There was one called Sit and Spin, which was like a phonograph turntable you would sit on and spin. The commercial had a guy singing 1920's style, "Kids just love to sit and spin. Sit and spin." .
Okay kids, we're going way back now; but I remember a bunch of toys. Two toys that I really loved were "Magic Rocks" and my Kalaidescope. I had an original Slinky - they were originally made out of metal, and the metal ones just seemed to do their 'Slinky-thing' much better than the plastic ones they sell nowadays. I'd climb all the way to the top of the stairs that went up into our attic, and then position my Slinky just right, and it would crawl half-way down those stairs! I betcha some of you older-timers like myself remember this next thing - how can I describe it - well, you'd hold it in your hand and it was comprised of a wheel on the front with red, blue, and green cellophane windows around it (3 of 'em, I think). Underneath the wheel was like another kinda wheel with sandpaper or some sort of abrasive surface on it - you'd push up and down on the handle under the wheel, and the top of the handle was like a striker that, when activated, would rub on the abrasive surface and create sparks that would show thru the colored cellophane! Are you with me? It would also make a lot of noise as you sparked it - I loved that one. And this next item, I had to send away for - I waited with excited anticipation until the package finally arrived - Sea Monkeys! The "Sea Monkey Kit" contained several envelopes of stuff - first, you'd "treat" the water for 24 hours with one of the envelopes of stuff - then, the next day, you'd put in the envelope of the actual Sea Monkeys, and they'd come alive, the moment you dumped the monkey envelope into the water! You'd actually see them swimming around! And, they'd grow! Mine lasted for several months. And, there was some kind of special feeling in receiving my first package like that through the mail - just seeing my own name on that package made me feel real special - it was like a confirmation that I really existed or something. My older sister had an Erector Set, but she would only let me watch her play with it; but she did make working things with it - hers had a motor. What about those things that had a magnet and iron filings you could move around with the magnet? Of course, the "Slip 'n Slide" and the "Etch-a-Sketch"; we didn't have either; but they were neat. I got to play on our neighbor's Slip'nSlide. I had a Raggedy-Ann and Raggedy-Andy dolls that I carried everywhere with me when I was really small. One of our favorite playthings was a giant cardboard box that a refrigerator gets shipped in. We'd take it to the top of this hill made of sand in Florida and all get in it, then start it down the hill and roll all upside down and stuff as it rolled down the hill. When we'd go to New York in the summer, we'd get a toboggan and take it into the pine woods and position it at the top of our favorite hill. We'd all get on it, one behind the other; then slide down the hill covered with pine needles, and man, that thing would fly with all of us on it! It was great! I could think of a lot more, but I've gone on too much already. Oohh, to be a child again ....... Regards, Michaela
Speaking of toboggans and card board boxes, there was a cartoon in Mad magazine a long time ago of a dad who bought his son a really expensive shiny red toboggan. He was asking his wife why the son wasn't playing with it. The wife pointed to the kid who was riding down the slope on the cardboard box of the toboggan with a great big smile on his face. .
That's going way back. I have a handbook of vintage toys. I think that one might be in there. I'll post a pic if it is. I've always considered the 60s to be the most creative era for toys, especially the mechanical ones. People had to rely on mechanical genius before all the electronics stuff hit the scene. .
one thing many of the toys mentioned have one thing in common which is NO BATTERIES NEEDED! nowadays, toys need batteries which means constantly having to buy more batteries making toys more expensive.
Well we know that Al Quida suicide bombers practice their deadly art with Milton Bradley's Time Bomb Hotwater
There was a board game back around late 70s early 80s where you would spend all your money and put youself in debt buying things. The first one who would get out of debt was the winner. It came with its own credit card machine. I don't remember the name of the game. The commercial targeted kids. Talk about sordid capitalism. One of the kids in the commercial would blurt out joyfully: "IT EVEN COMES WITH ITS OWN CREDIT CARD MACHINE!" It's on one of my vintage TV commercial tapes. You can find stuff like that on Ebay and Youtube. .
recently in a store i saw a re-make of a classic toy,,,the fisher price wind-up radio, that played hickory dickory dock, and had a story board picture that moved as the song played,,,
