Mattel has announced another recall of Chinese-made toys today, and I’ve been thinking about the toys I used to play with. Barbies? I had one whom I named Journey Petroflame. Journey had one neat trait: Her plastic hair changes color in the sun. I wished that her feet would be flat instead of molded for high heels. Also, I had a teddy bear named Columbus, and a Cabbage Patch Kid named Abner Gordon. I wanted a GI Joe, but the parents thought it was not for girls.
But there are other toys that took center stage. I think about the cardboard boxen that you can make a TV, a space ship, or a playhouse. Throw in a set of markers and crayons with the box and you got fun. The neighborhood kids played with Chinese Jump Rope– one huge elastic band that you can buy for 99 cents:
Another toy I remember: LEGO bricks! Want a house with a wall of doors and windows that rivals Rowan & Martin’s Laugh-In? How about a robot or a helicopter? Build it yourself! Another DIY project was the candy maker and I made chocolate treats with them.
All of these items invited creativity and community. You do not need the soccer moms to drive you to organized sports. You do not have to be frustrated about the toy having one use. But you do need imagination to enjoy them.
What type of toys you remember in your lives that made a difference?