Raiford's Journal: Nostalgia

I was reading an "Ask Slashdot" post where a guy was trying to find an old kaleidoscope for a gift. This got me to thinking about the toys that I had as a kid. I have done this several times over the past year primarily because when I buy toys for my daughter I often go to this toy store that carries nostalgic toys. A few months ago I searched eBay for some of the things that I used to have and sure enough most of the items where there for auction. I didn't bid though. It's best to not try to replace the items (they won't be a good as the memory). I may be dating myself but here is a partial list:

Creepy Crawler set

The first Hot Wheels to hit the market (1968)

Rockum Sockum Robots

Twister Game (stupid because I was an only)

about 5 chemistry sets

Red Radio Flyer wagon

8-track tape player

The list goes on but you get the idea. If you could have any toy from your childhood that was long gone what would it be ? I wish I still had a few of the Hot Wheels (they were better back then of course).

My old toys

[MonTemplar]

I'm pretty sure I've still got my old Lego collection and Meccano set in boxes in storage somewhere, plus my old teddy-bear of course. :)

Other toys that I had included a Casio mini-music-keyboard-cum-calculator (really!), the original Action Man, a Rubik's Cube and Rubik's Snake, several board games (Monopoly, Scrabble), and an old video games box (forget the make) with the built-in video games (tennis, squash, etc.) Alas, only the board games remain, the rest either broke or were sold to charity years ago.

My star possession, though, was the record turntable with built-in speakers and built-in disco lights!

the one that I forgot !

[Raiford]

I forgot one of the most important toys of the 60s and 70s: The Electric Football Game (Vibrating Field). If anyone remembers playing with one of those it took about 10 minutes to set the men up for a single play and then when you turned it on the players would always move in the wrong direction (without fail). You had these little felt footballs that your QB with the spring loaded arm could throw. A completion was when you hit a receiver's body anywhere. The game play was worthless but you would always drag this thing out from under your bed when friends came over thinking that the next great game simulation was going to emerge from the random motion of these plastic grid iron greats.