MY GROOVY PRIZE POSSESSIONS
06/07/2010 • Filed Under Past Life • 8 Comments | Leave a Comment »
I’m a product of the 70s. 1974 to be exact. The #1 song on the day I was born was ‘Billy Don’t Be a Hero’ by Bo Donaldson and the Heywoods. I’m pretty sure that song was about war. What a bummer. Not exactly the anthem you want announcing your arrival, but nothing I can do about it now (or then either).
The 70s rocked! So did the 80s. I still remember the cool clothes, music, and toys. I’m guessing my family was poor (that’s what my mom said) but I didn’t know it at the time. Us, poor? Hey, I had cool stuff. Really cool stuff. Those were the days of layaway, I guess. My mom probably put our Christmas gifts on layaway in March. Now folks just put it on a credit card. GUILTY.
My toys were the greatest. I wished I would have saved them. I remember laying in front of the television with my sister and brother looking through “The Wish Book” , planning what to put on our Christmas lists. By the way, that was one of the few times we got along. That catalog must have been mailed out in July because I swear I remember looking at it for months. If I would have saved my toys they would probably be worth a fortune and I could retire early if I sold ‘em. Right. Who am I kidding? I was a tomboy. Mostly I would cut their hair off, color on them or drop them off the porch to see if they would bounce. I bet my sister’s toys would still look new. Just sayin’.
Gosh, where do I start? I guess my absolute favorite toy was:
‘Milky the Marvelous Milking Cow’
Yes, that’s right. Milky. As corny as it was, he came with a trough and little white ‘milk’ pills. You could pump his tail, he would drink water and then…you milked him. No, I’m not kidding. I thought this was the coolest thing ever! Eventually Milky’s udders dry-rotted. What a sad day.
Cabbage Patch Kids
I had several, but my very first was Gladys Raylean. Gladys has a pretty pink dress and curly, light-brown hair made of yarn. Her birth certificate indicated her date of birth was October 1st. I still have her, unless my mom gave her away to my niece. Later came Braden Felix who had a head gear and braces to match mine. (as if it wasn’t bad enough, I was the fat kid WITH a head gear).
My record player
I got this bad boy for Christmas one year. My sister got one too, just like it. Santa must have not wanted us to fight because he brought us matching record player and 2 records-both the same. Sad Eyes and Funky Town. My sister and I shared a room. Santa must have thought it would not be an issue with 2 kids playing 2 record players with different records at the same time. Boy, Santa should have discussed that with our mom. She sure was ill. Hmm…
Mr. Professor Calculator
He was awesome, although he really didn’t help improve my math skills. At 35 years old, I still use my fingers to count. My kid has tons of electronics that do amazing things…I had a calculator. WOW.
Playdoh Barbershop
I’m not exactly sure what my obsession was with playdoh hair. Of course, I could only play with it on the back porch since my mom didn’t want me to ruin her harvest gold shag carpet. Anyway, it was cool.
My Jam Box
This thing must have weighed 15 pounds. It ran on batteries, D, I think. Maybe 6 of them. It had a cassette player which was an upgrade from the record and 8-track player. I remember it was “hip” to carry it on your shoulder. Not sure that was the best design considering the weight of the thing.
A VCR
Okay, so you think this is not a big deal. Well in 1986, this was a BIG DEAL. VCRs were fairly new since most people still had BETAs. When I saw that Zenith VCR under the Christmas tree, I swear I heard angels. Christmas morning my uncle Jim drove over and hooked it up. My first recording was a re-run of Pee Wee Herman on the Joan Rivers Show. Yes, I remember that. In fact, I still have the VCR tape.
My TRAPPER KEEPER!
While not a toy, there is one thing I loved so much I carried it EVERYDAY. Kids today have no idea what this is, but I’m sure I’m not the only kid to have a Trapper Keeper. I loved it when we went school supply shopping but nothing could replace my Trapper Keeper.
What’s not to love about the 70s and 80s. If only I had a time machine…
On 06/07/10 Tina Coalson Burnell said:
OMG Shannon, I had one of those Milky cows. God I loved that think. I wished to goodness that I would have kept that! I love your post – you are hilarious.
On 06/07/10 The older sister said:
OMG…I am laughing so hard right now…too funny and oh so true..and yes..my dolls STILL have non matted…pretty hair and ink free faces….unlike YOURS. I can’t believe you tried to tell Mama that some of those babies and barbies were YOURS..when you KNOW yours had ink on their faces and bodies and they all had GI haircuts….HEL_LLLOOOO..you know its true!!!
On 06/07/10 Shan said:
Do you remember mama buying me Aerobics Barbie? Who buys a fat kid Aerobics Barbie? Like I didn’t feel bad enough. Barbie sucked. Why did she always have to have long, blond hair?
On 06/07/10 Shan said:
Tina-I’m so glad someone else had one of those! I loved it!
On 06/08/10 JOy Large said:
Oh My Gosh!!! I loved Milky the Cow. I’ve never found aonyone who knew who Milky Cow was!!! What great memories you’ve stirred up.
On 06/08/10 Shan said:
Joy-Since I posted about Milky 3 other people said they also had one! I always thought I was the only one-ever-to own it! I wished I could find one on ebay!
On 06/09/10 Gastric Bypass Barbie said:
Okay, first off: WHO HATES BARBIE??? Bitterness. Such unfounded BITTERNESS. But, I digress…TrapperKeeper. Wanna know what was wrong with those things? They were too wide to fit into a school locker (and close the door). That meant you had to schlep it to every class. Oh, and for some reason, I never used the ring binder properly. Teachers would give me three-hole punched papers…and I would stuff them inside the Trapper Keeper and slam it shut (usually bending the pages). Now, about this Milky the Cow thing — We didn’t have those in California — Yes, I know that California Cheese comes from Happy Cows (that’s what the commercials say), but the only cows we ever saw were already in steak form, so no milkable anything. EXCEPT for my baby doll that actually pooped and peaed. Okay, you had to pump her stomach sometimes, but hey, that’s what you do with colicky babies, right? But, let me tell you about my favorite toy on the planet: My Tonka Trucks (I had a bulldozer, dump truck, concrete mixer — AND — a Winnebago RV.) I loved those toys better than anything. I used to put contact paper on the tables and sinks in the motorhome — very 70′s – avocado green with canary yellow daisies. I dreamt of one day owning a big motorhome and…guess what? It actually happened! My first rig was a ’77 Dodge Field & Stream (with familiar Harvest Gold Shag Carpeting, Dark Brown Faux Wood Paneling and Burnt Orange counters. Sigh. I miss that bad boy, except having to bathe while sitting on the toilet. We had the “Shit & Shower Model” — Sorry, but that’s what it was called. Anyway, we eventually upgraded to an ’03 Jamboree and the rest is history, but I will NEVER forget my Tonka Winnebago — which, by the way….I STILL HAVE. I could go on, but the elliptical beckons. Shan, thanks for sharing these memories. I laughed my face off thinking of you and your fat cabbage patch kid…someday, I’ll tell you more about my baby doll — not fat, but African American (God, I loved her…)
On 06/09/10 Shan said:
Ah, my first Barbie. Aerobics Barbie. Brings back such memories. Fat kid + Aerobics Barbie= Even lower self esteem. Plus, I was a HUGE tomboy (no-pun intended). I would rather ride my bike, pop wheelies and jump ramps. Playing in dirt was my specialty. Plus, I lived with the brown haired, real-life Barbie, accessorized with mirror, lipstick and her very own lighted make-up mirror. Remember those? My friend Jodi (only child) had one whole room FULL of Barbies, cars, dream houses, closets for Barbie clothes and everything else you could imagine. I liked playing with hers because she would let Barbie and her friends fight. That was cool. I love you, though. Different kind-of Barbie. Completely different.
I carried my Trapper Keeper to every class. You are right about the lockers. Anyway, my locker mate, Michael Mitchell probably would have thrown it away. Just sayin’. I’m not sure if he is on facebook or not, but I bet some of my friends remember him. Nice guy, that Michael.