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Top 7 Childhood Toys Ever (vanity)
PA Times | 9/28/05 | Dr. Pissant

Posted on 09/28/2005 5:58:42 PM PDT by pissant

For many of us, being a child was no picnic. Without the resources to take opulent family vacations, we instead spent our youthful summers painting fences, mowing the lawn, weeding gardens, washing the dogs, cleaning our rooms and picking berries to earn a pocketful of change.

When School started back up in September, the joy of seeing our friends again was quickly doused by the 2 hours of homework each night (Parochial School..ya know).

But the one thing we could rely on to put that spring back in our little feet was the trunk full of TOYS. Yes, those magical toys. Here at the Pissant Institute for Toy History and Youth (PITHY) we've compiled the definitive list of the coolest toys with which we pleasantly whiled away our precious free time. Sorry girls, none of your toys made the list (though a little Pissant did cut the hair off of his sister's Barbie).

Top 7 Childhood Toys

7. Major Matt Mason

The astronaut doll. With space helmut and rocket capsule! Inspired by NASA (or was it David Bowie?)

6. Stretch Armstrong

A goo filled, stretchable man. Good exercise, but the real joy was cutting him open to see what was inside...

5. Little Green Army Men

Countless hours setting up the armies for the ferocious rubber band wars with your brother.

4. Radio Flyer Wagon

The best part was loading 2 into the wagon and heading down a hill, only to realize how poorly they steered!

3. Legos

You could build some pretty nifty forts for your Little Green Army Men

2. Hot Wheels

Oh, the pride from having the fastest car in the neigborhood. Unfortunately, the orange track pieces made a fine whip for mom to beat us with!!

1. Tonka Toys

From the Road Grader to the Steam Shovel. Playing in the dirt and mud was every boys favorite pastime!


TOPICS: Chit/Chat
KEYWORDS: funfunfun
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To: Horatio Gates
I still have a bunch of the army men.

I don't have any army men, certainly none of the original ones. Nor the GI Joe. I do have a box of legos. I remember the black Barbie's, knock off's mostly. I wanted one, especially because I was a fan of Mannix. I wanted to name her 'Peggy' after Mannix's secretary. The black dolls and action figures weren't so easy to find in our rural area. Luckily, that's not an issue any longer.

161 posted on 09/28/2005 8:22:13 PM PDT by fortunecookie
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To: pissant

Your list is obviously a boy's toys list. For the girls I will add my fave: Tiny Tears (a baby doll, I guess she cried, her head was broken but I loved her anyway) and my daughter's fave Bride Barbie (she ended naked and with her hair tangled, like all the other, lesser, Barbies, but years later my daughter still sincerely thanked my for buying it for her for Christmas).

And I always wanted rock'em sock'em robots, but I never got them, and neither did my brothers : (


162 posted on 09/28/2005 8:22:47 PM PDT by jocon307 (Sorry for my bad attitude)
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To: pissant
" never liked the hula hoop. I never got it to work right!!"

You are just FAR too white.........

163 posted on 09/28/2005 8:24:44 PM PDT by RightOnline
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To: Welsh Rabbit
"Does anyone remember Mad Balls?"

Why yes................but once I truly discovered girls, I got over it.

164 posted on 09/28/2005 8:28:04 PM PDT by RightOnline
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To: TADSLOS

Dude..............posted mine before I saw yours. You da man.


165 posted on 09/28/2005 8:30:05 PM PDT by RightOnline
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To: PaulaB

Paula......honey.................you had a boring childhood, didn't you?


166 posted on 09/28/2005 8:30:56 PM PDT by RightOnline
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To: fortunecookie
I still have the original Barbie, midge, ken and Alan!

Poor Samantha, given the bios on the Bewitched cast.. Darren #2 was gay in real life. (not that there's anything wrong with it) but Sam just can't catch a break...LOL

167 posted on 09/28/2005 8:32:33 PM PDT by Repub4bush (------Mark Levin the next supreme court justice! :))
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To: Ignatius J Reilly

by green machine do you mean the Kawasaki mountain bike? I have one of those, broke my leg on it new years eve, nope wasn't drinking either.


168 posted on 09/28/2005 8:32:40 PM PDT by ok_freebird
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To: Sybeck1

My little brother had the 6 million dollar man. I loved to look through his eye! LOL psst, he liked my barbie too ;)


169 posted on 09/28/2005 8:33:56 PM PDT by Repub4bush (------Mark Levin the next supreme court justice! :))
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To: pissant

I was going to say "Army Men," but you said it already.

Best. Toy. Ever.


170 posted on 09/28/2005 8:35:09 PM PDT by small_l_libertarian (I hope I'm not some kind of psychopath. - Chloe O'Brien, "24")
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To: birbear
"I was the Yuba City High School Yo-Yo champion of 1989.

You'd be surprised at how little people care about that title."

Literally LMAO..............thanks for the best laugh I've had in days..............

171 posted on 09/28/2005 8:35:42 PM PDT by RightOnline
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To: RightOnline

LMAO!


172 posted on 09/28/2005 8:35:46 PM PDT by Horatio Gates (I do not like Code Pink and Sheehan. I do not like them Sam I am.)
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To: Spruce

My Tonka dump truck still survives (30+ years later). After I stopped playing with it (probably had something to do with puberty, or some such), my grandpa started using it to hold his scrap metal.

When he died last year, I found it under the side of his house, full of metal bars and chunks. It was so great! The tires were flat, but I was happy to see that it was still used. I took it out and gave it to my nephew.


173 posted on 09/28/2005 8:38:49 PM PDT by small_l_libertarian (I hope I'm not some kind of psychopath. - Chloe O'Brien, "24")
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To: JusPasenThru
"Third best: the Erection Set."

Ummm......ahem.........unless your parents shopped in a WHOLE different part of town........I suspect you meant "Erector Set".

Screws in that one actually had a purpose..........

174 posted on 09/28/2005 8:40:25 PM PDT by RightOnline
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To: jocon307

After reading through the "girl" replies, I am cracking up. I am ALL girl, but I never played with any of those girly toys!

The only two times I ever touched a Barbie doll, they belonged to someone else and I cut their hair off. I really don't remember whether I hated Barbie, or whether I was just a budding hairdresser. Anyhow, after the second Bald Barbie incident, no more Barbie contact for me.

I was raised on boys' toys.


175 posted on 09/28/2005 8:42:59 PM PDT by small_l_libertarian (I hope I'm not some kind of psychopath. - Chloe O'Brien, "24")
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To: small_l_libertarian; pissant

Pissant, I just re-read the original post and you cut Barbie's hair, too!

We are so totally soulmates.


176 posted on 09/28/2005 8:44:05 PM PDT by small_l_libertarian (I hope I'm not some kind of psychopath. - Chloe O'Brien, "24")
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To: pissant

Mattell "Fanner 50" cap pistol. Holster tied down...


177 posted on 09/28/2005 8:44:21 PM PDT by 185JHP ( "The thing thou purposest shall come to pass: And over all thy ways the light shall shine.")
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To: Repub4bush
I still have the original Barbie, midge, ken and Alan!

Wow, that's quite a collection! And they are in good condition? (Then you didn't have a younger sister like mine!)

Poor Sam, indeed. Darren #2 really did have a gay vibe, and not much chemistry with her, imho. She didn't catch a break.

178 posted on 09/28/2005 8:47:21 PM PDT by fortunecookie
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To: pissant

Leave us not forget another classic.........marbles.

Peeries, cats eyes, boulders, steelies......the works. I was a master at 'em. In around the 3rd - 4th grade, I'd pocket two marbles every morning and take them to school. I'd return home each day with.......hand to God........two pants pockets FULL of other suckers'......er, kids'.......marbles.

A veritable marble shark, I was. :)


179 posted on 09/28/2005 8:48:36 PM PDT by RightOnline
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To: pissant

I can't believe no one has mentioned Transformers yet. By far one of the greatest toys


180 posted on 09/28/2005 8:59:04 PM PDT by scarface367 (This tagline has nothing better to do than appear here)
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