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!
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.
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 : (
You are just FAR too white.........
Why yes................but once I truly discovered girls, I got over it.
Dude..............posted mine before I saw yours. You da man.
Paula......honey.................you had a boring childhood, didn't you?
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
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.
My little brother had the 6 million dollar man. I loved to look through his eye! LOL psst, he liked my barbie too ;)
I was going to say "Army Men," but you said it already.
Best. Toy. Ever.
You'd be surprised at how little people care about that title."
Literally LMAO..............thanks for the best laugh I've had in days..............
LMAO!
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.
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..........
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.
Pissant, I just re-read the original post and you cut Barbie's hair, too!
We are so totally soulmates.
Mattell "Fanner 50" cap pistol. Holster tied down...
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.
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. :)
I can't believe no one has mentioned Transformers yet. By far one of the greatest toys
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