Play Library » Nostalgia Toys

Last Year The Stick This Year The Ball?

Linette Gerlach — Sun, 08 Nov 2009 03:22:57 +0000

Last year I let you know that the stick had been inducted into the Toy Hall Of Fame, this year his friend the ball is joining him. I can’t think of two more deserving toys than stick and ball. Put them together and you’ve got a dynamic duo that’s hard to beat!

The other Toy Hall Of Fame inductees this year included the Big Wheel, and the Game Boy, both are also very deserving toys, but nothing can top the ball.

The ball is one of the most versatile toys ever invented, there are tons of games you can play with that one toy alone. It’s a universal toy favorite. Kids from everywhere know what to do when you present them with a ball.

I was also glad to see the Big Wheel included in this year’s Hall Of Fame. The Big Wheel brings back some great childhood memories for me, and I’m sure for many other people.

The Game Boy is another toy that has transformed itself over time, and only become more popular with each new transformation.

I think all of this years inductees were very deserving. You can find out more about this year’s Toy Hall Of Fame Inductees here.

Image: sxc.hu

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Retro Toys~ See and Say Farmer Says

Linette Gerlach — Thu, 13 Aug 2009 21:00:32 +0000

I loved the Fisher Price See and Says when I was a child, and of course I had to buy one for my son when he was younger. My favorite is the Farmer Says. I guess I’m still a farm girl at heart, I used to love to pull the string and hear the animal sounds.

You don’t pull a string any more (I’m sure that string was a choke hazard), these days you pull the lever. They still have the adorable animal sounds I loved. The Farmer Says just got a new makeover and re release. Check out the latest look on an old favorite.

Simply adorable! This one has a “page” you can flip (under the yellow side), to hear more animal sounds. My son had a hard time figuring out the lever when he was younger. He did eventually figure it out, and I’m sure it was good for his hand-eye coordination.

My favorite is still that original model with the pull string, even though I understand why they had to do away with the string.

Image via Amazon.com

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Retro Toys~ The Slinky

Linette Gerlach — Wed, 15 Jul 2009 04:51:33 +0000

I still remember sending the slinky down our stairway, over and over, when I was a kid, and I still remember the corny slinky commercials. I had to look up one on Youtube to share. There were several there. This one has the Slinky song I remember from my childhood. The cute little ditty about how the Slinky walks down stairs, alone or in pairs.

A Slinky is such a simple concept, but it’s still a popular toy today. My son has had several of his own. Most have gotten tangled and not lasted long, but he’s had fun with them while they lasted.

Today’s Slinky comes in a variety of colors, and most are made from a hard plastic, instead of metal. It’s still the same toy that walks down stairs. Even with all the newer, more complicated toys out there, children still get a kick out of this inexpensive little coil of fun.

Image via Photoxpress.com

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Easy Bake Oven Fun Memories

Linette Gerlach — Mon, 22 Jun 2009 14:20:59 +0000

I had breakfast with my cousin a couple weeks ago, and we were reminiscing about our childhood when we used to be inseparable during the summer. We were always spending the night at each others house and I have so many great memories from those summers long ago.

One of my favorite memories, and she said it’s one of her favorites too, was cooking our little hearts out with the Easy Bake Oven. Now my Easy Bake Oven didn’t look anything like today’s models. It was a pea green color like the one on the right in this picture of vintage Easy Bake Ovens.

I can see why the Easy Bake Oven is still a favorite today. Little girls (and little boys, my son had one when he was younger) are still making fun memories baking with their moms and friends, and who knows maybe they’ll be future chefs or foodies.

Image via Flickr Pop Elegantarium creative commons

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Make Some Creepy Crawly Bugs

Linette Gerlach — Sat, 13 Dec 2008 05:21:23 +0000

My son and I made some creepy crawly bugs the other night with the Creepy Crawlers Workshop. It was pretty fun coloring and creating the bugs. My son made one for each of his friends.

The Creepy Crawlers Workshop is a toy classic that’s been around since 1960. Back to Basics Toys features the workshop, plus tons of other classic toys and games.

The creepy crawlies are easy to make, just pour in the goop, stick them in the Creepy Crawly Workshop oven, and bake them for about 10 minutes, then let them cool. My son had fun making each one a unique color combination.

You just need a 60 watt light bulb to fire up the oven. It has several safety features including a lock on the oven so it can’t be opened until it’s completely cooled.

Here’s one of the bugs my son made.

The kit includes the oven, 2 molds to make 5 bugs, 4 bottles of goop, a cooling tray, and a mold handler.

Check out more toy ideas at the Play Library Toy Gift Guide.

Top image via Back to Basics Toys

Bottom image by me

Technorati Tags: classic toys,creepy crawler workshop,creepy crawly kit,back to basic toys

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Star Wars Mr. Potato Head Toys – Great for Kids or Collectors

Susan Gunelius — Sun, 07 Sep 2008 02:34:20 +0000

My triplets turned 4 years old this summer, and one of them loves Star Wars. Imagine my excitement when I found Star Wars Mr. Potato Head toys at a store in Downtown Disney one day when I was birthday shopping!

Some of the same Star Wars Mr. Potato Head toys that I bought for my kids that day are now available through the Toys ‘R Us website, and they would make great gifts for children, Star Wars collectors or Mr. Potato Head fans! These Star Wars Mr. Potato Head toys are recommended for ages 2 and up and cost only $10.99 each. Check them out:

First, check out the R2D2 Mr. Potato Head named Artoo Potato.

Next up is the Darth Vader Mr. Potato Head aptly named Darth Tater.

Finally, here is the Storm Trooper Mr. Potato Head also known as Spud Trooper.

What do you think? Aren’t these Star Wars Mr. Potato Heads fun?

Images: Toysrus.com

Technorati Tags: mr potato head,star wars,star wars toys,stormtrooper toys,darth vader toys,r2d2 toys,star wars mr potato head,darth tater,spud trooper,artoo potato,playskool,toys r us

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Zimm Zamm, July 4th and Summer – a Blast from the Past from PlayLibrary

Susan Gunelius — Wed, 02 Jul 2008 21:44:38 +0000

This month, b5media’s Lifestyles Channel bloggers are being asked to share a blast from the past related to the U.S. July 4th holiday. When I think of my family celebrating Independence Day when I was a child, I remember going to the town parade, which included mostly fire engines and soccer teams, in the morning then spending the rest of the day outdoors using our pool and playing games such as the classic Zimm Zamm from Mattel.

If you don’t remember the Zimm Zamm of the 1970s, then you missed out on a lot of fun. It’s a tethered ball game where a tennis ball is connected to a metal pole that goes in the ground. Two players use plastic paddles to hit the ball back and forth, ultimately trying to get their opponent to miss. The tether is connected to a metal spiral coil structure that takes about 4 rotations (or misses) to get the tether to reach the top or bottom of the coil. One person’s goal is to get the tether to the top of the coil, while the other tries to get it to the bottom of the coil.

Zimm Zamm was a game of quick reactions and eye-hand coordination. My family spent hours playing with our Zimm Zamm and wore through many tennis balls!

I found a current edition of the Zim Zam at The Vermont Country Store. It’s not exactly the same, but hopefully, it’s almost as fun. When my triplets get a little older, I know we’ll try this version out, but I do long for the classic Zimm Zamm!

What was your favorite outdoor, holiday game or toy when you were growing up?

Image: Vermontcountrystore.com

Technorati Tags: Zimm Zamm,Zim Zam,mattel,tether-tennis,outdoor games,picnic games,Independence Day games,July 4th games,classic games,classic toys,nostalgia games,80s toys,70s toys

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Games for Girls – LITE-BRITE Flat Screen Pink

Susan Gunelius — Tue, 01 Jul 2008 14:50:13 +0000

I have one more game for girls to share as part of my series on games for girls. Today, I’m going to take a look at the classic LITE-BRITE game from Hasbro, which is also available in a version just for girls – the LITE-BRITE Flat Screen Pink.

The LITE-BRITE Flat Screen Pink is small and perfect for the car. It includes10 design sheets and a storage area for 200 pegs. A light bulb is also included, but the 3-D batteries that are required are not included.

The LITE-BRITE Flat Screen Pink retails for just $9.99 from the Hasbro website, and it’s recommended for ages 4 and up, although I think 4 years old seems a bit young for this toy. What do you think?

Check out these posts about other games for girls (particularly tween girls):

Image: Hasbro.com

Technorati Tags: board games,Hasbro,Lite-Brite,girl games,tween games,classic games,travel games

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Games for Girls – Bling Dominoes Pink

Susan Gunelius — Sun, 29 Jun 2008 13:45:28 +0000

In continuation with last week’s series of posts about games for girls (particularly tween girls), today’s post is about Bling Dominoes Pink.

Not only does Bling Dominoes Pink come in a pink leatherette carrying case, but each domino is decorated with pink jewels! The classic game of Dominoes is one of strategy that really makes players think. Bling Dominoes Pink is recommended for ages 7-12, but I’m certain older girls would love it, too!

Bling Dominoes Pink retails for just $12.99 from Toys ‘R Us and seems like a great gift!

Check out my other posts about games for girls (especially tween girls):

Image: ToysRUs.com

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Games for Girls – Monopoly Pink Boutique Edition

Susan Gunelius — Fri, 27 Jun 2008 14:07:07 +0000

Today’s games for girls post is about another Hasbro product – Monopoly Pink Boutique. It’s the classic Monopoly board game with a girlish twist. Instead of buying properties like Boardwalk and Park Place, players buy malls, hair salons, spas and fashion boutiques (like Jillian’s Jewelry Store and Savannah’s Super Spa) , go shopping, pay cell phone bills, and instead of Chance and Community Chest cards, players pick Text Message cards and Instant Message cards. Even the money, dice and property cards are pink!

Monopoly Pink Boutique comes in a pink case that looks like a jewelry box. Even the game pieces are girly. Houses and hotels have been replaced with pink and purple malls and boutiques, and tokens include sunglasses, a hairdryer, flip flops, a cell phone, a skateboard, a soccer ball, a purse and a dog. The tokens can even be worn as charms on a bracelet.

Monopoly Pink Boutique is intended for ages 8 and up and retails for $29.99 from Toys ‘R Us. Looks like a great, educational game for tween girls!

Check out more games for tween girls on these PlayLibrary posts:

Image: ToysRUs.com

Technorati Tags: Toys R Us,Monopoly,Hasbro,Monopoly Pink Boutique,Monopoly girls,tween games,girl games,childrens games,classic games,board games

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