Toy nostaliga - or what I did in the 50s!

Yoyo ~ wooden stilts ~ Pedal cars ~ Farm animals ~ Dominoes ~ Chess ~ Chinese Checkers ~ Slinky ~ Pickup sticks ~ rocking horse ~ trains ~ tin plate cars ~ China tea sets ~ sail boats ~ comics ~ Disney comics ~ Superhero comics ~ Marbles ~ Service stations ~ Play kitchen ~ Billy carts ~ Matchbox toys ~ Dinky toys ~ Dinky (Aussie tricycle) ~ Roller skates ~ Golden books ~  Tonka toys ~ Mickey mouse watches ~ hula hoop ~ Barbie ~ horseshoes ~ spinning top ~ cowboys and Indians ~ jacks (with real knuckle bones) ~ Mr Potato head ~ ant farm ~ Frisbee ~ bride doll ~ ethnic dolls ~ old maid ~ crystal radio ~ meccano ~ small portable record player ~ monopoly ~ careers ~ chess ~ toy piano ~ wooden alphabet blocks.

If you remember playing with these toys when they were new, you were probably a child of the 1950s – Like me.

Not that I actually HAD most of those toys but in researching things for this post, I was surprised how many ‘enduring’ toys/games came from 1950s inventions. Most of those mentioned are American creations. You lucky ducks over there. The highlighted ones are toys I had as a child [or that I shared with my sister, or that my friends had].

My memory of ‘play’ as a child under 12 (I was born in 1951) was mostly making my own toys. I was pretty crafty even then! I loved to make farms – I had a large selection of plainly coloured plastic farm animals; I created many, many, doll houses – one of my favourites was inside an old wooden mantle clock; I made dolls from dolly pegs and dressed them using doilies and ribbon; I loved to play ‘swaps’ these were pretty (girly) images [the really cool ones were glittered] which I ‘swapped’ with my friends and played with endlessly at home; my outdoor play consisted of making cubbies – we had an under house area [which used to often be flea-ridden] where I loved to create my special private places; swinging on the hills hoist ( an aussie invention); I love dolls – I still do, and I had a few favourites. My best friend, my doll Robyn, is in bits in my cupboard. She is a Bakelite doll who has survived many haircuts and facials and finally her rubber joints gave way – I am sure a trip to the dolls hospital would see her renewed and ready for play! I still have a miniature, metal ‘SINGER’ sewing machine. I so loved to use this to make my doll clothes. It was a manual, turn the wheel sort; I had heaps of books [all hand me downs I got my first ‘own’ book when I was 13 in first year high school, it was Huckleberry Finn], but as a young child I didn’t much enjoy reading about what other people did – I wanted to do it for myself.

Toys I didn’t have and lusted after were: a bike – any bike, 2 or 3 wheels; toy cars – I didn’t have any and so wanted some for my dolls houses and farms [girls just weren’t given them in the ‘50s]; a Barbie – my cousin had heaps of them with all their accessories; and a train set with buildings and tracks that took up an entire room like my neighbours, Robbie & Bruce, had.

What did you play with as a kid? Do you think your kids/grand children would have enjoyed the toys you played with? Do you/would you, enjoy the games and pursuits of kids today? I would! I would have loved to meet people online, look at pictures from around the world, find new craft ideas and play games!