Some stores are selling black rotary phones for Halloween. There's a sensor in them that will set off a ring and some scary sounds. While I was in line in Walgreens an older woman behind me had one and said she was buying it for her grandchildren. I said they probably won't know it's a phone.....she put it back.
Im coming in wayyyy late on this thread but it is a great one. I love remembering all of the great things that were a part of my childhood. I especially love the good old toys of yesteryear. When I bought toys for my son and for my kindergarten class (when I was a teacher) I always looked for things that were tried and true favorites of my childhood that required imagination and not batteries. My son is 21 years old now but I still have his HotWheels collection, his wooden train set and an enormous plastic tote full of Lego pieces. My class was stocked with etch-a-sketches, Spirograph, lincoln logs, jacks, puzzles and other great low tech toys. I love going to garage sales and finding old fisher price toys.
As a teacher in the 90's I relied on an old crank type ditto machine because our district was poor and would only allow each teacher to make 200 copies per month on the copy machine. So we all chipped in and bought an old ditto machine and the fluid for it and made our copies old school style! And yes, the kids always sniffed the fresh damp ditto sheets, lol!
Wow you guys! This has been the best thread ever, thanks to all of you. Such great memories.
BayouGirl. A big warm welcome to you! P.S. I checked out your album, and wow! What I'd give to be able to visit your neck of the woods.
I keep thinking of things as time goes by and the thread comes up again as a reminder.
I think I caught the tail end of the top and marble era, but remember cateyes, aggies, clearies, and the deadly steelies. Pretty basic toys and good fun.
I was thinking today about using hand turn signals by hanging the arm out the window. One of my early vehicles didn't have working turn signal lights for quite a while and it was fully acceptable and legal to use hand signals. It wasn't too unusual in the day to see some older vehicles signaling this way. Not a fun thing in the middle of winter. I suppose hand signals are not a legal means for cars these days.
I remember those marbles Rogar. I remember one time at a kids camp at church, we made jewelry by putting marbles in the oven. They would come out all cracked and cool looking. They didn't crack apart, just inside.
I saw someone using hand signals the other day!
Anyone remember pop-beads?
And it wasn't uncommon to decorate the christmas tree with links of red and green construction paper.
Playing jacks was fun. And tiddlywinks and pick-up sticks.
BG, I worked in two departments of the university I attended. I graduated in '91, so this was my freshman and sophomore years - late 80s. I remember duplicating exams for large lecture classes (100-200 students) in the political science department on the ditto machine. All that purple ink! I remember the smell, as well!Originally Posted by BayouGirl
And I remember TYPING the masters on carbon paper on an IBM Selectric II typewriter. I miss those typewriters! Like them much better than the late 90s electronic typewriter we still have in the office (Customs requires some forms that need to be typed).
I'm so old I remember being entranced with Slinkies...and double-dutch jump rope and hop-scotch and scooters that you propelled with your foot and balloon tired bikes with one speed and coaster brakes. So old that I remember being sent to the drugstore to buy cigs for my mother and they cost $.25. And stopping at the gas station with my father and gas was $.18/gal., and the attendant put it in for you and washed the windows and offered to check the oil.
So old, I remember the first TV dinners--and they were a treat. Drank Ovaltine and ate Cracker Jacks and Turkish Taffy and all sorts of sugar-laden treats like soda pop in a rainbow of colors--and my Dad yelling at me for all my cavities.
And clothes? Remember those starched crinolines we wore--sometimes three at once to make our skirts stick out--and how scratchy they were on our bare legs? Polishing our saddle shoes and white sneakers with liquid whitener? Circle pins? Teasing our hair and using gallons of hairspray to keep it bouffant. Sleeping with toilet papers rolls with our hair wrapped around them to straighten it a la Joni Mitchell and Cher. Even ironing our hair to get it straight...and sometimes burning it accidentally.
I could write pages about torturing our feet in pointy toe stilettos (and have the bunions to remember) but will stop now.
What fun!
peaceful, easy feeling
Hey, I remember that, now! Thanks CA. Brings to mind some early scouting projects where we would take 78 records, which had become obsolete, heat them in the oven and shape them into sort of fluted bowls. I think any that got used ended up as ash trays for the parents.
And Pee-wees, too! Re: hanging ones arm out the window to do hand-signals while driving, oh yes! Totally cool! I remember a few old-timers doing it.Originally posted by Rogar.
I think I caught the tail end of the top and marble era, but remember cateyes, aggies, clearies, and the deadly steelies. Pretty basic toys and good fun.
BayouGirl. Your post reminded me of a Pinterest page I happened across a few days ago that had an array of retro childhood toys on it, and talk about wow! Like a trip back in time seeing all of those great old 60's/70's toys and things.
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