Sunday, June 27, 2010

Toy stories

Noel and I went to see Toy Story 3 tonight -- second time for him, first for me. It's no spoiler to say that the ending has to do with our memories of the toys that were important to us as kids. Some folks on the blogs and Twitter have been describing their best toy ever.

I have a hard time with that question. When I was a kid, at least as I remember it, toys took a back seat to books. I curled up with books much more often than I played with toys. And my most indelible memories of playing with toys are playing with my older brother's stuff. Much like my little girl just bounces into her brother's room and joins in with whatever he's doing, whenever she's allowed, I wanted to glom onto Dwayne's playtime.

So my favorite toy ever was a Hot Wheels car. Rocket Bye Baby was the model name; it was a futuristic, low-slung affair with curvy lines, a bubble-topped passenger compartment, and a huge jet nacelle on top. In my eyes, Rocket was the king of the Hot Wheels village, always leading the pack and saving the day.

Maybe my parents remember the toys I played with better than I do. Or maybe you remember your best toy ever with more clarity and fondness. I'd love to hear about it in the comments!

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

Definitely my Mrs. Beasley doll, modeled after Buffy's doll in "Family Affair." I can remember carrying her all day, and a number of photos from that period seem to confirm that she was always close at hand. I also recall being very enamored with my Spyrograph, and sitting for hours at a time cross-legged on the bed making picture after picture.

Eric Grubbs said...

My childhood was all about Star Wars action figures, along with Matchbox cars. I think they're still essential for kids.