What kind of toys were popular in the past? Cathy asked some of her Facebook friends to share their favourite childhood toys...
Jean says:
A few months ago, clearing out a cupboard in my parents' house, I came across this pair of roller skates - the first pair I ever owned. They were my Christmas present when I was seven and I LOVED them. Every day after school I'd put them on and race outside to skate up and down the smooth tarmacked pavements. We lived on a road with a slight incline, so if I skated up the pavement for a while and then grabbed a lamp post I could swing myself round and start rolling back down again. If I tied a tablecloth around my shoulders I was Supergirl, skating to the rescue of someone in peril. They were my best present ever, and finding them again was nothing short of magical. It was as thoughMum and Dad were giving me that present all over again... happy memories.
George says:
Meet Grotty and the ponies! Grotty was knitted for me by my auntie when I was a baby - I loved him so much I chewed him up and pulled his stuffing out! My auntie knitted me a new teddy, but I didn't like it. My parents called the new teddy 'Sweet Ted' and the old one 'Grotty' - I didn't care about Sweet Ted at all but I've kept Grotty all this time; he sometimes comes to school to help me teach my class in the school where I now work. I always wanted a pony as a child, but these My Little Ponies were the closest I came - they were really cool in the '80s and I had a whole herd of them! These days, as a well as being a mum and a teacher, I'm a storyteller, poet and aspiring author. Actually, 'Grotty and the Ponies' would make a great book title... ;o)
Cath says:
My Auntie Lilian gave me this Mickey Mouse moneybox for my fifth birthday. She wasn't a blood relative but my mother's best friend and I used to think she was really glamorous with her pink lipstick and lovely presents. She was quite posh but had a naughty side; she took us scrumping for apples in autumn and I have great memories of her laughing as we got chased out of the same apple orchard more than once! I didn't use my Mickey Mouse moneybox for saving until I was older; when I left home I used it to save coppers and I still do that now. I'm a writer and a journalist these days, and still I think fondly of Auntie Lilian every time I push a 1p or 2p through the slot between Mickey's magnificent ears!
Alexandra says:
Addie is a rag doll I've had ever since I can remember - I got her when I was born, from my auntie. I didn't really name her, but one of my first words was 'Daddy' and when I said it, it used to sound like 'Addie' - somehow or other, Addie became her name! A couple of years on, I lost her for a while and couldn't sleep without her, so my mum bought me a new one; a few days later, the original Addie turned up and I insisted on keeping both! She's very old and very dirty now, but I still can't sleep without her - I love her to bits!
Cathy says:
Awww… such fab stories! Childhood toys can hold very special memories. COMMENT BELOW to tell us about YOUR fave toys… or to comment on these vintage cuties!
Addie is a rag doll I've had ever since I can remember - I got her when I was born, from my auntie. I didn't really name her, but one of my first words was 'Daddy' and when I said it, it used to sound like 'Addie' - somehow or other, Addie became her name! A couple of years on, I lost her for a while and couldn't sleep without her, so my mum bought me a new one; a few days later, the original Addie turned up and I insisted on keeping both! She's very old and very dirty now, but I still can't sleep without her - I love her to bits!
Cathy says:
Awww… such fab stories! Childhood toys can hold very special memories. COMMENT BELOW to tell us about YOUR fave toys… or to comment on these vintage cuties!
I have a teddy that my great grandma made for me whn I was born, he's been with me for 16 years and I can't sleep without him! He's called BaaBear (quite an inventive name for a 3 year old because he had a sheep on his pocket!) I was at a sleepover after prom and I still took him with me, even though none of my friends had teddies!
ReplyDeletei have a rag doll called buttercup her dress and bonnet have endless holes in them. i can easily sew up the bonnet, but i cannot do this with the dress so mammy is going to buy some red and green tartan material and sew me a dress that is identical to it and the torn dress can be her petticoat. i have had her since i was six and cant sleep without her. when i was about 1 i got a terrier toy i called rose and i cant sleep without her. she came on a leed where if u press a button she wud walk and bark. after some months my big sis chewed up the leed (thx alot emma!) and we threw it away but i didnt care, so long as i had rose. so a while ago i used green string to make her a collar and leed and sometimes i still drag her around. when i want to stop i just wind up the leed round her neck and loop it through the collar. since then i have collected other toys i cant go anywhere without (i'm talking about OVER a day!) who are daisy, my playful fur real friend kitty and a banana love 2 love bear (thx big sis emma!) lucy :)
ReplyDeleteI have this old blanket which is 10 years old and which I have had since a baby. Its quite tangled and dirty now but still smells lovely(that it was I love about it so much the smell) except when it has been washed!
ReplyDelete