I must have been around 5 years old when my parents’ friends’ daughter got a Play-dough pumper. It came with a part that looked like a ruler with different shaped holes. Pumping the playdough through the ruler produced, well, a turd in the shape of the hole — triangle, square. It was the circle that got me. I stuck my little finger into the circle, and was unable to get it out. All the parents tried. Eventually, they just broke it to free my little finger. That was a rather simple end result.
Resting at home after my Pfizer-1, I’ve got the television on, and I’m watching the Crown. The young princes are bouncing on their big red boppers to gather around the television to watch the moon landing. Yes — I did have one of those. As a young faithful watcher of Romper Room, I also had Romper Stomper, two yellow cups with strings for learning balance — making clip-clapping sounds around the asbestos tile floor in the suburban basement..
I also remember loving Spirograph. But, I also recall the many tiny green push-pins — imagine — to hold the pieces in place on the cushioned cardboard base. Young children, allowed — no encouraged! — to play with pushpins. Yet, I made the most wonderful circles and circles — flowers — different colors —
There were click-clacks — later learned to break apart and spew pieces with sharp edges. There were not-so-easy bake ovens. Yes kids, plug this in and let your toys get hot enough to bake small cakes.
My sister, just a few years young than me remembers shrinky-dinks — go ahead kids, put plastic into the oven. What’s that stinking up the whole house? Well, melting plastic, of course. She also remembers creepy-crawlers, which came with a hot plate. Go ahead kids — play with a hotplate!
Yet, I would say, though, that there was an era of independence that I don’t see in my generation’s parenting. We were admonished — “Go out and play.” “Go up the block to the playground.” “Go ride your bike...” We played kickball in the streets, unsupervised. My sister, circling our block on her bigwheel. Hmmm — thinking back and considering — risk versus inventiveness….
(And, yet, my sympathies to anyone who reads this who suffered or had a sibling or friend who was harmed by any of these toys).
Please, share your memories here.
(I want to give a shout out to Stephanie Miller, who has raised this on her show recently. However, my sister and I, both born in the mid-1960s, have been joking about this topic for years).