[gorush]

Erector sets and chemistry sets...lots of metalic pointy parts or the ability, at the very least, to make a huge stain, whether toxic or otherwise.

[Kirkwood]

Yes, Erector sets were perhaps the single greatest toy, at least for those kids with an engineer's mind. Tinkertoys were the mandatory prerequisite to getting an erector set. I must have made thousands of toys from out of my imagination with these.

I was in Toys 'R Us today and I have to say there are some incredible toys a kid would have only dreamed of getting 40 or 50 years ago. It is amazing how little we had back then, and for my parent's generation, there was still less. About the only complaint I have of today;s toys is that they often need tons of batteries and I suspect their lifespan is rather short.