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!
Midge's makeup is a little shot, and barbie has a small slice in her neck from wear and tear. ( brother liked liked to behead her.. and no he wasn't a terrrorist..LOL well not in the current day sense.. :)
I remember baby dolls with the painted on hair. Some of them had peeling off hair after just a short time! How unsafe was that?!
brother liked liked to behead her.. and no he wasn't a terrrorist..LOL well not in the current day sense..
Yeah, we didn't have to fathom that beheadings still occurred in those days, that was something from 'olden' days. LOL, my sister would behead my dolls and get all hers out and line them up on her bed. I got to be pretty good at popping the heads back on!
1/Mattel's made to scale M-16 "Marauder" rifle.
Mattel's Plastics Division manufactured the butt, pistol grip and forestock of the rifle for Colt Firearms.
2/Kenner's Skyscraper and Communities Construction kits.
Red plastic beams, struts, angled braces and panels that could make a 12 story skyscraper. A variety of homes. Or dozens of space ships, with a bit of imagination.
3/Airfix Soldiers and Die cast Fighting Vehichles.
Create your own Diorama. Then destroy it with firecrackers and your Daisy BB Rifle.
4/Tonka Jeeps and Trucks.
Old School, Solid Metal. Nearly Indestructable. Great to crash at high speed.
5/GI Surplus WWII/Korean War Helmet Liners, Ammo Belts, Canteens and knapsacks.
Vital necessities when playing "Army" with your buddies!
Jack.
Mattel Derringer Belt Buckle
I had one of those when I was siz or seven, poser.
Also a Mattel "Fanner 50". A Mattel Snub Nosed .38 revolver and shoulder holster and too many Mattel lever action toy rifles to count.
Loved the Greenie Stick-On Caps and the toys spring loaded bullets.
Jack.
- the stilts my grampa made me from 2x4's - I was soooo tall
- my pogo stick - the old kind with a steel spring
From a girl's POV, these were my favorite toys:
Blocks - my parents bought a HUGE set of plain pine blocks of every shape known to man. Built a lot of palaces, stables, etc. with those!
Barbie (but not Ken, who set off my gaydar even at that tender age) - my grandma was a talented dressmaker and made my Barbies some stunning evening wear. They would go out on the town with my brother's stolen GI Joe, who looked pretty spiffy in his uniforms. (There is a very funny joke about why Barbie prefers GI Joe to Ken, but I can't repeat it on a family forum ....)
Bouncy horse - we had a great wooden horse mounted on springs, and it would bounce you halfway to the ceiling! Took a lot of imaginary trips on that steed.
Also, any stuffed animal. I could never stand baby dolls but I had about a zillion stuffed animals. I think they're still in my parents' garage someplace!
Lionel Trains
Verti-Bird
Lincoln Logs and the Erector Set should be on any "Top" toys list.
Best toy I ever received...a 1966 Murray Wildcat banana bicycle I got for Christmas when I was in 2nd grade. And I still have it today.
LOL. Sicko.
Man, I loved my Creepy Crawlers and Creeple People! It was an open heating unit that got REALLY REALLY hot...you put a metal mold into the hot unit with your wee kiddie fingers and heated up the plastic...you used a metal prong to lift the white-hot mold out of the heating unit...you placed it on what you (as a kid) thought was a non-flammable surface...
We had hours of fun changing the bandages on our wee kiddie fingers!
2. 
3. I always played Davy Crockett so this was a favorite of mine 
What kind of childhood did you have??????
1. Shoot snakes in high heels
2. Swim in the storm drain in high heels
3. Climb trees in high heels
4. Ride our bikes for hours in high heels
5. Hide in the woods from each other in high heels
6. Take our little boat out on the river to fish in high heels.
7. Dance in the rain
Now yer talkin'...........:)
For your enjoyment . . .
Still Rockin' and Sockin' After all These Years
Remember the fun you had competing for the title? Two contenders control the plastic boxers every move until the winner knocks loose the other’s spring-loaded head. Lots of action and competition. Will Red Rocker or Blue Bomber prevail? A classic since 1966. Size 10"l x 10"w x 9"h, Weight 2.5 lbs. (Age 6+)
Rock’em Sock’em Robots
Item #: 6091
Our Price: $19.99
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