Take one look at the toys kids play with today and it is almost amazing how far we’ve come from when many of us were growing up. The toys that amused us the most would absolutely annoy kids today because, quite frankly, they were probably too simple. But enough about them! Allow me to take you guys back – way back – to the days when we were young and things were so much easier. What were some of your favorite toys back in the day?
Fisher Price Record Player
This was a toy I loved with my whole heart. All you had to do was wind that baby up and you were all set to jam to songs like “Twinkle Twinkle Little Star,” “Humpty Dumpty” and “Jack and Jill.” As long as there was a “new” record out, you can be sure that most of us with this record player had it.
Cabbage Patch Kids
Let’s be honest: in their original state (pictured above), there wasn’t much us girls could actually do with the Cabbage Patch dolls because they were handwoven and their hair was made of yarn. But, after a few years and some upgrades, we finally got some “real” hair and were allowed to create some hairstyles.
Speak & Spell
Don’t act like the Speak & Spell didn’t help some of us get better grades in elementary school! There were a few games on us to play on there as well like the “spell it,” “say it” and other games. Oh and if you were the one of the lucky ones, you may have had Speak & Read or Speak & Math.
Viewmaster
I had reels all over the house! Whatever your subject – music, television shows, cartoons, beautiful places, etc – you could get a reel and put it in your Viewmaster. After that, all you had to do was keep hitting the clicker and see all they had to offer. The thing was durable because I’m sure, like me, dropped your Viewmaster a million times and it never broke.
Easy Bake Oven
Man, the cookies and cakes I used to make for me and my mom…! You really couldn’t tell me I wasn’t doing a bang up job of baking my sweet treats. Now, they have definitely changed the style of the oven these days – they’re quite snazzy – but I dare you try one of those cakes now. I bet your tastebuds will reject them like the plague!
Paddle Ball
I. HATED. THIS. TOY. It probable had everything to do with the fact that my hand/eye coordination wasn’t good enough as a child to keep the stupid ball on the bull’s eye. It was such a simple toy but it kept us out of our parents’ hair for quite some time, right?
Tamagotchi
Okay 90s babies, I’m coming! Personally, I never got into the Tamagotchi craze but there were few places you could go without kids and teens alike trying to make sure their pets were well taken care of like children at all times. The best (and worst) thing about them were that they were made to go on keychains so kids were bringing them to school and were totally distracted. After it had gotten out of hand, many schools started banning them. But it was pretty much a phase because all of a sudden, it seemed like all kids were over it all at once.
Jacks
This was yet another game that I just couldn’t master. I think at the very most, I could pick up two or three jacks before my entire situation fell apart. How could it be that we were so easily amused with something so simple..and cheap? We couldn’t tell those of you with major Jacks skills A THING. Showoffs.
Nintendo
Last but not least, we have the ULTIMATE. Now, I know there were gaming systems before Nintendo, but there was something about this that made it amazing. When you first got it, the system game with the Super Mario Bros/Duck Hunt combination and I don’t know about you all but my duck hunting skills were never AMAZING (I did alright though). However, I was the first person in my house to save the Princess in Super Mario Bros! You all would not have wanted it with me!
