Challege Day 7 - Toy Story

I thought for a long time about this entry because I was lucky enough to have lots of toys growing up. Because of that, I couldn't immediately come up with a favorite. (I know....hell of a problem to have, right?)

Here are some that stand out, in no particular order.

1. Transformers - The coolest thing about these toys, (aside from the fact that you were actually getting TWO toys--a robot and a vehicle of some kind--is that when I was growing up, they were made of the heavy die-cast metal instead of the plastic stuff they are made of today. My favorite of all time was the Decepticon Soundwave

He transformed into a boombox and came with two cassette tapes, Ravage and Laserbeak, who themselves transformed into the animals seen above. Decades later, the Transformers movie came out and I went and saw it twice within a week. Disappointingly, Soundwave was changed for the movie and only featured sparingly.


2. Apple IIe computer -

This was the first computer we ever owned. As you might guess, this is the thing that sparked my love for computers in general. I could even go so far as to say that without the Apple IIe, I would never have gone on to a PC of my own in the future, meaning I might never have gone on to meet my wife online more than a decade later. Admittedly, I never really used this computer to its fullest potential, but I did spend hours playing Dark Tower (which I have even tried to find online, to no avail) and Oregon Trail. One of my saddest days with this bad boy was the day my Spy Hunter floppy disk was damaged and rendered useless.

3. Nintendo/Game Boy/Super Nintendo - I don't remember exactly when I got my Nintendo, but I will never forget the story behind it. I had begged my mom for it forever. My cousins all had it. My friends all had it. I wanted it bad, but she would not budge.





Then, all the sudden one birthday, there it was. As I tore the wrapping paper off and realized what it was, I went from shock to excitement...and then I began to wonder what changed her mind. She told me that my aunt and my grandparents finally talked her into it, saying my grades were good and I was generally a good kid. Had I known, I would have used that arguement myself rather than begging!

Years after the Nintendo, the Game Boy and Super Nintendo came out and I had equally as much fun with them as I did my Nintendo, but nothing ever beat that feeling of powering on that console for the very first time.

4. Cap guns - Our overprotective, politically correct society would probably frown on such a toy these days (I'd bet they're impossible to find now!) but we had so many hours of fun with cap guns!

Mine was bright orange and yellow...never as realistic as the one shown above, but that didn't stop us from having a blast. Pull the trigger and you'd get a small pop, similar to those New Year's Eve party favors. Many a fun afternoon running around the yard (and the neighbor's) pretending to be cops and robbers or secret agents, or soldiers. but we wasted so much money buying those little red ammo rings it's ridiculous.

5. Nerf Turbo football -

We had always played with foam footballs growing up, but when the Nerf Turbo came out, we all swore it was the most revolutionary toy ever to be released. The picture above is not good, but you get the gist....It was a cool looking orange and black with grooves cut in it to make it more aerodynamic than a normal football--and easier to throw a professional-looking spiral with. A later version included a plastic insert in the center that made the ball whistle as it flew, so you would REALLY think you were throwing hard! It made it difficult to catch though, so I never liked it as much as the original. Almost all the street football games of my childhood were played with this baby and it might be the best toy I ever owned.

 As adults, we move onto more expensive toys, but in a lot of ways nothing ever lives up to the jewels from our childhood.  I'll leave it to you to decide if thats cool or sad.

 

Until next time...