A Few of My Favorite (Old) Things

Happy Tuesday, My Friend!

It’s not surprising to my friends that I love anything about the 1970s. It’s the best decade ever. Running a close second are the 1960s. After that, it’s all the same. I enjoy looking at old ads from those years. On Facebook, various groups post memories from different decades. When I look at those old ads, I feel like it was a million years ago, and yet I can feel all the feelings that that “thing” made me experience all those years ago.

Recently, my friend Cheryl posted an old ad on her Facebook timeline—for a game called “Mystery Date.” I had that game! It was first released in 1965, and get this, it was marketed to “girls ages 6 to 14.” Six??? I just want to mention that I had the revamped 1972 version, so I would have been a mature 12-year-old when I played it. Practically a woman of the world—NOT!

All this “mystery dating” got me thinking about Christmases of yore and what I hoped awaited me under the tree. The following are a few of my favorite things:

1.) A Spirograph! O, what wondrous thing was this?! Again, 1965—what a year for toys! I’m not sure how old I was when I got this, but I had the original, baby. The mesmerizing artwork I created with that thing! I’d love to shake the hand of the person who invented this toy, but that would be Bruno Abakanowicz, a Polish mathematician but he died in 1900. Plus, we don’t talk about Bruno-no-no-no.

2.) Baby Secret: My granddaughters are mortified by this doll. I don’t have it anymore, but I’ve shown them ads on YouTube, which are disturbing, to be honest. But I loved that doll! I didn’t see one thing creepy about her. (It makes me wonder about myself.) Again, 1965! I have to say, now that I see those ads and I remember what she used to say when you pulled her cord—a bit hair-raising. “Is anyone else awake?” “Hold me close and whisper.” “I like to whisper in the dark.” And she said this all in a whisper. She may have been creepy, but I loved her all the same. Somebody had to.

4.) Masterpiece: This was a board game that I had, but I’m not sure how popular it was. I don’t remember many other kids having it, but I think it was a way for my parents to give me some culture. We’re moving up in time, y’all! 1970 for this gem! There was a pile of cards that depicted actual painted masterpieces with the name of the painting and the artist. You pretended like you were at an auction, and there was another pile of cards with prices on them. The paintings could be worth a lot of money or even be forgeries. I learned to recognize so many classic works of art by playing that game.

5.) Easy Bake Oven: Whatever extra brain cells I acquired whilst playing Masterpiece, I lost when I played with the Easy Bake Oven. This sucker came into existence in 1963. I don’t remember what year it came into existence under my Christmas tree, but I was going to change the world with my baking! I mean, who needs a great big cake when you can make one the size of the palm of your hand? And so what if it takes 3 days to bake because it uses a light bulb to transform the cake batter into a cake! During that time, you could play with your toy ironing board, toy husband, and creepy baby doll!

6.) Barbie Fold-up House: Honestly, I don’t know what this was actually called because it was not an official Barbie accessory. It was just a knock-off brand of vinyl-over-cardboard house that, when closed, carried all of your dolls, but when you opened it, it was a two-story “house.” The furniture was molded plastic attached to the “floor.” My Barbie’s heads would scrape the ceilings, so it wasn’t exactly made to scale. But, wow! Did I love that thing! I played with that forever. I still can smell that vinyl-y smell it had. I have tried googling the daylights out of it, but I can’t find it. I think it was such a no-brand-name thing that it’s too obscure to find online.

7.) Budding Beauty Vanity Set: Lord, have mercy. I knew Santa truly loved me when I received this prized possession. This came out in 1964. I am not sure when I got it. I may not have been a budding beauty until I reached 7 or 8. It was a little white plastic vanity that opened up and had a mirror. Inside the vanity hid such treasures as a brush and comb, “toilet water,” little soaps, and a framed photo of a boy. (The boy looked exactly like a boy that lived in my town, and I remember asking my mom why Santa gave me a picture of Brian Halvorson.) It also came with a Styrofoam stool that you could open up and store other necessary items for beautification. Thus began my pursuit of becoming Miss America someday. My pursuit ended shortly thereafter.

I hope my little walk down memory lane has wiggled free some thoughts of your most treasured gifts from days long ago. We always think, “Those were the days” and “Things were so much simpler then.” But I wonder if kids today will look back someday with fond memories of what they are receiving right now. Everyone tends to look back at those years when we were kids and think they were the best. My mom loved the 40s. I love the 70s.

What era do you remember fondly? Do you remember any particular toy that brought you extra joy? I’d love to hear about it!

Whatever your era, whatever your age, I hope you can enjoy these last couple of weeks leading up to Christmas. I can say, “Don’t stress too much,” but that’s easier said than done. Just remember, those were some really good days, but these are the good old days, too.

Written with love – – – Patti

“In childhood, we press our nose to the pane, looking out.

In memories of childhood, we pressure nose to the pane, looking in.”

Robert Brault