Toys of yesteryear

[tulip]

My friends and I used to switch heads on Barbies all the time. My favorite was Ken's head on Skipper's body for some reason. I was probably 7 or 8 at the time.

I couldn't remember the name of Tinker Toys! I loved those and also the math blocks, something like Cuisinart, but of course, that's not right!

[GLC1968]

Oh, I loved tinker toys, too! I remember getting so annoyed at our dogs, because they'd chew on the connectors just enough that the wood rods wouldn't fit into the holes anymore (or wouldn't stay in). I'd forgotten about those!!

[Crankin]

Cuisenaire Rods (the math blocks).

[redrhodie]

I didn't have a Barbie. I think my mother thought she was a bimbo. Instead, she bought me one of Barbie's less sexy friends, I don't remember her name, but she was brunette. She lasted until about the day after Xmas. Death by Borzoi. It was ugly.

My favorite toy was my Hippity-hop, which was like one of those big Pilates balls, but with a horse head and handles. That was fun to bop around on in my cowboy hat. I also LOVED my Romper-stompers, which were yellow plastic upside down cups that you would strap to your shoes, making you tall and loud. In retrospect, they were totally dangerous.

Oh, and Silly Putty and Slinkys were always fun.

[OakLeaf]

Skittles.

And most of the same building toys you all had. I'd forgotten about those Cuisenaire rods, but I don't remember doing math with them at all. I think we just built stuff out of them, too.

[emily_in_nc]

Oh yeah, Tinker Toys (all wood), loved 'em! And our Lincoln logs were wooden too. Sometimes it pays to be older; some things were just better back then.

[Aggie_Ama]

We used the Cuisenaire rods in elementary school, didn't know the name. Of course by the 1980's they were clear plastic- oohlala.

I had a ton of My Little Ponies, now that I see my nieces with them they are kind of lame but I loved them.

[salsabike]

Pick-up sticks (I'm simple-minded). And we used to have HUGE jacks tournaments at my summer camp.

[Deborajen]

I didn't have a Barbie. I think my mother thought she was a bimbo. Instead, she bought me one of Barbie's less sexy friends, I don't remember her name, but she was brunette.

Was her name Francie? I had a Francie doll instead of Barbie. My mom's name is Barbara and everyone called her Barbie - I don't think she wanted me to have a sexy doll with her name when I was little.

Oh, and I was just going through a closet and found and old pair of clip-on roller skates - the kind with a key to lengthen-shorten and widen. Anyone remember those?

Deb

[emily_in_nc]

Was her name Francie? I had a Francie doll instead of Barbie. My mom's name is Barbara and everyone called her Barbie - I don't think she wanted me to have a sexy doll with her name when I was little.

Oh, and I was just going through a closet and found and old pair of clip-on roller skates - the kind with a key to lengthen-shorten and widen. Anyone remember those?

Deb

Yes ma'am! I had both a Francie doll (and a Barbie, and was there a Stacy too?) and keyed roller skates! We had a broken tile floor screened porch off the side of the house I grew up in in Raleigh, and I used to skate around and around in it. That was also the same porch in which I played many a game of Mystery Date with my best friend! What great memories!

[Zen]

Francie was Barbies cousin, Skipper was her sister.
Midge was her friend.
Where can I get a job that calls for a specialty of useless information?

[shootingstar]

We never had even 1 Barbie doll. (and I have 4 other younger sisters). Alot of this was related to cost and my parents' friends weren't rolling in much money themselves to feed their own families,, much give gifts like that.
I do recall 1 blonde haired doll with blue eyes, that was shared amongst us all. Curly hair and rough. And the doll, now I remember after all these decades, the doll...wore a blue and white dirndl. LOL. How coincidental, since we were growing up in a German immigrant-based city.

So, most fun was jump the rubber ball, where the girls in our elementary school threw the ball way high against wall of 3 story school, on the side with no windows, and we would try to jump the ball bouncing onto the pavement.

Simple days. And we had hula hoop, jump footsie bell and long marathons of double-dutch skip rope contests. Can't believe I could jump up to 1,000 jumps on double dutch...once upon a time.

[Aggie_Ama]

Francie was Barbies cousin, Skipper was her sister.
Midge was her friend.
Where can I get a job that calls for a specialty of useless information?

I find Trivial Pursuit is a good place to flex this sort of brawn. Can you find a job paying you to do that? I also had KiKi, her Hawaiian friend. She was quite exotic and an african american I called Whitney because I liked Whitney Houston in the day.

Last year I was told my older niece wanted Hi Ho Cheery O for Christmas, I remembered I loved that game so I bought it and was baffled that there are now multi colored cherries? She still loved it.

[Zen]

I loved that game so I bought it and was baffled that there are now multi colored cherries?

Genetic engineering?

[blueskies]

I used to play "Mystery Date" at my friend's house all the time - totally cheesy, but we loved it.

Deb

Hey Deb,

Soon as I read this, I could hear the jingle:

Open the door
For your
Mystery date!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XHsQpTbQ9Uo

Thanks for putting a smile on my face!