I'm feeling nostalgic...You?

Good Morning, darlings!!

How is everybody feeling today?  I am feeling better and quite spry!  My personal life has taken an uptick and I am damn near giddy!!

So, today because I am feeling so good...let's talk about...

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Looking today at the stores as they impregnate their shelves with an overabundance of prepackaged, shiny, plastic toys and doohickies to wrap in paper for the kids to open and then forget about within a fortnight. 

My son is an adult now, so I haven't had to look at these aisles of gargish and somewhat age inappropriate toys for children.  Which in turn got me wishing for the simplicity of my own childhood and older times.  

​Funny enough, it was this wave of nostalgia my SO and I were feeling that started our conversation about what our favorite toys were growing up.

My all-time favorite toys were a Lite-Brite, Fashion Plates and my Snoopy Sno Cone Machine.  I will share my best memories of these as we go along (feel free to share your thoughts and memories below).

Lite-Brite

Brief History:
First sold in 1967 by Hasbro. Holds a proud place on Time Magazines "Top 100 Toys of All Time".​

How It Works:
For those who don't know, its a simple enough toy.  Its an open front, plastic triangle shaped box with a light bulb inside closed off by a black plastic peg board.  To use the toy, you would place a black piece of paper on the screen and press the multi-colored, plastic peg into the holes to create a picture, sign or freeform design.

My Memory:
I was about 5 when my parents blessed me with this creative outlet.  I remember it was a belated birthday present.  I was so happy, I couldn't wait to dig in.  I hugged and thanked my parents, ran into my bedroom flopped on the floor and dug into the box.  I pulled everything out of the box to make sure it was all there and read the directions so I knew what to do.
I must have sat in my room for hours playing with my Lite-Brite working my way through all of the sample sheets they gave, including the blank ones.  Ran out to my mother in the living room every time I got finished with one.  When I was done with all of the sheets, I ran out to my mom begging for more sheets.  She smiled, shook her head, reached into the end table , pulled out a full packet of black paper, handed it to me and said, 
"You cost me $20, little girl.  Your father won by 48 hours."
Smiling broadly, I thank her for the paper and ran to my room to continue playing with my new toy.  It took me many years to figure out what she meant.  To this day, I still laugh thinking about a $20 bet my mother finally lost to my father.

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Fashion Plates

Brief History:
Fashion plates were illustrations demonstrating the highlights of fashionable styles of clothing. (Wikipedia)
It was in the late 70s/early 80s toy company Tomy designed a toy using the 16th Century practice of addressing fashion cues.

How It Works:
Using the base, a top and bottom (or top, middle and bottom) are selected by the player.
Using the small piece and an unwrapped black crayon, an etching is rubbed on a piece of paper laid atop the 'fashions' chosen.
When all the lines are good and dark, the player then takes the etching and colors it in using their own discretion.

My Memory:
Like most children I found myself interested in how clothes were made and thought I might want to design clothes one day.

That was one short-lived dream.  However, during this short window my mother (enjoying the fact I liked something "girlie") ran out and bought me Fashion Plates and every expansion kit and other supplies I would need to play with this innocuous toy.

It was right before I put it away for the last time my mother corrected me for not playing with my toy correctly.  She found me coloring every outfit either black or forest green.
"Girls, should wear pinks, reds, yellows...colors."
"Black and green are colors, Mama (pronounced 'Muh-muh')."
"Not colors suitable for girls.  Make soft colored outfits."
"I don't want to make outfits suitable for girls.  I don't like them."
"Then put the toy away until you find some better way."

I put the toy away in my closet and didn't play with again until I was well in my teens.  Laughing again as I was still making outfits in dark colors.  The only difference this time...NO SKIRTS!

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Snoopy's Snow Cone Machine

Brief History:
In the late 80s, Cra-Z-Art designed this manual snow cone maker in the shape of Snoopy's doghouse.
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How It Works:
Ice cubes are placed in the top (remove Snoopy, he is used to keep pressure on the ice as the player manually turns the crank on the back to rotate the bladed cup (dog house opening).  As the ice is crushed it falls out of the opening into an awaiting cup.  Using the little shovel, scrape the shavings refusing to vacate the tube.  The little snowman emblazoned with Woodstock holds the pre-made syrup (sweetened kool aid or juices) that you squirt in desired amount onto the snow cone.
(See the commercial below.

My Memory:
I only have one memory of this toy and its not a great one, but it does involve using the toy for hours on end with either my sisters or my friends and ending up with the worst case of tennis elbow and bicep charlie horses.  (I couldn't crank that thing for 4 days after that one summer day, but day 5 I was back to cranking every day.  At least, until the damn thing broke and my parents wouldn't replace it.)

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Well, lovelies, thank you for taking this jog down memory lane with me!
I appreciate the company!

Tell me below...
What was your favorite toy when you were a kid?

Have a blessed Tuesday!!

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