Remember when toys were toys? (Ahhh the good old days!)

Originally posted by rockymcgilicutty
reply to post by Rodinus

 

Does Mrs. Rodinus approve of you scurrying about the house with a camera?

Let's see your current playroom ( your workshop).

Got the sneaky pic whilst Mrs Rodinus is out :-)

Erm... maybe for another post that one mate, i am not sure that it would fit up to T and Cs... you know what it's like with all those calenders on the wall!!!,???

Kindest respects

Rod

reply to post by Rodinus


Awesome thread Rodinus.

I have to say that for all the shiny impressiveness of toys today, they have a certain soullessness about them. Yes, my He Man and Star Wars toys may look rubbish compared to what is available these days but, to me, they are infinitely better because they encouraged imagination. They encouraged kids to think outside the box. They encouraged kids to get off their arses and actually do something - for example, how could you properly play with the Action Man vehicles without first attacking the garden to make ramps, mud pits, etc?

It certainly didn't pay to be a captured Allied toy soldier in my house! (if the enemy were the Japs).



Thankfully (and thanks to large doses of daddy intervention) my kids are still young enough to fully immerse themselves in imaginative play. The eldest though is starting to show worrying signs of descent into the shiny shiny madness..........

Anybody have one of these ? Was it Soccer over the pond ?

I begged for one of these. When I got it I couldn't wait to set it up. Well I studied the play book turn it on, half the players went backwards.

Originally posted by Flavian
reply to post by Rodinus

 

Awesome thread Rodinus.

I have to say that for all the shiny impressiveness of toys today, they have a certain soullessness about them. Yes, my He Man and Star Wars toys may look rubbish compared to what is available these days but, to me, they are infinitely better because they encouraged imagination. They encouraged kids to think outside the box. They encouraged kids to get off their arses and actually do something - for example, how could you properly play with the Action Man vehicles without first attacking the garden to make ramps, mud pits, etc?

It certainly didn't pay to be a captured Allied toy soldier in my house! (if the enemy were the Japs).

Thankfully (and thanks to large doses of daddy intervention) my kids are still young enough to fully immerse themselves in imaginative play. The eldest though is starting to show worrying signs of descent into the shiny shiny madness..........

Ey up lad, nice to hear a Yorkshireman... i didn't live far from you many years ago (about 10 miles)... but i'm not going to tell you where haha

Oh my, remember those little plastic soldiers, i used to spend hours painting them and making those mud pits and trenches in the garden too!

Although folks... i have a confession to make... ahem ahem... *coughs*

I do like playing worms on my sons old gamecube from time to time!!!

Ahem ahem cough cough... methinks a pint of Tets is called for here?

Kindest respects

Rodinus

reply to post by JustMike



" By the way I found where I'd saved a complete set of "how to" pics for that "classic" pedal car (the one in the pics I posted) and also some for a pedal-car jeep I built. (I had the pics on my old laptop that died then recalled I'd put them online -- and finally found them.) If you want to see how they were made I've got copies and can upload them here. "

They would be great to see. Remember " popular mechanics" ?

@ Rod, great thread, it's stupid o'clock here, look forward to checking back tomorrow.

Originally posted by rockymcgilicutty
reply to post by Rodinus

 

[Snip to save quote-in-quote]
You know I did forget one thing that did surprise me. The G-kids were giving me the I'm bored thing last summer. I went out to the Oak tree in the front yard and hung them a good old fashioned Tire Swing. They love it couldn't hardly get them off it, pleased me greatly. Going to put a zip line in for them next over the pond . That should keep them outside this summer.

The boys want a treehouse too. I guess if you are willing to put in some effort they will play outside.

edit on 3-4-2013 by rockymcgilicutty because: (no reason given)

Exactly. If they have some motivation to get outside, then they'll go. It's natural for kids to be outside and messing around. You know it, I know it, everyone with grown-up kids or grandkids probably knows it. But that's the trick. Giving them a reason to put down the game console or switch off the computer, the iPod or the smart phone and go out and do something that'll teach them more than how to push some buttons or click a mouse.

If they're slightly older kids, how about having them build the treehouse with you? No reason why you should do all the darned work! Or they can invite some friends over and you can put them all to work!

But seriously, if they pitch in then they take ownership of the work and what it becomes. They have pride in it. Again, you know all that. We all made stuff when we were kids and we know how that made it special.

reply to post by elevatedone

I'm gonna show my age, too: I think I was too old for most of those toys when they came out.

But nobody is ever too old for hotwheels.

reply to post by JustMike

If they're slightly older kids, how about having them build the treehouse with you? No reason why you should do all the darned work! Or they can invite some friends over and you can put them all to work!

Great reply, but to get them motivated never, never mention the word work.

reply to post by Rodinus


I love the old Indian motorcycle!

My boys also have toys from their dad that they play with. They, however, do not own any video games.
Granted my oldest is only 7 1/2 but they build with legos and lincoln logs. They have half a dozen forts scattered in a wide circle around the house, and spend a lot of time outside. It is sad to see the age of childhood curiosity and creativity fade, kids come up with the best ideas when given the down time to think it out.
Kids need to be able to think and have access to materials to bring their ideas to life, even if it's only a box of crayons and some empty paper towel rolls.

Ok folks,

It's time for me to say cheerio for today as i am spending some quality time with the family...

A BIG SINCERE THANK YOU TO EACH AND EVERY PERSON WHO HAS CONTRIBUTED SO FAR TO THIS THREAD....

KEEP IT ALIVE and i will be back tomorrow

Have a great evening/day/morning where ever you may be.

Kindest respects

Rodinus

reply to post by rockymcgilicutty

Oh, yeah. Hey, we were kids once!

But it's great how they got on the ol' tire swing! Always loved those. And the see-saw made from a length of plank sat over a log, just a couple of bits of 2-by-4 nailed under the plank to stop it slipping, and an old tire under each end to give it some give. Or bounce. Whatever.

I remember at a summer camp once a couple of guys had a three-man (or three-girl) catapult. Man, that thing was lethal! Two people held these long rubber straps made from strips of old inner tubes (one standing each side), and the third pulled back the middle of it and set a balloon full of water there and then let it go. Could hit someone 100 feet away with a bit of luck and good aiming!

By the end of the afternoon we were all totally soaked. No-one got hurt, nobody cared -- not even Mr W, the camp caretaker, when he got hit with a water ballon while he was trying to light his pipe of tobacco. He just laughed and came over and said he wanted a go. Told us to put two people on each side. (He was a big man.) So okay, we had two girls and two guys each side, holding on tight and leaning out as he pulled the thing back. Then he set the balloon in place and lined up on Dave, one of the camp staff way off over the other side of the main playing field. Then he hollered, "Hey Dave!!"

Dave looked over, Mr W lets the balloon fly and Dave just stands there, watching this bright red water balloon come flying at him as if he can't believe what he's seeing.

Splosh!!

Dave yells out, "Hey, why'd you do that? Now I'm all wet!"

"No yer not!" Mr W calls back. "You're only half wet!"

He reaches for another balloon and Dave takes off like a scared rabbit!

But yeah, we had fun.

A shoebox full of red and white LEGO
bricks let my imagination run wild.

"so how high can I build this skyscraper before it falls over?"

Hi guys
May I introduce you to my high tech Flash Gordon ultimate kill laser weapon




And my invincible dragon slaying sword




Man I miss my weapons cache

Cody

reply to post by Timely

Hi Timely,

yes, I remember Popular Mechanics. We used to get it in our school library and I read lots of great stuff in those!

So, here's the pics of how the roadster pedal car came together. I originally prepared these pics to share with some people so they could follow how to build one if they wished. (That's why it reads like instructions. It is! ) I've also just taken a new pic of the “concept model” I made first to start figuring out how it could turn out. The front guards (fenders) wound up being a bit smaller but otherwise it's not a lot different.

Click on the thumbnails below to see the full-sized pics:







This last pic is my wife's grandson taking it for a test ride. (I put the blackout over his eyes for his privacy.) I did a few modifications to the cowling afterwards, so he'd have more room for his knees. But he seemed pretty happy with it.

BTW, he doesn't have "big hair". He was wearing a furry hat. It was maybe 2 degrees above freezing that day!

If anyone else has pictures of toys you or family members have made -- or any toys hand-made by anyone -- please share them!

reply to post by elevatedone


Some great photos there! My brother had the boxing robots game, here in Oz. it was called " raving bonkers ".

The " greenmachine " however looks out of place - too modern. ( heck I am showing my age now :lol

Some of your hotwheels race entries also look a little suspect - scale wise ...

" Stretch Armstrong " well what can you say ? An action figure has got to know its limitations.

Great memories ...

reply to post by JustMike


Thanks for throwing up the pics of the build progress of your wonderful pedal car! Fantastic !

Also thanks for clarifying the "big hair" thing. I had raised eyebrows and was thinking -
a cross between - Harpo Marx and the Queen Mother.

I don't think today's fathers make their kids enough toys these days .I remember my Dad making billy carts,
rubber band guns, sling shots, bows and arrows, swords, you know - all those cool things considered un-pc. nowadays. Yet playing with these toys I was taught responsibility, as well as learning through
helping him fashion these things.

You sound like an awesome Grandpa !

Hi Folks,

Many apologies for not having been on any earlier but apparently i cannot log onto ATS with my other computer which has another IP adress as it says that ATS is down.

Just a quickie to you all to say i will be back shortly with more posts as soon as i can fathom out what the problem is.

Kindest respects

Rodinus

Hi Rodinus. This thread escaped me somehow...Anyway when i was younger i was never in. My dad was forever looking for me haha. Mainly though i was doing this..
I loved my bike and used to race at local Bmx tracks. Oh and the woodland near me was amazing (though a lot of it has been lost to house builds). We used to play army in the woods all day and make dens.. Also cody if your listening that looks similar to our high tech weaponry up North lol. We used to indulge in black magic and sorcery, And play kiss the high priestess

One of my first memories of a "toy" is Mouse Trap

I remember it taking ages to set up the trap only for someone to bump it halfway through the game and having to set it up all over again. At the end of the game the trap inevitable failed to work properly

Also the majestic

Hungry Hungry Hippos

I think these games helped prepare me for life to be honest. Put a lot of effort in only to be extremely disappointed with the result and grab as many things as you can quicker than anyone else