Which toy was your childhood favourite?
The rules are that you answer this week's question on your own blog, any time until next weekend. Please link to David's blog (or to his post) just so he can follow the progress of the discussion.
I had to cast my mind back to the dark ages, when I was a child, and delve into the dark recesses filled with cobwebs and memories to pluck out the happy times I spent playing in the cobbled Manchester street where I lived.
The first toy that comes to mind is my whip and top. 
For those of you who are not ancient as old as me this is what a whip and top looks like. The chalks are for putting coloured circles on the top so that when you get it spinning it looks pretty. You have to wrap the thong around the groove in the top then pull the stick sharply so the thong leaves the top and sets it spinning. My friends and I use to set our tops spinning together and see who's spun the longest.
Another of my favourite toys was my Hula Hoop.This is what it looks like. Again my friends and I would have contests on who could keep the hoop going round our waists the longest. We became really good and progressed to spinning the hoop round our necks, arms and legs. Actually I may buy one I think it would be good for whittling down my waist which has become huge thickened over the years.
Something else that would keep me occupied for hours was making pipe cleaner dolls like these. I'd make whole families of them, dressing them from scraps of material and bits of wool.
My very favourite pastime was painting and colouring. I spent hours laying on my tum on the floor with my colouring book, crayons, water paints and a jamjar full of water to clean my brush.I also had a metal trike with what looked like a bread-bin on the back with a lift up lid. This enabled me to take my dolls for a ride.
The one thing we used to do that didn't cost anything at all was sitting on the kerb popping pitch bubbles with a lolly stick, as they formed with the heat in the cobbles . Of course that was when we had hot summers that lasted from May to October! We had to be careful not to get the pitch on our white socks because Mum would go beserk!
All these things cost next to nothing but kept my generation amused and entertained. We didn't get a television until I was 11 years old! Now most children have one in their bedroom, along with computers (and games), I don't think they could entertain themselves with the sort of toys we had, they would probably find them very boring.
I thoroughly enjoyed reminiscing about my toys, it brought back some lovely memories. I hope you've enjoyed reading 'Toys from Yesteryear'.
Now I wonder if I can get a hula hoop on Ebay?
39 comments:
LOL I think you can get just about anything on ebay these days! Lovely post today, although I am not quite as...erm...old...as some I can still remember doing some of these things when I was younger too!
Have a lovely week {{HUGS}}, T x
what a lovely nostalgic post! I had a trike like the one you describe - happy days!!
I remember all those and more, like play with jacks, and paper dolls. I liked this meme and will try and do it on my blog later in the week. Thanks for sharing your memories with us
i loved jacks, hopscotch, jump roap, tag, stick ball, lots of outdoor stuff!!!
smile, bee
I still love colouring in to this day and can't wait to my hands on the grandchildrens colouring books. I used to love the Hula Hoop...think I'd need a bigger one nowadays though...LOL
Rx
Wow Akela, we have some similar memories....my favorite was my hula hoop. I don't remember much else, I did have a bike, but it got run over by the parcel post truck...and broke in half. boohoo.
We didn't get TV until I was 11 also......that must have been a good time to get a TV, when you daughter is 11, haha......I guess we are about the same age..... :)
my favorite toy....wow....my tea set....my transitor radio, I liked games...."Operation"....hmmmm I wonder if there is a connection here...all these years later...
Do you know that I still find crayons to be absolutely soothing? When my kids were small I would color with them as long as they would let me.
Thanks for the Nice Matters award, sweetie. Coming from you that means a lot!
Oh...I miss hula hooping too! I want ot so badly now!
My generation (and yours)were thrilled to get a new colouring book from our grandma when we visited and it was a thrill to get crayons or pastels! We spent hours playing with blue, red and white sponge balls, marbles, riding bikes, hoola hoops, bat-a-ball, ball in the nylon stocking, elastics for jumpsies, dolls, dress-up....I feel sorry for today's kids.
I bet you can get a hula hoop on ebay! I used to have one too! I found the pipe cleaner dolls very interesting. I had never thought of that! I used to play with paper dolls for hours...and my Barbies! I always enjoyed dolls, still do. I dont think little girls play with babydolls like we did,they probably have rehab Barbie by now...lol
Thank you so much for taking part. That post brought back so many memories with its uncanny accuracy and its warm humour.
I'd never heard of the chalk to mark the top - but how logical that would be.
Wonderfully evocative post. If only eBay could bring back childhood memories as well! Maybe that's a future Weekend Wandering question ....
Keep smiling
David
i betyou can get a hula hoop on ebay! Mine was probably a skipping rope or a pair of roller skates.
I have a hoop you can use , I brought it last month don't ask me why!!!
Linked to Bella, thanks for your help.
Rubber band powered airplanes, frisbees, my ball glove, kites, my CO2 pellet gun, firecrackers, a rubber inner tube in the water....
Oh the memories from not only your post but the comments.....yes, all of these I remember...jacks, 2-ball, yes all played outside too, things were different then eh!
Dx
When I read whip, I thought, oops, r-rated...then I reread the title again. Sorry Akela....the mind wanders sometimes;-)
I was considering to get the hula hoop - my fav too - they sell 'em at Toys r' Us here.
It would seem that there's not much difference in our ages T anonymous. Thankyou for keep commenting, I do with I could get a link to you - do you have a blog?
Weren't they great CG :)
I hope you do the meme Autumn I look forward to reading about your favourite toys.
Oh yes Bee skipping and tag - coming out ready or not! :)
I love colouring with the grandkids too Ruth and trying to teach them to keep within the lines! :}
Oh poor you Nea losing your bike that way. Hula Hoops were such good fun.
Haha smalltown rn you were practising for when you got older!
You're very welcome Correspondent and I still love colouring too!
Get one Jenny and we'll have competitions!
Ooh I forgot about marbles Mother of Invention. We called them alleys though, don't ask me why I don't know I think it was peculiar to Manchester. Did you use the big silver ballbearings as well - we called them dobbers? Kid's today are missing out on so much fun.
Rehab Barbie - you're probably right Catch!
I really enjoyed writing this one David. You think up some really great questions. :)
I never got the hang of roller skates properly Flowerpot, I was always frightened of falling over. :(
Queenie you dark horse, what have you been doing with that hoop? The mind boggles. Wrap it up and send it to me! x
Ah rubber inner tubes in the water are just soooo much fun Buffalodickdy I think even kids now would enjoy that!
Oh Mrs Nesbitt I forgot about playing 2 ball agains the wall. I could play with 3 - don't suppose I could do it now. Well I might if I practised. Now where's the tennis balls????
Naughty Bella! Go on get a hula hoop, I'm gonna get one.
i'm jealous-my trike didn't have a bread-bin to take the dollies for a spin on it :( but i did have a trike, a hula hoop, jump rope...my bro and i LOVED to color when we were kids. does anyone remember chinese jump rope?
we had television..but only the one in the living room until later in the 70's when my parents decided to put one in their room...the days of no cable and you had to actually GET UP and change the channel. i think my kids are spoiled...all have a tv in their rooms, but luckily they don't watch it all day :) too many other activities going in their lives...plus they like to ride their bikes, go to the park, etc. though i was worried bout my oldest daughter for a bit...she was somewhat of a t.v.holic lol
Definitely love the Hula Hoop! In fact, my dear sister-unit bought me a bright pink one a few years ago!
Was Chinese jump rope where you had to jump two ropes at once Ciara? If so we used to play that too.
You've got a hula hoop too Orange Blossom? We could get a club going. :)
Gorgeous post akela.
My girls have hoola hoops too and really enjoy them.
Some toys just go on forever don't they.
Glad you enjoyed it Jo. I gotta get me a hula hoop now I really want one!
I bet you CAN find that stuff on EBay. I found some things my kids used to play with before everything became electronic. I bought them for my grandkids.
I could never hula hoop. Or yo-yo.
I think one of my favorite things was my View Master!
I had a metal trike. I loved it. My favourite toys though were my very scruffy teddy and a monkey that hang from doorways.
plastic hula hoop? i prefer strong rattan! when back in those days, children's toys were much simpler. now? they have PC, PS, MP3 and handphone...the world is changing so rapidly...
sounds fab! I can't think what we played with.. I remember a pram but only because my Mum passed it down to my little sister and I then pushed her over in a fit of jealousy. She split her face open above the eyebrow and had stitches.
Guess what Skittles I found loads of hula hoops on Ebay and I've bought one!
I don't remember having a teddy at all Sally though I had quite a few dolls.
You are so right Elween.
Oh your poor sister Topchamp, does she know that scar is down to you? ;(
I had LOADS of favorite toys ... and none of them were recalled because none of them were made in China! :)
Very neat post! Also, I'm doing a movie quiz like the one Skittles did two weeks ago. Stop by and play if you like!
You can still get hula hoops the stores. I had one as a kid, and crayons of course. But the other things not so much. (For the record, I don't let the kids have a TV in their rooms - they need to be watching out with the family if they aregoing to watch a show.)
LOL you must have had expensive toys Dan! :)
Thanks for stopping by Mama Pajama I'll be over later to take a look at your quiz.
It seems the norm these days for kids to have TVs in their room, but I'm not sure it's a good idea CS
We called them alleys too and my mom sewed everyone we played with a blue drawstring alley bag! The big ones we called Boulders.
Now that I own cats, I can see why they called some alleys cat's eyes!
I forgot to mention y0-yo's! Mine was black with inlaid rhinestones! (Although, I was sure they were diamonds!)
what was my childhood toy?
LEGO!!
Ah of course MOI - alleys - cat's eyes! You had an rhinestone inlaid YO-YO? Wow! I'd fogotton about Yo-Yo too - I loved them.
Ah LEGO is timeless Gleds. Our grandchildren are playing with LEGO that belonged to their fathers when they were young!
I had an "invisible dog" from Blackpool. It was a dog collar on a lead that had wire through it so it looked like the "invisible dog" was pulling you along! Sad I know but I liked it
oh what a fun post...i am useless and hula hooping tho...i loved jacks, jumprope, solitaire card games, cats cradle (which i have taught my boys and is now making the rounds of our school), hopscotch...lots of solo games (as i was often on my own). any board games like yahtzee, monopoly or sorry too.
Oh invisible dogs were so much fun Shaz :)
The old games were the best, weren' they Elena Jane ?
Post a Comment