Previous   Next

What was your favorite toy as a child?

Asked at Asked on Massachusetts Street on July 27, 2012

Browse the archives

Photo of Shea Reinke

“My wooden sword I got at the Renaissance Fair; It later broke on a camping trip, but I still have pieces of it somewhere.”

— Shea Reinke, shift leader at Taco Bell, Lawrence

Photo of Shelly Widom

““Barbies, Legos or my Ferby; (The Ferby) walked and talked, but it would get up in the middle of night and make noise, which was creepy so I gave it away.” ”

— Shelly Widom, student, Lawrence

Photo of Bruce Chandler

“It was a green Tyranasaurus Rex and it had a little battery pack; it would move and roar and its eyes would flash.”

— Bruce Chandler, librarian at Haskell University, Lawrence

Photo of Dwight Sexton

“My G.I. Joe helicopter man.”

— Dwight Sexton, unemployed, Lawrence

Comments

Terry Sexton 5 years ago

Aw, I gotta choose just one? Ok, my toy trucks. I have a firetruck, a dump truck & a garbage truck. I will let you play with them, but be careful! I just got them 55 years ago.

Honorable mentions: Hula Hoop, pogo stick, slinky & slot cars.

0

3up3down 5 years ago

Red Rider Model 200 Range Master BB gun with a compass in the wooden stock.

0

ThePilgrim 4 years, 12 months ago

That's the first thing that came to my mind too

0

troll 5 years ago

A cardboard box.

0

Terry Sexton 5 years ago

My friend, Gus, was so poor he didn't have toys. He told me once that he was glad he was born a boy so that he had something to play with.

1

Barb Murdoch 5 years ago

My Green Machine, hands down. That thing cornered like it was on rails.

0

Jayhawk1958 5 years ago

Gorgi Holmes Wrecker.

0

RoeDapple 5 years ago

rocks and sticks. never named 'em though.

2

riverdrifter 5 years ago

The first was a Tonka truck but that was quickly replaced by a toy Browning over/under shotgun. Now I've got two of the grownup versions -plus a Kreighoff K-80.

0

John Spencer 5 years ago

I remember hearing my Mom crying, while talking to my Dad, about not enough money to get a box of legos and him with a cracking voice saying something like "we'll figure something out". I always wondered what they gave up to get them, as they were under the tree Christmas day. I think I was 6 or so, best present ever.

1

Terry Sexton 5 years ago

Well, I know it's Saturday & all, but I thought we'd see a bunch more toys listed by now. Y'all musta been a stodgy bunch. Here are some more from my kid days:

powder blue pedal car - that thing was a fort on wheels, get up a head of steam & play chicken with the neighbor kid on his trike. Mrs52 had one. I guess she was a regular Axle Annie back in the day, careening down the hillside.

Skateboard - retro style, a plank with wheels. My next door neighbor went a$$ over elbow off of it & broke her wrist. Her mom went into hysterics, so my dad took 'em to the hospital where they set the wrist & gave 'em both a shot.

tire swing - it hung from the old elm tree which has long been gone. used to jump onto it from the picnic table & swing oh so high. Pro tip: when jumping be careful how you land on that thing, if you hear what I'm sayin.

1

Lana Christie-Hayes 5 years ago

My Chrissy a Velvet dolls, with the growing hair! and Easy Bake Oven.

0

Maddy Griffin 5 years ago

I had a couple. My Chatty Cathy doll and my Mattel Thingmaker. I loved hiding the bugs I made in my parents coffee, under their pillows, etc. The Thingmaker 'disappeared' before it was a year old. I blame it on insurgents.

0

LadyJ 5 years ago

I remember the plank skateboard, had one of those. My dad always had old tires in the garage. We had countless tire rolling races down the alley. Hands got a little black though. Let's see, our roof had lots of angles on it, used to crawl out the window and run around up there. Now, I'm surprised I didn't kill myself. Then there was the time dad had a big pile of sand delivered for something or the other. I would climb up on the garage roof and jump off it into the sand. Did a lot of tree climbing too. Would you believe I'm scared of heights now? Come to think of it, I don't seem to remember having very many toys other than a few dolls. We played on the railroad tracks down by the river a lot and did a lot of exploring in the woods. Did I mention we didn't get a lot of parental supervision?

1

Frederic Gutknecht IV 4 years, 12 months ago

I'd say a funky bike (made in Australia) that my dad brought home from a business trip bu it was more "useful transportation" than "toy". Kids in the neighborhood LIVED on their bikes.

I did enjoy another wheeled vehicle which fit into the toy category. It was a bare bones peddle car, that looked something like this: http://img.auctiva.com/imgdata/1/3/0/4/5/3/7/webimg/547628810_tp.jpg

0

pizzapete 4 years, 12 months ago

I still have an original tickle me emo kid that I got at the Replay Lounge when it first opened.

1

birdsandflowers 4 years, 12 months ago

My Thumbelina Doll and jingle jump. I'll be shocked if anyone remembers these two things.

0

Deja Coffin 4 years, 12 months ago

http://i.ebayimg.com/t/Wrinkles-Dog-w-bone-striped-shirt-Plush-Toy-Doll-Ganz-Bros-Vintage-1981-/00/s/NDk1WDYyMQ==/$(KGrHqJ,!pwE8WkJi(jfBPLzwhggIw~~60_35.JPG

Did anyone else have one of these? I still have my Wrinkles Dog!!

0

Mike Hatch 4 years, 12 months ago

Micronauts! From the later 70s. That's what I got for birthday and Christmas for a couple of years in a row. I remember buying some of the smaller sets with my allowance at TG&Y.

The Mattel Thingmakers were the best toys ever invented. I played with my older brother and sister's sets until you couldn't buy the goop anymore. Then the parents tossed out all of the sets. It's cost me a lot of $$$ to replace them over the years, but it's worth it. The best set was the Peanuts Cartoon Maker. I remember when we'd run out of white or peach colored goop, making yellow Snoopys and blue Lucys.

The smell of that stuff cooking...getting burned on the molds or the elements, and watching the water instantly hiss and boil when you'd lower the mold into the red plastic cooling tray full of water...great fun.

0

Commenting has been disabled for this item.

loading...