The top toys of 1956 are the sought after antiques of today

Looks like a 'Mad Men' play set

Toys in the attic

This picture comes from the issue of Family Circle I bought the other day for a buck in an antique store:

The article it accompanied was all about the best toys for youngsters in 1962.  I was born in Oct. 1962 and I remember vividly playing with the dump truck, the wooden dog, and that set of blocks in the right hand bottom corner.

Toys on wheels kept me busy for a bit but they were kind of limited.  You can only roll them around and pretend you're driving them for so long and then they start to get boring.  The dog was kind of the same, you pulled him along by a thin plastic leash and he didn't do much aside from follow you where ever you led him.

But those blocks, boy they were the best ever.  Our set was shaped exactly like those but ours were painted, or maybe they were soaked in dye or something because the paint never chipped off.  Our set came in a white drawstring bag that seemed huge to me at the time.  I remember vividly pulling that bag along to where ever I was going to play with those blocks and then once I found a suitable spot, usually on the floor near where ever my mom was in the living room of our apartment in the housing projects in Detroit, I'd carefully open that bag, turn it upside down, and I'd dump those blocks out.

I'd play for hours and hours with those things.  I'd make sailing ships out of them, trains, buildings, whatever I could think of.  I remember the smaller round cylinder shaped ones were always people and I'd make them talk in different voices.  I loved those blocks because they made me use my imagination when I'd play with them.  They became anything I wanted and I could see the details of the things I made in my mind.  I'll go so far as to say they were my most loved toy of my early childhood.

Electronic toys were just coming into vogue in my youth.  Stuff like Lite Brite, the game Operation, slot car sets, and more were on the market and I remember playing with them too but those blocks were the most fun toy I had.  I can still to this day remember the colors of the different pieces, the pale green big slabs, the vivid yellow triangles, the dark purple cylinders, the red arches and I can remember the smell and feel of them.  I can still see that dingy old white bag they came in.  They were one of the toys that I remember always having, so mom must have bought them when I was a baby and they got passed down to me.  I'm so glad they did because if I hadn't had them, then I probably wouldn't have half the imagination I had.

I bought a box set of some blocks that were almost identical to the ones I had and I dropped them off at a Toys for Tots drop box.  I hope who ever gets them will get hours of enjoyment out of them like I did.

The name 'Choke 'n Jizz' was already taken

Oh unfortunately named products, you complete me.

Dolls and bread we can believe in

The other day on one of my many trips to Lowe's I found this under the windshield wiper of our car when I came back out after buying supplies:
I'm guessing someone saw our Obama '08 bumper sticker and that's why they gave us these cheesy cheap Obama dolls. Here's a close up of them, I love Michelle's blue eye shadow:
Sparky had a snow day today, her office was closed due to the snow and cold so she decided to bake some bread. She made the dough and it rose as we watched Barack Obama become our 44th President. After the dough was risen and Obama was sworn in and gave his speech, she made this in honor of this historic day:
Mmmmmm, fresh baked bread we can believe in. Oh happy day!

In the pantheon of horrible toys it ranks just above Bag O' Glass

Those kids look like they're really having "fun" on that thing, don't they.

More Action Figures for Wal-Mart Shoppers!

Wal-Mart, in case you have not heard, is going to start selling Biblical Action figures soon in stores that have big sales of Bibles. So now your kids can have hours and hours of thrills playing with a graven image of our alleged 'Lord and Savior.' But for those times when plain old Jesus is not enough, there's Deluxe Jesus! Now with two jugs of water waiting to be turned into wine, 30 % more fish, and 15 % more loaves! He's also packing, if you know what we mean, under that robe.

The super prim and highly intellectual Jane Austen action figure had better watch out then! If Jesus gets a hold of her with his divine 'rod' and 'staff' there's no telling what ol' Jane might do!

Also new for the kids is Chuck Norris "barely in the closet" GI Joe. The gun and the knug fu grip mean he's all man but the swingin' medallion means he's all play when it counts!

For the less manly boy in your life there's the new George W. Bush/Trent Lott male cheerleader doll. This doll smashes through sexual stereotypes like a weaponized depleted uranium bomb exploding through an Iraqi home. "Rah, Rah, Rah!"

For the girls there's Skeletor,

and her sister Anorexia Disgustia! Also available is their bff action figure, Sassy Black Friend Man!

But the figures that are expected to take the toy and collecting world by storm is the Dr. Monkey Von Monkerstein trio of terror figures! You can get Communist monkey,

Teddy Kennedy at the beach monkey,

or smooth and silky monkey!
Collect all three or give them to a kid and stand back as that child's face is filled with delight.

Please note that not all figures will be available at all Wal-Mart locations.