WARNING: PARTIAL NUDITY
My mom sent me the following e-mail yesterday:
Lauren,
Dad and I were up at 4:30 this morning. Now it is 6:18 and I am ready for bed even though I took a nap!
While I was trying to sleep, something ran through my mind, and for the life of me, I cannot remember…. What toys did you play with when you were little? Like two or three or even four years old. All I can remember is your Holly Hobbie doll. And Cinders. And books.
Can you help me out?
Love,
Mom
Yikes. That is a tough one. I have trouble remembering what I did yesterday, let alone four decades ago. I really don’t have many memories of playing with stuff that came before kindgergarten. When I started kindergarten my mom babysat a Vietnamese girl. We would play and watch t.v. in the morning and went to kindergarten in the afternoon, but I kind of only remember that as a Fact Of Childhood. I only have a vague impression of being in the living room with something on t.v. – Captain Kangaroo?
As far as toys that I do remember from childhood, there was a laundry basket of stuffed animals. I only remember these because of the nights I would lay awake worrying ‘If the house catches on fire, which ones will I be able to save?” It’s not that they were favorite toys, it’s that they were alive and would never forgive me if I left them there. Good times.
There was a pretty intense Holly Hobbie/Laura Ingalls Wilder phase – I had the doll, the wallpaper, the toy sewing machine and a plethora of lanterns and bonnets. I think I was older, though.
I had some doll bunk beds that were big enough to set up doll furniture in as a two-story home, and a little cubby on my side of our real bunk beds (that should be its own post) that I would set up with furniture. Hmmmm… I didn’t really play with the stuff, just do the setting up.
I know that the siblings had cool stuff to play with, I just can’t remember what.
Included (above) is a picture of stuff I have kept from childhood. Maybe it will spark some ideas and I’ll post later! I am also including a picture of naked Holly Hobbie. It used to disturb me to no end that she only had hair in the front of her head. Who does that? I also found several place where young me tried to stitch her armpits and lower back rips. Sorry, Holly. Plastic surgeons were expensive in the 70’s.
Lloyd, how is Hawaii?
Peggy says
Hey, I say you have a very good memory. Pre-kindergarten is indeed hard to recollect.
My pre-kindergarten doll was Scooba-doo. HA! I found her. I LOVED her song! (the lady in the video cut it off too soon) Was I groovy or what!
http://splicd.com/EfIRfTW368w/25/47
Btw: If she ever needed repair, I would have glued her rips or taped them.
Lauren's mom says
Ah! Now I remember the Holly Hobbie piano!
P. S. Ralph looks like he is interested, but not impressed.
Brad says
I remember seeing partially-bald doll like that when I was a kid. I thought it was weird.
I don’t remember what I played with when I was two or three.