Kids’ Toys: Do They Really Need Brand Name?
Childhood April 8th, 2010
My employer has an electronic sale board where people can post items for sale or giveaway.
Here is part of a recent entry:
Laptop: SONY VAIO CS36H
I bought it this summer. It’s a pink laptop in good condition, very suitable for girls. I also bought the screen and keyboard protective film, which are free for you!
I forwarded it to my blog buddy JD at I Do Things and said “Very suitable for girls? Ya think?”
To which she replied: “Uh, yeah. Don’t see too many men walking around with a pink laptop.”
And then I confessed: “I would totally want a pink laptop! It’d make up for the Barbie Dream House I never had as a kid.”
JD should have left it at that, because I got intensely jealous when she reported “Tell me about it. Though I did have the Barbie Carousel Kitchen, which was the BOMB!”
Why was I so jealous?
I didn’t have a single Barbie or anything to put her in. I got my Barbie fix over at my best friend’s house. She had everyone and everything. The Barbie yacht, the hotel, the dream house, the cars, Ken, accessories, clothing, shoes, the works.
What did I have? A bean bag doll who slept on a fake bed I made out of cereal boxes. Her blankets were tissues. I built her furniture out of …. more cereal boxes.
But you know what? When I think back, I didn’t really need all that Barbie stuff. I was pretty happy with the homestead I crafted for my no-name brand dolls. I used my imagination, mad creative skillz and safety scissors.
So let’s hear it. Did you tend to have the latest, greatest name brand toys? Create your own stuff? Some mixture of both?
I’d love to hear about the toys you might have made yourself out of stuff lying around your house.
Sometimes the things that make the best toys were never toys to begin with!
Stumble it!
April 8th, 2010 at 6:08 am
I feel totally cheated that I just missed out on the Big Wheel craze. It always looked like so much fun to pedal as fast as possible and then yank on the brake lever and go spinning out.
.-= Daisy’s Mom´s last blog ..How Does THAT Work? Adoption! =-.
April 8th, 2010 at 6:24 am
So how could one contact that electronic sale board, you know, if one were interested in that sort of thing for one’s three daughters.
p.s. And would there be any low-priced accessories for one’s Zhu Zhu pet on that board?
.-= cardiogirl´s last blog ..At least the Zhu Zhu pets have free reign in the basement =-.
April 8th, 2010 at 6:31 am
4 girls and 1 parent working, no we didn’t have a Barbie Dream House. We did have Barbie’s and a few friends as I recall. I made the Barbie clothes with scraps of fabric.
Mostly I remember playing store with the monopoly money and whatever was handy as ‘product’. We also played Office and our props were paper and pencils and the rolling Fisher Price telephone with the googly eyes.
.-= Buggys´s last blog ..My Family – Conversations =-.
April 8th, 2010 at 6:58 am
Well, we didn’t have anything close to a Barbie – (obviously) – but on my dad’s first trip to Italy, he brought us back a metal construction kit by Bral. To give you and idea visit this link http://www.girdersandgears.com/amilac.html
Once it arrived, the Lego clones were forgotten – The kit had metal bars, metal sheets and metal wheels which were put together with a screw and nut using a screw-driver – I was 10 years old.
I had a lot of fun building cars, trains, cranes – well, I could build anything. It was challenging at times and finger strength and dexterity was often required where a screwdriver didn’t fit. I believe this is the toy that influenced me the most – and made love to work with my hands.
If there are any parents of children with a mechanical mindset reading this, I highly recommend you to begin with this link – http://www.girdersandgears.com/systems.html
You don’t have to invest in big kits (mine had 1000 parts) – you can start with smaller ones and then add to them.
April 8th, 2010 at 7:00 am
I was a big Strawbery Shortcake fan and for 3 years I had all the crap.
Thing is…I also had her dress. Which my mom made. I was the coolest kid in 1st grade. I also had an entire wardrobe from SS fabric too.
Other then that, I had a cross of name brand and off brand. I was always outside, so my toys were inside. This is what happens when you are the youngest kid by almost a decade. You got all the cool toys.
April 8th, 2010 at 7:01 am
My pride and joy was my She-ra (Princess of Power) dolls and castle. I recently saw the cartoon again and it kind of stands the test of time!
. As for Barbie, I was more about the clothing and accessories than the furniture. Friends had the condo, car and cafe so we just got together and created a huge Barbie town!
.-= TheAL´s last blog ..The New Friendship Bracelet – A Twist on a Classic =-.
April 8th, 2010 at 7:03 am
Great blog, had a good read and will be back. I have added you to my Blogger’s Cafe: http://avarchives.blogspot.com/ in Library 1 – Personal Blogs 2
Enjoy.
AV
.-= Argentum Vulgaris´s last blog ..Real Blogger’s United =-.
April 8th, 2010 at 7:17 am
I’ve got to be honest and say that we made most of our own things to play with. Aside from the odd doll, skipping ropes, balls and a few books we didn’t have much back then. Those sort of toy crazes just didn’t exist. We had to use our own creativity. Did we have fun-filled days as kids? You bet we did!
.-= Babs – beetle´s last blog ..Furniture Project =-.
April 8th, 2010 at 7:39 am
I had a metal doll house filled with plastic furniture and people…I promptly sat on it and it was out with the trash the Tuesday after Christmas.
.-= Cat Lady Diary´s last blog ..A to Z Blog Challenge…”G” =-.
April 8th, 2010 at 7:42 am
I didn’t have most of the great toys that my friends did. I did have two Barbie dolls and a few clothes for them, but nothing else. I used an old puzzle box to make her bed, which converted into a stove when you flipped it over and saw the “burners” I’d drawn on it in sloppy black marker.
My favorite toys were my bicycle and my coloring books and crayons. I’m 32 years old and still color sometimes! It’s very therapeutic. And I also loved my PogoBall, which I bought myself.
.-= Surfie´s last blog ..The Dynamic Duo Has Done it Again! =-.
April 8th, 2010 at 7:55 am
I soooo wanted all the Barbie stuff too! My sister and I used a desk chair as our townhouse and the sink as our swimming pool and our shows are our corvette. I tell people all the time how deprived we were. But looking back, we had fun with our chair/sink/shoes. We had to be creative and use our imagination. Yeah – the more I think about it, I wouldn’t change those memories if I could.
April 8th, 2010 at 8:03 am
I got the Barbie Dream House…sorry. I loved the pool though. I could spend hours dipping Barbie in water. Now my daughter does the same, in a tupperware bowl. She doesn’t care that it isn’t a “sanctioned” pool.
The most fun we had was at a neighbors house where all the neighborhood kids (up to 15 on a good day)would bring our matchbox cars (good thing I had 2 brothers) and play. The guy had built an entire city out of cardboard boxes. Streets and houses were drawn and everyone would cruise around. The entire garage was filled and he even built buildings with ramps, parking lots, elevators and restaurants. So much fun. Great for rainy days.
.-= Shelly´s last blog ..Spring Break =-.
April 8th, 2010 at 8:32 am
If you really want to hammer it home with your kids, give them a way to earn money, then have them decide what toys are worth spending that money on. If it takes time for a child to earn the ability to fill the toy box, they become much more particular.
.-= Gomez´s last blog ..Ask TeleGlass: Repairing a five inch crack? =-.
April 8th, 2010 at 8:57 am
As one of five kids with a stay-at-home Mom, we didn’t have a ton of brand-name toys. My sisters and I did have Malibu Barbies, though, and I do remember making Barbie beds out of tissue boxes. My little brother found a great Barbie bed in the linen closet one day — a maxi pad. My mother made most of our Barbie clothes herself, and they were exquisite. All the other girls were jealous of Barbie’s handmade finery. Seriously, how do you sew an elastic waist into a tiny Barbie dress? My mom had mad skills.
April 8th, 2010 at 9:02 am
Barbie’s were after my time – I did have a black Betsy Wetsy when I was very little – barely remember it. According to family lore I didn’t like dolls much and I would take off their fancy clothes and drag the dolls around by their feet. This was back in the day when a doll was a stuffed sack with arms, legs and heads sewn on. Supposedly I would hide the clothes and it was a battle between me and the mother – she would find them and put them back on the doll; I would take them off and hide them…doll clothes hide and seek. We are talking toddler age here. By the time I was 5 or 6 dolls were a thing of the past.
When I was older we didn’t have any store bought toys – couldn’t afford them – I don’t remember having toys at all – maybe some board games, a bicycle, a Spaldeen, a broom stick, clothesline for a jump rope…the usual.
.-= Grace´s last blog ..Those oldies but goodies – NOT =-.
April 8th, 2010 at 9:19 am
I had real nice barbie dolls and some nice outfits and a carrying case for them, but nothing else. Take a peek at one of them if you didn’t visit my blog when Barbie had her 51st birthday:
http://annasadornments.blogspot.com/2010/03/happy-birthday-barbie.html#links
Best wishes,
Anna
April 8th, 2010 at 9:26 am
I remember when we bought our first color-tv, I soon forgot all about the TV when I realized how fun the cardboard box were. I played mostly with smurfs and cars. I loved making houses and roads for the smurfs. Once I got a doll though, Silver Arrow I think it was, on a horse. He kidnapped my sisters barbies, my little sister was the one who cut their hair though, not Silver Arrow.
.-= Øyvind´s last blog ..Why Apple wins =-.
April 8th, 2010 at 9:41 am
So JD made you jealous and now you’ve made me jealous…ah, the vicious circle of envy! Can you believe we have Barbie accessory envy?! We had to build our own furniture out of cigar boxes and match boxes and fabrics from old clothes. Dang, I was poor and deprived! Alas, I never became an interior decorator but it did get my creative juices flowing. We made not have had the dream house etc, but we had imaginations and we still made Barbie and Ken do the nasty stuff!
.-= SuziCate´s last blog ..No Longer A Cameo Appearance =-.
April 8th, 2010 at 10:16 am
I did have a Barbie (still do somewhere) and I also had 2 grandmas to make the clothes. I never had any of the extras though, I didn’t like them, too pink for me. I made a house from boxes and the furniture too. I even made tiny food out of clay. Creating reality out of nothing was so much more fun than having plastic reality handed to me. It was easier for my parents I think because the nearest store involved a boat or plane trip.
.-= DJ´s last blog ..Earthlings And Moonmen =-.
April 8th, 2010 at 11:01 am
I was an only child and my mom didn’t have me until she was 37 – when she really, really had to have a kid or die type thing. So… I was spoiled rotten until my parents split. I had every barbie thing imaginable as well as 1000 different toys. I don’t spoil my kids though – I just can’t – we have 5 and 3 are girls that are the same age. I can’t buy one something without the others – everything comes in 3′s. The boys are different because one is the oldest and the other is the baby, so they get spoiled more than the girls.
Most of the time the girls don’t even play with their toys – they’re making things, drawing, or playing games with each other. Rarely ever does it involve barbies or dolls…
April 8th, 2010 at 11:21 am
Being the eldest of 8 kids you can imagine we did lots of hand-me-downs. Nothing name-brand that I can recall, except our Buster Brown shoes and Red Keds! My mother knew the value in sturdy when it came to shoes, so she did not skimp there. We had no-name dolls and no-name foods and lots of laughter and family gathering, and always with music and singing.
My best friend was an only child. She had a white miniature poodle named Pierre. They lived caddy-corner across the street from us. She had a maid, plastic covering all her living room furniture, her own master bedroom and a basement done over into a party room where her parents frequently entrtained folks from the yacht club. My sisters all still remember that her basement had an actual slot machine in it – with real quarters! She also had all the Barbies, Kens, cars, dream house, you name it. She had every piece of Barbie clothing, accessory and more shoes than our entire household had!
I had a Midge. And she was nekkid. Absolutely true.
.-= Barb at WillThink4Wine´s last blog ..Awww…Mondays =-.
April 8th, 2010 at 11:53 am
I never had a Barbie. I had Jill, Jan and Ginny. They were much prettier than that skinny bitch, Barbie, and their clothes were cooler and cheaper. Then Barbie came along with her high-power PR team and wiped every other doll off the globe. I totally had more fun making toys out of stuff. What do kids do to learn how to be creative today? They’re plugged into something electronic from day one.
.-= injaynesworld´s last blog ..injaynesworld you’ll never hear "No Comment…" =-.
April 8th, 2010 at 11:54 am
My mother liked Barbie so I got it all when I was a kid…a dozen dolls, the fashion boutique, a 3-room house, the camper, you name it. Thing was, I had little-to-no interest in Barbie stuff…I was a tomboy and would much rather play hide-and-seek or freeze tag.
.-= Sharon Heg´s last blog ..Dumb Things I’ve Said, Thought and Done* =-.
April 8th, 2010 at 12:01 pm
My big thing was paperdolls. I loved those. I used to bully my brother Brett and little cousin Paula to play them with me. I had one that you wiped water on her and stuck her clothes to her. Loved that doll!
As far barbies Paula had older sisters who had all the cool stuff. We had a camper and a dream house and something else. Between us all we must have had 20 barbies, but Brett, Paula and I only liked one doll. She was lovely, long brown hair that curled at the ends. The three of us used to fight over who got to be her. We used to call her “poopy hair” due to her hair color. Yes, charming I know. I
If my brother who is married and has three kids knew that I shared in public he played with paperdolls and barbies he would kill me.
.-= Bernie´s last blog ..Thursday Treasures – Link up your giveaways! =-.
April 8th, 2010 at 1:08 pm
When I was young my dad was only like 5 years into the navy – with three girls and not much pay we got to pick one toy each year that we wanted. One year my sister and I both wanted this doll called Tuesday Taylor, you could twist her hair around on her head and make her a blond or a brunette. Anyway, I got her and my mom thought it would be a good idea to get my sister a boy doll so we could play together – she was scarred for life -still brings it up every Christmas – now I overcompensate and get my daughter all the Barbie crap I wish I had and yes I play with all of them.
.-= Sheila´s last blog ..No More Peecrastinating, I’ve Got A Urination Proclaimation =-.
April 8th, 2010 at 2:04 pm
I had some good toys but I had a friend who always had something better. She always outdid me. I can remember a big box though that I decorated the inside of to look like a house and I played in that thing for ages. Well maybe it was more like a couple of months
.-= ann´s last blog ..My Dinosaur =-.
April 8th, 2010 at 2:05 pm
Sheila– She was called Tiffany Taylor….I had one, but I was annoyed because she was just a little bigger than Barbie and Barbie’s clothes didn’t fit her. When I see girls with their hair dyed auburn and blonde I still think of Tiffy…we used to turn the top of her head just halfway around and let her go all punk.
I never had the ‘latest’ Barbie but it didn’t matter; I had a really standard one and I had lots of clothes to dress her in. We used to play for HOURS…and the storylines we’d invent were the stuff of your standard bodice-ripper or water-damaged copy of Erica Jong’s ‘Fear of Flying’ that one friend had hidden between the folded lawn chairs in her garage. On reflection it was pretty disturbing.
I DID have the Barbie beauty salon, and a freaky van that looked like the Mystery Machine.
.-= Shieldmaiden1196´s last blog ..Fecal Matters =-.
April 8th, 2010 at 2:58 pm
I had a mix. I had a few Barbies, but my mom sewed her clothes and my dad and I made her house and car… which I think were far better than the store bought ones.
Dammit I wish I had kept them. Because of this regret, I made sure I kept my daughter’s toys for when she gets older. But with my luck, she’ll never want them and I’ll have all these boxes in our basement forever…
.-= Maureen´s last blog ..Oh Snap! =-.
April 8th, 2010 at 3:12 pm
I think young children and cats feel the same about toys. You can wad up some aluminum foil into a ball, toss it on the floor & they’re happy as clams. No need to buy brand name aluminum foil balls.
April 8th, 2010 at 3:15 pm
Ooookay, Kathy. You just keep telling yourself how much you loved your beanbag doll and cereal-box furniture.
Did I mention the Carousel Kitchen had a rotisserie that TURNED and inside was a tiny turkey that rotated?
Did I?
April 8th, 2010 at 5:20 pm
Daisy’s Mom — It’s never too late. Don’t you drive a sports car, if memory serves me? See, it can all be traced back…. (p.s. I hope you get real good news tonight!)
cardiogirl — Too late. Old post. Probably sold. And what the hell is a Zhu Zhu pet?
Buggys — OMG! I remember the googly-eyed phone! What flashbacks I’m having here.
Jaffer — I can see how it influenced you. Looks much like an Erector Set that I think my brothers might have had. Can you see me with a thousand part set? I would give up after trying to put the 10th piece together. Thanks for the links!
Sew Ducky — Strawberry Shortcake was sweet! Those of us who were last-born may not have liked the clothing hand-me-downs, but the toys weren’t bad, eh?
TheAL — She-ra?! Had to look her up. She reminds me of Wonder Woman. Yeah, I can see one kid on the block having the infrastructure and then bringing over your own collection to have a gathering. If I had Barbies, I would have done that. Sigh.
Argentum Vulgaris — Thanks for the visit and the add!
Babs Beetle — I’m afraid kids these days don’t use enough of their own creative juices. With a good imagination, a box or a rag doll can be a wonderful thing!
Cat Lady Diary — Oh, crap! Sorry ’bout that. Did you think you could sit on the furniture?
Surfie — Oooo! Conversion furniture! I haven’t colored in many years, except maybe for a couple times coloring on the placemats at restaurants. And so what if I’m in my 40′s? Just stop me!
Joan Raskiewicz — I wouldn’t either! Thanks for sharing your creativity. It really doesn’t take much to be satisfied with less than the latest, greatest thing everyone makes themselves so crazy to buy.
Shelly — Good for your daughter! I love your story about the city of boxes. Doesn’t get any better than a crapload of kids hanging out with their cars and imagining something bigger and better than they really had.
Gomez — Got that right. No kid has to have everything. It spoils them and they don’t learn appreciation for the finer things they do get.
Susan — A maxi pad! Sheer brilliance! I tip my hat to your mom. That’s love.
Grace — Poor Betsy Wetsy, all nekkid and being drug around. Your toys may have been simple, like mine, but I turned out just fine and didn’t suffer one bit for not having the latest, greatest.
Anna’s Adornments — Oh, yes! The carrying case for all the accessories. Almost forgot about that. My friend had that too. Oh, geez. That Barbie on your blog looks like Jackie O, except a blonde! Tres chic!
Oyvind — I knew someone would mention The Boxes. Oh, the boxes. Hours of fun! I always knew Silver Arrow was a thief!
SuziCate — Doesn’t everyone make them do the nasty? You and I had similar upbringings, same toys, same “having to make do.” No problem with that, just makes you open up the mind more and see the possibilities in a shoebox and some Weebles.
DJ — Tiny food! Necessity is the mother of invention, eh? Wow, you lived in the middle of nowhere, didn’t you?
Momma Drama — I can see why you were spoiled. Wanted for so long. What a nice story. Your kids sound creative and most importantly, happy as clams. Good for you.
Barb — Buster Brown! I’m loving reading about these older toys/products. What a flashback. But holy crap! Your friend with everything? Must have felt like walking into a wonderland when you visited. A kid’s dream, for sure. Nekkid Midge. Har!
injaynesworld — Jill, Jan and Ginny? Who? Wow, I’m really out of the loop. Freaking Barbie. And yeah, kids today are so plugged in, they’d hardly know what to do with a Lego set, now would they?
Sharon Heg — Same here! One of our favorite games in the neighborhood was “Kick the Can.” I swear, twenty kids would come out to play for that and then we’d all scatter when the first Dad whistled that dinner was ready. Good times.
Bernie — Oh, those paper dolls sound so neat! Do you remember Colorforms? Heh. Poopy hair! Hey, I won’t tell about your brother. He doesn’t need to know we’re talking about him in The Drawer. Now, if you told me he still plays with them, then we’d have to worry.
Sheila — I have a vague recollection of Tuesday Taylor. What a cool concept to change her hair. Wish we could do that to our own heads. I’d pick blonde straight hair over my curly brown hair! Sorry about your sister’s trauma. Glad your daughters and you are living it up now!
ann — Boxes make the best houses, don’t they? There’s one picture of us as kids from a Christmas in the late 60s. There are toys scattered everywhere, but where are my sister and I? Sitting in the boxes.
Shieldmaiden1196 — I think every other doll made at that time was a Barbie-wannabe. Close, but no cigar. As for your imagination, nothing wrong with a little risque, eh? It’s only disturbing if you’re still doing that now.
Maureen — Handmade is always better. No, the second you throw out all her toys, she’ll scream bloody murder that you ruined her childhood memories. I say keep ‘em.
A Valdese Blogger — Hit the nail on the head. My sister and I used to have “marble races” down the back of one of our couches that had a laminate top. The couch was just “off” enough to create a little slope. Marbles and gravity. Nothing funner.
JD at I Do Things — I don’t think we can be friends anymore.
April 8th, 2010 at 5:58 pm
I not only didn’t have a Barbie Dream House, my mother had to hang a pork chop around my neck on a string so the dog would play with me. And you think you were deprived!
.-= Tarheel Rambler´s last blog ..Welcome To Emerald City =-.
April 8th, 2010 at 6:48 pm
Reading these comments is like being 6 years old again! What a fun idea this was.
.-= Buggys´s last blog ..My Family – Conversations =-.
April 8th, 2010 at 8:04 pm
@Kathy: Ditto about the Erector set – they are the same toys.
I am sorry that you see it impossible to continue your friendship with JD because of Barbie doll accessories – perhaps both of your moms can talk over the phone and try to reconcile you two.
LMAO
—
Lee – I am guessing you didn’t have friends ? I think I remember reading that you moved often and therefore changed schools a lot.
.-= Jaffer´s last blog ..ManiaRavings.com is re-launching ! =-.
April 8th, 2010 at 8:15 pm
I always ALWAYS wanted the Baby Go Bye Bye and NEVER got it! And the Easy Bake Oven… “Noooo it’s too dangeroussss!” So guess what. When I was in college, my dad bought be an Easy Bake Oven. And I made EVERY recipe!!!
.-= Katherine´s last blog ..The Easter Bunny Rocks! =-.
April 8th, 2010 at 8:58 pm
“Sometimes the things that make the best toys were never toys to begin with!” That is the best! It forces you to be creative. When I was younger I didn’t have all the cool toys like everyone else. I was creative and made my own toys. Now, I’m the creative one and wouldn’t have it any other way.
.-= Innovatively Simple´s last blog ..Is Good Customer Service That Hard To Provide? =-.
April 8th, 2010 at 10:28 pm
Grace reminded me of Betsy Wetsy – yes, I had one of those!! Barbie was after my time but I had Toni and Bob. Gee that sounds like a reality show!!
Sniffie and the Florida Furkids
.-= Sniffie and the Florida Furkids´s last blog ..Tired Thursday – purrs and prayers please =-.
April 9th, 2010 at 12:52 am
No Barbies for me. Daddy thought they made little girls grow up too fast. I did have a family of dolls and I distinctly remember creating rooms out of shoe boxes and outfits out of bits of fabric and construction paper. I was one of those kids who was either running around, on swings or the jungle gym with friends or at home coloring or playing dolls by myself.
.-= Anna´s last blog ..Stuff =-.
April 9th, 2010 at 12:54 am
Hi Kathy,
My mom was very crafty so while I did have a Strawberry Shortcake doll, her house was handmade by my mom. I always wanted a Cabbage Patch doll, but instead I got a homemade one based on a pattern my mom bought. I did love that doll to bits though. I have got to say though that I have related the fact that I asked for a Cabbage Patch doll every Christmas and never got one to many of my friends. My dear friend, Steph, surprised me on my 31st birthday with a “real” Cabbage Patch doll. I sat there at the restaurant with tears in my eyes and the biggest grin on my face. So it only took 27 years but I eventually got my childhood wish. Maybe someone will surprise you one day with your Barbie Dream House.
.-= Jessica´s last blog ..How Do I Love Rural Living =-.
April 9th, 2010 at 5:09 am
Gosh, I am so old, I don’t remember what toys I had as a child. I think I had play horse statues and some things my father made for us. He was great at making toys that moved like trucks and things. Guess he wanted me to be a boy. They were fun to play with though. I was horse crazy as a child though.
.-= Marg´s last blog ..Inflammatory bowel Disease in Cats =-.
April 9th, 2010 at 7:24 am
I had a Barbie house, but I was a very strange kid. My Barbie didn’t have a family. She lived by herself and “could do whatever she wanted to.” No surprise – that was my life when I grew up for quite a long time, ’til I met Brian! But the Barbie house was only the beginning of my odd childhood (which led to an equally odd adulthood). One of my favorite toys was my microscope, but that aside, I spent most of my time making toys, like the cardboard house with the tile roof, each tile carefully cut and colored. Or the time travel machine I made up out of my head. Or the 19th century figurine I made out of some weird clay I made myself. The one thing I regret never having? A chemistry set. But it probably would have been dangerous in my hands.
.-= Janiss´s last blog ..Shameless Promotion =-.
April 9th, 2010 at 7:36 am
OH!! I am so excited that someone else never had a Barbie doll. I thought I was the little girl in this whole country who didn’t have one! It was the one thing I desperately wanted and never got. (My parents were fanatical thrifty people. I would get the $.99 imitation Barbie doll.) When I had a daughter, I think I bought her every Barbie doll on the market. At the age of 25, she still has some in the boxes!
.-= Lindsey Petersen´s last blog ..The Easter Bunny Goes Pee… =-.
April 9th, 2010 at 7:48 am
So I had a couple Barbies, but never the dream house or car. The only “extra” I remember having was a locker with a mirror and ballet bar on the back for my “fitness” Barbie. HAHA. I did, however, have two JEM dolls – you know, the ones with the earrings that flashed – the original JEM and Glitter & Gold JEM. But going back to the talk about knock-offs versus the real thing, when I was just a few years old, Cabbage Patch Kids were the thing (just like Tickle Me Elmo was in the 90s). Either my parents couldn’t afford one, my mom couldn’t justify to herself spending some obscene amount of money for a doll (she is a very thrifty woman to this day), or as was the case with Elmo, all the “real” CPKs with the signature imprinted on the butt were sold out, so for Christmas I ended up with a fake CPK. Thing is, I didn’t realize this (and hence, didn’t care either way) until 8 or so years later!
.-= Jenny´s last blog ..Another new Lehigh Valley hotel: Value Place =-.
April 9th, 2010 at 8:07 am
I got a few Barbies and the camper, but NEVER new clothes, which was the whole point of having a Barbie, right?? When my daughter was into them, I bought the clothes like a fiend.
I had a mixture of things. I would get a lot of generic things like your dolly, but then every so often, I would get something hip–like the Chrissy doll who’s hair would grow long or short. I would really appreciate the hip toy because they were few and far between. I guess that would be considered a fair compromise.
.-= Lin´s last blog ..Life……in miniature =-.
April 9th, 2010 at 8:44 am
Loved JD’s comment and your reply!!!
.-= Babs – beetle´s last blog ..Sofa Conversation #1 =-.
April 9th, 2010 at 8:59 am
The publicist remembers having Barbie but not much else.
Her brain fails her…
.-= Pricilla´s last blog ..AbbyDay – I Am Auditioning for a MAJOR ROLE!!!!! =-.
April 9th, 2010 at 9:26 am
I had a fair number of Barbies, and the Dream House, but I didn’t get every one that I asked for. My aunt was a seamstress and had lots of leftover fabric, which my cousin used to sew clothes, comforters, pillows, etc., for our Barbies. We used shoe boxes for their beds, and the shoes themselves for their cars. Apparently we weren’t too bothered about sticking our precious dolls in sweaty shoes so they could go for a drive.
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April 9th, 2010 at 1:23 pm
I never had a Barbie either. Or any Barbie related products. I was more of a TomBoy and I preferred to play with trucks! And thankfully my younger brother had millions of them for me to steal!
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April 9th, 2010 at 1:33 pm
My wife and I debate this sort of thing all the time. She grew up with only a few toys she was completely in love with while my sister had dozens of Barbies. My wife still has a few of her toys she has a sentimental attachment to and my sister gave all her Barbies away. It’s hard to tell which is better and how we will handle our children and their requests for toys. I’d rather get them things they really enjoy and will stand out in their minds when they’re my age.
April 9th, 2010 at 2:57 pm
I want that pink laptop too! I only had one Barbie, because she was expensive. I did have 2 Dawn dolls, smaller versions of Barbie and not as cool. I ended up cutting their hair off.
Oh the cool thing was my Mom used to sew handmade clothes for the dolls.
April 9th, 2010 at 3:48 pm
I didn’t get the Barbie Dream House under the Christmas tree – I got the Charlie’s Angels hide-a-way treehouse. http://www.plaidstallions.com/hasbro/angels7.jpg
April 9th, 2010 at 5:40 pm
Tarheel Rambler — Thanks for the bust-a-gut laugh, Lee!
Buggys — Agreed. Although I’m bummed I don’t know some of these toys. But I guess it makes sense with me being deprived and all. Let’s all have a pity party for me, mmmm-K?
Jaffer — LMAO is right. You’re like the Henny Youngman of Tribal Blogs and Junk Drawer. Now go look up Henny Youngman.
Katherine — I love, love, love that your Dad finally got you an Easy Bake Oven. Brought a tear to my eye. That’s just too awesome for words.
Innovatively Simple — Well said, buddy. Hell, we were probably doing the whole recycling movement before it became popular to find new uses for empty paper towel rolls and boxes and whatever else our little hands could see new uses for.
Sniffie and the Florida Furkids — Toni and Bob?! Not only a reality show, but like the movie Bob and Carol and Ted and Alice.
Anna — Are not shoe boxes always the start of something creative? And how many diaramas did we make out of them? I like how your Dad’s mind worked. You probably benefited from having to make a few things yourself. You could sit back and relish in a job well done.
Jessica — I’m sitting her grinning myself over you having gotten a real Cabbage Patch doll all those years later. I can just picture your joy. Thanks so much for sharing that story. How fun!
Marg — My sister Ann was a “horse crazy child” too. She had many plastic horses to play with. One of them lost its tail in some kind of accident. No problem. Stick a tissue in its butt and look! New tail!
Janiss — I love that you put so much loving care into building your houses. And, boy, you sound like you weren’t afraid of science toys either. And time machines are the best, aren’t they? You never know where you’ll end up.
Jenny — Nope, totally blanking on the JEM dolls. You were a child of the 80s, weren’t you? I was long before that. I always hated that stupid Cabbage Patch craze that made people insane momentarily. And for what? Kids thinking their parents didn’t care enough? How was that helpful? I’m glad you didn’t notice your fake CPK. Didn’t matter, did it?
Lin — Yes, the clothes made the doll, sadly. See? You DID appreciate more when you got something special. That’s what’s wrong with kids today. They have no idea of special because they want everything.
Babs Beetle — I broke down and emailed her today. She can still be my friend, but she can never speak of her rotisserie to me again.
Pricilla — That’s OK. It happens to all of us. Go nudge her and give her that sympathetic look. She’ll appreciate it.
absepa — Neat that you got handmade clothes and someone to make them. Sweaty shoe cars? Awesome. Nothin’ wrong with that!
meleah rebeccah — Lots of tom boys here! I’m glad to see it. Boys and girls should just play with whatever makes them happy campers, eh?
Nutrition Degree — I like how you think. I’m totally with you on giving kids the things they either have to earn or decide that they really, REALLY want. Otherwise, nothing is special and memorable. Symptom of affluenza, me thinks.
Snow Miser — Wow, I had no idea the Charlie’s Angels had a treehouse. It actually looks pretty cool, and even better that it clearly doesn’t puke pink.
April 9th, 2010 at 10:10 pm
I loved hot wheels and it was nice that they were cheap..I drew a whole town of roads and buildings on the floor of my closet, the floors were hard wood and I used markers..I wonder if it is still there? I named my city eagle rock, it had everything even a drive in movie place…I drove the hot wheels everywhere on those roads, man that was fun!
April 10th, 2010 at 11:33 am
I had very few toys– had to make my own toys. Seriously! I did have an Easy Bake oven (gift from a merciful relative), it worked for about an hour… then my stupid brother decided to bake his Pokey and Gumby toy in it. Bye bye Easy Bake. :-p
I never had dolls as a girl. I know, BIG SURPRISE, huh? We had Matchbox cars. I had no girlfriends, no girl neighbors, nothing. Families bred boys in my suburb like flies breed larvae. A girl finally moved in when I was 13.. and she had Barbies. I was like: WTH? What is that pink stick with yellow strands of plastic hanging off the top?
We didn’t miss much, Kathy. Barbies are SHALLOW.
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April 10th, 2010 at 4:09 pm
Beanie Babies. It will always be beanie babies. I’ve always had at least over 100, maybe over 200. And only cats and dogs. And I still have most of them in a chest in our spare room.
April 10th, 2010 at 9:57 pm
I and my sisters always had unbranded dolls and lots of creativity! Who needs a branded dollhouse when you can build one from a basket and turn a large comb into a ladder to climb on to the terrace? We made clothes for them, wove large stories around them, and even made a portrait with all of them sitting together. You could get them wet, or paint their faces – no damage.This made them great for experiments
. The one who built the basket dollhouse is an architect now, and I’m an MPhil in theoretical physics…. So, no brand names please!
April 11th, 2010 at 12:28 am
LMAO my sister was 8 years older. I WAS not wearing bell bottoms. My mom made me all the party dresses, and I still get called Nellie Olsen to this day because of it. Not name brand clothes, but they were new.
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April 11th, 2010 at 4:21 am
I had the Barbie Camper Van, which was pretty cool, and a fair bit of other Barbie stuff.
I always wanted to play an instrument as a child, though, so I would draw lines on empty coke bottles and use the indents at the end to stick under my chin and pretend they were violins. I was a lonely child.
But yeah, had a good amount of nifty toys that I loved, like teddies and My Little Ponies.
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April 11th, 2010 at 4:38 am
Jackie D – How awesome would that be to go back to that house and see if your highway system was still there?
Crabby Blogging Lady — Brothers. Always ruining things! Funny how you got a view of Barbie world when a girl moved in. Yes, Barbies are shallow. And I loved reading about how weird it would look if a real woman had Barbie’s measurements. Freak of nature.
Regan — Oh, yes. I remember your Beanies. Great that you still have them. So do you think when you go off to college, you’ll just look at them and go “Meh.” and throw them out?
Fifthmarch — So cool! I can imagine your makeshift house with your comb ladder. All with imaginary stories to round out the fun! Good on both of you!
Sew Ducky — Well, at least you weren’t called a Nellie Olson because you were one of the mean girls. And how nice you had one-of-a-kind things to wear. That’s love.
Elisha — Aw!!! I love your musical instruments made out of Coke bottles. So creative! And you’re the first person to mention a teddy. I had one too that I loved. He was pink and wore a clown outfit. I named him Pookie.
April 11th, 2010 at 8:59 pm
I had a toy dog teddy, he wore patchwork looking overalls. I called him Poochie. ^-^
I also had a teddy called Edward who has a nice scarf, he’s cute. I still have them both, along with a small bear that glows in the dark. He’s called Glow Bear… I must have been feeling very creating the day he was named!
I had heaps of teddies, but I didn’t keep them all as I got older. Just the really special ones. ^-^ Do you still have Pookie?
.-= Elisha´s last blog ..Need a new job =-.
April 14th, 2010 at 4:37 pm
This made me feel badly for my mom. She provided me with every single Barbie doll that came out. And what did I do? Stripped ‘em naked, shaved their heads and put their clothes on Ken. I wonder what was wrong with me. LOL Drove her nuts.
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April 17th, 2010 at 4:04 am
Elisha — I love a teddy in overalls! And a glow bear? What a fun idea. I don’t have Pookie anymore, but I do have a dozen teddies in our walk-in closet, bears that my husband bought me from time to time when we were dating. It looks like that scene in ET where he was hiding in the kids’ bedroom. All eyes forward!
Corrina — It started young, didn’t it? I love your alternate universe!
April 19th, 2010 at 8:01 pm
Ahh, well that’s nice too. I keep mine in the top of our closet. All eyes forward too, and Glow Bear is good to look at at night – I always leave the closet door open for some reason – when I’ve got the heebie jeebies from remember a scary movie I watched a while back. Why do I watch scary movies? *shakes head*
.-= Elisha´s last blog ..Need a new job =-.
May 1st, 2010 at 1:13 am
I never had a Barbie doll. But I had a Sindy
Never really liked Barbie dolls anyhow. (That small waist was too intimidating for me, it still is! lol) I also had a Sindy bedroom. Of course, I wanted to have the complete doll house but those things were so expensive back then and we couldn’t afford it.
I don’t think I ever made my own toys though – I just had the cheap unbranded version of everything lol
And I loved every one of my toys. Still have many of them to this day
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June 7th, 2010 at 1:54 pm
Like the Toy Story movies, awesome animation.
August 22nd, 2010 at 8:12 pm
I can’t say I was particularly upset by the absense of barbie in my life, as a child. Being a boy, Barbie was just something I trod on from time to time. I’ve often been curious though, why do barbies come with clothes on, because my little sister had barbies and they would just all end up naked in a pile somewhere. The only time they’d end up dressed, was when my sister’s friend Craig came around… go figure… One thing I can confess to was having too much fun helping my sister play with her Oh Penny stuff. I could get distracted for hours setting up all the little furniture things. A terrible state of affairs I know. I would love a Pink VAIO too. Soon paint it camoflage color, heh. Thanks for a great post.
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November 2nd, 2010 at 4:12 pm
I bought my daughter a generic American Girl Doll and she was none the wiser! We’ve built doll furniture out of cardboard and had a blast. Although we do buy some brand name stuff, I don’t think it’s always necessary. Sometimes you have more fun with the stuff you make yourself. (Go cereal boxes!)
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