Posted on 11/24/2020 12:18:31 PM PST by DoodleBob
Jeez, I’m glad I grew up in the early 70s. I had chemistry sets with Mercury and uranium, creepy crawlers sets (made my own fishing lures with them) and lead melting set... Made fishing weights. Am I still alive?
When I was a kid the most dangerous toy was a Glass Blowing Kit for kids
Worst toy for a kid?
Anything with a screen that is a substitute for human interaction.
Most of my gifts at Christmas was clothes and accessories for my N scale train layout...
When I was young my friend & I broke a thermometer open & rolled the mercury around on the floor. Fun times.....
Yeah. I don’t know how the neighbor kept from killing me when I nailed his driver’s side leather seat through the open window.
We had Jarts and AC Gilbert was in New Haven. American Flyer trains. Great trains, but I didn’t like the 3 rails. HO and N looked real...
When I was a teenager, I would put on these thick, leather snowmobile gloves.
Our cat would see me putting them on, and his tail would start swishing.
He liked to fight.
He would grab the glove, roll over on his back and start kicking with his back legs.
His ears would be back and he’d be growling.
The problem was, I’d be ready to quit and he’d still want to fight.
One night, I woke up and he was sitting on my chest.
“Where are your leather gloves now?” He said.
I pulled the covers over my head,
We probably just don't remember the stupid kids that killed themselves playing - Social Darwinism.
I had all kinds of stuff to build with - Erector Sets, Lincoln Logs, etc. Chemistry sets, other science stuff from Edmunds Scientific (wonder if they are still in business), knives, BB Gun, camping and fishing stuff.
Estes rockets with cherry bombs glued fuse down on the ejection charge provided tons of fun and honed our skills at timed fuses and calculating flight paths
American Flyer trains. Great trains, but I didn’t like the 3 rails.
American Flyer had 2 rails. Lionel had 3.
My brother and I had a race track for liquid mercury. You put 2 beads of mercury at the top and pulled the gate to see who’s bead of mercury went the fastest. Again, 1970s. You’d be sued into oblivion trying to sell that to kids now.
I was born and raised in Lansing.You couldn't swing a dead cat without hitting an Olds or some other GM car. My Dad was so fed up with seeing them he only bought Fords, then later bought the Chrysler/Dodge/Plymouth minivans.
:)
My wife loves Calico Critters (Slyvanian Family is the overseas name) and does crafts and seasonal displays with them. She grew up in Japan where they originated and couldn’t afford to buy them as a youngster.
She held off forever on any personal hobbies outside gardening, because she was concerned about our finances. I finally had enough last year and set her down to show that we were really, really ok and I wasn’t spouting nonsense.
She is still frugal, only buying stuff on sale or used; but I’m so happy to see her enjoying something for herself after all this time.
I want the light saber!
Wow - I was specifically looking for Mercurochrome a couple years ago as I hadn’t known it had been banned or whatever....
My parents' cat would get a crazy look in her eyes when I put on "the glove". She loved a good tussle. I still have a scar on my wrist from one time she got me above the glove.
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