03.12.07
Matt
The ghosts of Christmas past
Well it’s that time of year again but as you get older it does seem that Christmas loses a bit of sparkle. I remember lying in bed hardly able to go to sleep with the excitement and anticipation of what I will wake up to the following day. Well that and being slightly frightened of the flying monkeys in The Wizard of Oz. So in an attempt to try and revive those exhilarating feelings I thought I’d take a look back to see what the fuss was about. So here’s my list of toys and games from my youth that I received at this festive time of year. Not sure why I got all that excited now! If these were still around today (and maybe some are) I reckon that the kids would be as excited about Christmas as I am now.
Mr Machine
It’s a man made from cogs and stuff. He walked and his mouth opened and closed. I miss you Mr Machine.
Domino Rally
My first lessons in patience were in playing with my Domino Rally. One false move and your carefully crafted domino shape was destroyed. When you did manage to complete your creation and set the inevitable into motion you felt like you’d created one of those domino art pieces you saw on Roy Castle’s Record Breakers.
Rubic’s Magic
After solving this I was able to do it over and over as fast as Automan doing a 90° turn. I think if someone handed me this now I’d still do it in less than 10 seconds. The sequence is ingrained into my memory!
Slime
Technically this was never a present of mine but I do remember buying some from Toycraft 70 in South Harrow (a shop that sounded dated even in the 80s, and sadly no longer with us). It smelt nice but was probably toxic.
Big Trak
This was the first bit of programming I did. You’d type in how many Big-Trak-lengths you wanted it to go forward, then tell it to turn and then repeat. If you had the patience of an adult you could make it go all the way to the kitchen for your Birdseye Potato Waffles and come back with them (assuming your mum popped them in the Big Trak trailer for you).
Family Tree House
OK, firstly I’d like to say that this wasn’t a gift of mine. Definitely one of my sisters… but the image of it floods me with nostalgia. It mostly stayed at the top of a wardrobe. Like nature’s Big Yellow Teapot.
Yo-Yo Ball
Somewhat of a craze if I remember correctly. A ball with a plastic disk wrapped around its midriff (a bit like a plastic and rubber Saturn). You’d stand on the disk and bounce yourself around the garden. Eventually you’d force the ball up off the disk and you could never really get it back in place.
Play-Doh Barbershop
Technically not a barbers as I’m pretty sure there were lady characters getting their hair done there. You’d plonk your colander-headed fella on the chair and force Play-Doh out through the holes in his head. Alternatively you could place a hair-shaped mould over the head to force the play-doh into a pasty styled barnet.
I’m sure there are loads more. Any takers?
