What toy(s) every child should have?

[MNDude]

Everyone has a memory of their favorite toys they grew up with. Which toy or toys do you think every child should grow up without? GI Joes for boys? A doll for girls? what do you think?

[octex]

Daisy BB guns (my 1st was a single shot, followed by several other models)

Lincoln Logs and Erector Sets (give flight to creativity and imagination)

Paint By Numbers (teaches patience and attention to detail), as do jigsaw puzzles.

[cynwoody]

Anything but a frickin’ app on a cell phone.

So, just for fun (not funny if you have the disease), I clicked the microphone app on my phone and intoned "What is coccidioidomycosis?". The visual echo of what I spoke went a couple of sub-second iterations, and then the answer came back, "an infection with the fungus ... sometimes called valley fever". Dead on target!

What's your problem with cell phones?

[a little elbow grease]

What toy(s) every child should have?

______________________

Ones that they discover or make for themselves.

[octex]

My family did, also.

Here’s a couple more I just remembered:

Gyroscope, Yo-Yos, Spinning Tops (I had a dozen of each of the latter two)

[Renegade]

Slinky

[Maine Mariner]

American Flyer was part of the A.C. Gilbert Company.

The brand was bought later by Lionel. My Christmas present from my parents in about 1958 was an American Flyer train set. In about 1996, I purchased an American Flyer passenger train set from Arizona Trains. The quality at that time seemed to have pretty good. I don’t know if Lionel still makes American Flyer.

[Maine Mariner]

I bought an erector set for my son about 10 years ago.
Since he really was not interested (computer games were and are), I have gotten to use them. :)

[Tijeras_Slim]

LOL

[Maine Mariner]

Our neighbor had a fireworks stand. He brought over a box of a variety of items. I stood up a bottle rocket in the box and lit it. It fell back into the box and soon everything was exploding. It was near our garage-fortunately no cars exploded and no one was hurt. A few days later the neighbor brought over another box of firecrackers. I was delighted; my parents were not.

Oh and the neighbor was a policeman. Several of them sold fireworks on the side just before the 4th. It was sort of legal in North Dakota at the time.

[SkyDancer]

Only if you look down the barrel;

[SkyDancer]

I still have mine -

[JoeFromSidney]

Right. I grew up with a Gene Autry cap gun. Later was president of my high school rifle club, and was on my ROTC rifle team. Every boy (and every interested girl) should have the same opportunities.

[CatOwner]

In general, kids on cell phones games do not interact with other people. I see it all the time at restaurants, retail stores, etc. Parents use apps on cell phones as babysitting tools.

[50mm]

I had a Fanner 50 growing up and now have the Barrett .50 cal on my wish list.

Fanner 50 Commercial

Barrett .50 Cal

[ravenwolf]

An old car tire to roll around, and a set of stilts.

[nopardons]

The latest train we have is from the late '50s, but most are from the late '20s through the very early '50s. But I have kept up with what has gone on with them.

I really only know about much older American Flyer STANDARD GAUGE trains, which were fantastic.

Lionel is no longer really "LIONEL". It was sold several times, over the past almost 1/2 century. The first buyout was by General Mills, but that didn't last all that long. After that, it was sold at least 2 more times.

Sorry, but I don't know if American Flyer is still being made under the Lionel trademark; but I doubt it.

[pnz1]

BB gun, dirt bike

[pnz1]

Oh and Hot Wheels.

[FXRP]

Lincoln Logs, Lego and Tinker-toys.

[PfromHoGro]

“Estes solid-fuel rockets.”

Was my first thought.