Thursday, December 16, 2021

Under The Christmas Tree: Toys Of Christmas Past

I was born in 1955, which makes me 66 years old at the moment. 

It's odd though, because I still feel like a kid in many ways, particularly when it comes to Christmas and the toys Santa would leave under the tree. And not just for me, but for all the kids from my generation. In fact, I can remember them so vividly as if it were only yesterday.

This is me at 4 years old...

Today I would like to share some of the toys, for both boys and girls, that were popular back in the late 50's and 60's.

Please enjoy...

Thunder Horse On Springs (1966)

If you look at the vintage photo above, you'll see me riding a rocking horse similar to the one below. I think I look like Western movie star, John Wayne, wearing footie pajamas, don't you? I look so macho! You can see the testosterone just oozing out of me. Yeeeehaaaw...ride 'em, cowboy!

Toy Piano For Kids (1950's)

If you look again at the other photo above, you will see me sitting at a toy piano I got for Christmas. I think it's incredibly intuitive of my mother (Santa) that she gave me a piano because later in life I actually took piano lessons for several years. Unfortunately I stopped, which was not an ideal choice on my part because I could have used that skill when I got into theater and began doing musicals.

Battleship (1967)

Even as an adult, I find Battleship so much fun to play because it involves strategy and guessing. And I also love to hear someone say, "YOU SUNK MY BATTLESHIP!"

Mr. Peanut Peanut Butter Maker (1967)

Mr. Peanut was a make-your-own peanut butter maker. I think this is when my love affair with peanut butter began. To this very day, my favorite thing to do is to dip apple slices into a bowl of natural peanut butter. To DIE for!

Bizzy Buzz Buzz Pen (1966)

This was a pen in the shape of a bee, and when you turned it on it would make a buzzing sound. The pen tip would move in various motions (circles, zig-zag, up and down). You could either write with it or create drawings. The pen came with a multitude of cartridges in different colors. To be honest, I had one of these but quickly realized it was a stupid toy. And I guess I'm not the only one because it didn't last long in stores.  

Chatty Cathy (1960)

Chatty Cathy, with its pull string mechanism connected to a simple photograph record inside the doll, was the first successful talking doll. Introduced in 1960, the doll "spoke" eleven phrases. By 1963, eighteen phrases. My sister had one of these dolls. It's hilarious to look back on this relic of a toy because nowadays we have robot dolls that walk, talk and look human, without the use of a string mechanism. 

Incredible Edibles Candy Maker (1967)

Before Gummy Bears there was "Incredible Edibles." It was a series of circular metal molds into which a gelatin based gel was squeezed into. The form was then placed in a small oven and baked into a rubbery soft candy in the shape of worms, insects, and flowers among others, coming in six flavors: licorice, mint, butterscotch, cherry, root beer and cinnamon.

My All-Time Favorite Toy: Etch A Sketch (1960) 

Back in the 60's we had our own version of a computer tablet. It was called Etch A Sketch. 

I can remember when I got one for Christmas and was so excited!

And what seemed magical (to a kid, anyway) about an Etch A Sketch was that you could draw something and then instantly remove whatever your drew (whether it was a picture or words) by turning it over face-down and shaking it. And VIOLA...it disappeared!

Here you see it with a blank screen...

Here is an example of how you could draw on an Etch A Sketch.

I've got a secret to share. But don't tell anyone, okay?

Do you know what I used to do when I was a kid?

I would secretively take my Etch A Sketch into my bedroom, shut the door, and then use it to write all the curse words I learned.

And what was great about it was that if I heard my mother or father outside my bedroom door calling my name, I would QUICKLY turn it over and shake it like crazy to remove all the dirty words so that the evidence was gone. LOL!

Here are some of the words I used to write...

OH MY GOD, it felt so good to curse! What an amazing sense of freedom!

But who would have thought that a cute little boy from West Oak Lane, Philadelphia would grow up having a mouth like a sailor?

And what I love about this photo is the look on my mother, brother, and sister's faces, as if to say, "Just ignore his cursing and screaming, he'll stop eventually."

Merry Christmas, everyone! 💗🎄

*Please feel free to share any childhood toy you remember under your Christmas tree. 🎄