52 Weeks of Personal Genealogy and History: Toys

When my kids asked me what my favorite toy was when I was a little girl, it took me awhile to figure it out.  We moved around a lot and my parents didn’t pack up all the old toys to take with us, so they didn’t really re-circulate much.  Toy retirement was quick in those days.   There are two, though, that stand out in my memories. One was the Big Wheel and the other would be the Fisher Price Little People and all their accoutrements. 

Living on ranches, my little brother and I got a lot of mileage out of our Big Wheels.  Ours weren’t shiny and the stickers were long since faded and partially ripped off.  We had seats with a compartment for Stuff.  Sometimes “Stuff” was a snack and sometimes “Stuff” was bugs and grass.  But “Stuff” was always in there.  Unless, of course the seat off so that the Big Wheel could be used as a scooter-like product.  We did this often for obstacle courses and ramps and raceways.  Our Big Wheels got much use.

Our Fisher Price Little People also got a lot of airtime in our childhoods.  We had the Fisher Price Garage, the Fisher Price Village (my favorite- I loved the little Post Office with the little envelopes), the Fisher Price Barn, the Fisher Price School and a few other pieces collected through time.  We had all the usual figures and I clearly remember playing with them into my tweens, pretending they were actual Little People (ala reading Gulliver’s Travels…).  I would make up little scenarios about the different figures and my brother and I even named each of them. 

But honestly, when I think back to the toys, they were all fun.  But the most fun of all?  My little brother was always there to play with them with me.  He was the best toy of all. 

When I told my kids this, though, they rolled their eyes and said, “Yeah, sure, Mom,” in their I-don’t-believe-you way.  And then they went back to making their Star Wars figures fight and dance and I smiled knowing that someday, they’d see that I was right.

I’ll keep telling them how important they are to one another and they’ll keep rolling their eyes right at me into adulthood.  But one day they’ll tell me how right I always was.  I just hope I live long enough to hear it.