I tend to be ridiculously nostalgic. I think if I could buy a fully furnished exact replica of the house I grew up in, I would. There is just something about my childhood that gets me giddy every time I rediscover it.
I love to reminisce. I’ve been known to spend afternoons on YouTube watching some of my favorite 1970s commercials. I’ve poured over eBay just to catch a glimpse of some of the toys I had growing up. And being a kid at heart, I thought it might be fun to share some of the coolest toys ever. I’ll admit, most of these are from my childhood. Some of them I had. Some of them I still covet. But they are still cool.
1. Sit n Spin
When I was a kid, I wanted this toy so badly. I’m not sure why I liked it so much because, today, anything that spins around makes me utterly nauseous. I’m sure you can remember, though, how much fun it used to be to spin around and make yourself dizzy. It’s a simple toy with a simple premise. And hours of entertainment.
2. Whiz Wheel
Whoever invented this ride-on toy was an absolute genius. It’s a round plastic saucer with a seat in the middle, two giant wheels on each side and a small wheel in the rear. In reality, it mimics the movements of a wheelchair with the motion of the wheels. I’m sure there’s a physics lesson in there somewhere. But for me, it was just plain cool fun.
3. Romper Stompers
Again, this is a simple toy. Imagine two plastic sand buckets that you turn upside down and stand on. Now add a plastic strap so that you can pick up your feet while standing on the buckets. What’s so cool about it? It makes you tall. Something that is entertaining for kids. And at 5’3”, I wouldn’t mind giving them a try again too.
4. Playmobil
Some of you know that I recently took my son to the toy store, Learning Express. They have more upscale and educational toys. Of course, you don’t take a 3 year old to a toy store to just browse. I knew before going in there that I was going to buy something. And I’m not ashamed to admit that I steered him towards Playmobil. I’ve always loved Playmobil and coveted my few friends that had them. Now, I just love the intricate detail and creative scenarios. Evan picked out a castle with two knights. I was hoping for the pirate ship but there’s always room to expand.
5. Wii
Yeah, I’m taking you in a completely different direction here. I love physical play and imaginative play. But I also love video games. We had one of the first pong sets and then moved on the Atari. I remember spending afternoons at the arcade playing games like Pole Position, a super fun driving game. With Wii, we sit in front of our large TV with steering wheels in hand and race each other in Mario Kart. I limit my game playing but when I do play, it doesn’t get much more fun than Wii.
