As the electronic age ushers in another era of handheld devices to preoccupy the minds of our children, it makes me miss the proverbial good old days. As kids bury their faces in their phones, I can’t help but think we’ve lost a part of fun that can never be reclaimed.
Most kids will never know the joy of sending a Slinky down a flight of steps. How cool was that toy? Invented by a guy working in a factory that made springs, the Slinky is a totally simple product of genius. And they’re still 100% manufactured right here in the USA. Maybe you can explain to your kid that he can text his friends while it walks down the stairs.
My favorite of all time is the Etch-a-Sketch. I love the story behind that one. The inventor met with the board members of Ohio Art and showed it to them. They offered him X amount of dollars. He picked up his prototype and walked out. The board talked it over, called him up, and asked, “Okay, how much do you want?” And that’s what they paid him. Great move, considering they’ve sold about a hundred million units, and the battery has never lost a charge.
Remember Operation? That game was nerve-racking but a lot of fun. I think doctors should be required to master that game before getting their license. Seriously, do you want a doctor who knows how to send and receive emails on his cell phone or one who can pull a plastic bone out without hitting the metal sides and setting off the buzzer?
Two toys that absolutely amazed me as a kid were LiteBrite and Spirograph. Thanks to the owner of The Willow Tree, I finally own a Spirograph. They were magical to me. I could play with those for hours while waiting for my cookies to cook in my Easy Bake Oven.
If you’ve never spun the crank and watched Evel Knievel jump off the platform into a wheelie and zoom about a hundred feet before crashing, which, of course, was what Evel Knievel was known for, then you haven’t lived. For real, that little motorcycle would travel farther than you could stretch the arms of your Stretch Armstrong.
I’ll let the younger generation drool over the latest technological gadgets. As for me, I’ll always remember, with fondness, playing Hide-and-Seek and Flies-and-Skinners with neighbors, going fishing and swimming in the creek, and staying outside until Mom called us in for supper. Will the young folks today ever learn the value of these real games? Let me consult with my psychic advisor. (Shaking Magic 8 Ball) “It is decidedly so.”
Neal Wooten is a columnist in the Mountain Valley News and North Jackson Press newspapers. He can be reached at [email protected].
