayons and smell them my daughter walks away..."I don't know that woman".... I would have loved Barbies and the Little Ponies as a child...wish we would have had them when I was little.
ReplyDeleteMy favorite toys were a jump rope and a ball and jacks....we used to have little contests at the elementary school to see which girl was the best jacks player. Of course the boys were off playing baseball.
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Oh, Jackie, crayons? I still love crayons, too! I remember being so jealous of the kids who had the box with 64 colors. And never wanting them to wear down because they looked so awesome when they were all clean and sharp. I missed out on My Little Ponies, too (too old, but they were pretty, weren't they)?
ReplyDeleteAnd Joye, my brother gave me a set of jacks as a joke part of my Christmas present two years ago. Little did he know I would keep them. I never did get very good at picking up multiples beyond threesies, though. And we used to play Double Dutch jump rope at lunch time. Can't manage that, anymore. :-)
I have such fond memories of "Little Golden Books" : ) I loved them, and I still have my collection, which was started by my mother. "The Little Red Hen" was a favorite.
ReplyDeleteThe Little Red Hen? Yes! I confess that I--occasionally--still quote from that book, as in "So...who will help me...(insert name of task here). Why does everyone scatter when I do that? :-)
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