Trip to the 70s toyshop

The wonderful Helene has tagged me in a toy meme from your childhood - Often I wonder should I store my kids toys for later years so they have something to cash in on if times are tough, if I did the roof would cave in if their current collection is anything to go by (Ill just keep the ones safe that have special significence to them) but heres mine - Im a bit rustly in the melon to remember a lot so Ill press on and see what I can remember, they are far from retro cool but they kept me out of trouble albeit partially as a child..


Okay the first one I remember is a Holly Hobby doll, more so a rag doll with her patchwork dress and cap that looked like it was raided from Laura Ingles closet , I dragged it around with me from about 3-5 years old, even when I got my ‘tiny tears’ (a breakthrough in the world of dolls at the time, Im sure the manufacturers where tempted to put on the flashcard of the box ‘Both cries and pisses itself!!!’) Doll, I stayed faithful to Holly

Simon
This is Simon, it was a light memory game that started of slow with a series of flashing colours and tones and you had to repeat the sequence, the sequences would get longer and faster and you would have to keep up the pace. I seem to remember my mother hijacking this game once to often but have fond memories of her playing it really fast and when she would get it wrong calling simon a fucker.


Stylophone
Australian artist and star to children of the 70s Rolf Harris endorsed this little gizmo in the late 70s early 80s, the Stylophone was quite the hip toy to get, the idea was you slid or dotted the magnetic sensitive pen onto the musical pad that was done out like the keys of a keyboard and it would give that strange ‘alpha wave frequency sound’ for different keys. I also remember it came with a booklet of songs that only your grandma could remember, none of your cool stuff that would encourage kids to ’keep at it’ I would probably have enjoyed it more if I could have belted out Bowies ‘starman’ rather that ‘put another nickel in’..


Sindy
I think I only ever owned one sindy, (and NO barbies which I am eternally grateful for) I remember specifically asking for this one because she looked like a teacher but when ‘Father Christmas’ delivered it and I found it under the Christmas tree I noticed that Santa forgot to take the bleedin price tag for the local toyshop off it. My spider senses tingled and somehow I never bought the story of him running out of sindys in his toy shop and had to run to ‘Pride & Joy’ and buy me one. The fall of the innocence had begun its heavy downward spiral. Consequently I was forever putting Sindy naked in a shoebox bed with Action man (GI Joe) being the promiscuous slut that she was..

Playboot
This was one of the Fisher price dolls houses that I had I remembering thinking it was cool but impractical to play proper house in because none of the furniture would actually fit properly once you closed it up , you had to fix things on their side, not very practical when you’re a child who thinks that once you put the toys up that they co-existing daily lives and schooling albeit secretly when you are asleep.

Kerplunk
Cant remember if it was my sister or me who got this but it was cool none the less. You just simply weaved the plastic straws in the tower and filled up the marbles, the player with the most straws and least amount of marbles won. A game of skill AND strategy my friends