Nostalgia

[Gordon]

I don't know what's been up with me lately, but I've been googling and wikipedia-ing lots of stuff I remember from the good old days when I had no responsibilities other than to wake up in the morning. It's amazing what's out there on the internet. Even really obscure stuff shows up in google searches. I've found all sorts of hilariously amazing websites devoted to everything from Burger Chef to literally nothing at all. My point is, for some reason, I've been especially nostalgic lately, and the internet is great fuel for that obsession.

Does anyone have a romantic feeling about some period in your life? It doesn't necessarily involve another person. It may be just a time when things were good for you and looking back, you think and smile.

 

[Bassetluv]

Actually, I discovered ebay out of my nostalgic longing. When I was a little girl I absolutely loved the Best of the West series by Marx (Jane and Johnny West, etc.). What I loved were the horses in the series...Thunderbolt, Thundercolt, Comanche, Pancho, Flame...and I kept asking for them, for birthdays and Christmas. I only ever got one - Comanche - and that was from my grandmother, who had no idea I'd been asking for them. (Tragedy struck Comanche a few months later when my younger sister - horror of horrors - sat on him and broke his leg. Needless to say, for a long time after that I wanted to be an only child.) My friend down the street did have the entire set, everything from the horses to the people to the dogs, the buffalo, the wagons, and the barn. I was so envious of her...but at least got to go to her house and play with them. We spent hours saddling and unsaddling the horses, takiong them on pretend riding trips, and just having a wonderful time.

Since I never did really get the horses, about seven years ago I was talking to my son about them and complaining that they were now impossible to find...I never saw any at yard sales, and Marx had stopped making them many years back. So he suggested I try ebay; and of course, I'd never heard of it. But once there I did a search for Marx toys and....there they were!! Dozens of people selling them in various condition, from mint to overly-loved. When I received the first one from an auction I'd bid on, as soon as I saw it all those childhood memories came flooding back. I also stumbled across a plethora of other toys up for auction that either I or one of my siblings had as a child, all made by Marx. Just going to ebay and looking at them still takes me back to the days when the most important part of my day was waking up and wondering what the most fun thing would be to do...play with my toys, run up to the brook and splash about, climb a tree, lie in the field behind our house and dream, or just about anything else that is so fascinating to a child.

So yep, I guess I do too...

 

[seniorcats]

How funny you should mention this. We have been having a stroll down nostalgia lane ever since I bought a couple of bags of Mary Janes. I took them to work and my employees and I finished them off in no time. Then we started in on Necco Wafers.

We found this sitewhere you can order all sorts of old time favorites - bubble gum cigars, candy cigarettes (all very non-PC!), SloPokes, candy necklaces. Sad to say no Black Cows. http://www.hometownfavorites.com/nostalgic-candy.htm

Then that got us started on TV. My parents refused to let us watch more than an hour of TV a week. 'It rots the mind!' they said and I think they were right. I used to love Davey and Goliath. That show was ok'd by my parents because the Lutheran church produced it and it had moral value. I think I liked the music best. I still only watch 1 hour of TV a week and it's Top Chef at the moment. That has more to do with taking care of animals and not having time. http://www.daveyandgoliath.org/

Let's see - penny loafers, saddle shoes, go-go boots, polyester, double knit, 'bleeding' madras, headbands, big bell bottoms, being to twist and shout at recess, Emma Peel and John Steed, Yardley, Mary Quant, seeing the young Elvis in person, hippies, tie dye, pop top cans where the pop top pulled all the way off... yes, I am older than dirt.


Edited to add: OMG! How could I forget Cooties??? And yes, I bought a bunch of Cooties on eBay including the giant Cooties.

 

[Bassetluv]

seniorcats, I loved candy cigarettes and candy necklaces! Whenever we had the opportunity to buy something at Al's (the local corner store), my bag of penny candy always included at least one candy necklace. I wore it with pride - munching on the beads one by one until all that was left was the elastic. Also used to get Joe Bazooka bubblegum. And jawbreakers (lol...my mouth hurts at just the thoughts of those now!). Oh, and pop rocks!!! They were the best. (Okay, confession time...I did something really terrible a few years ago. I found a store in town that sold pop rocks, and so I bought a small pkg and took it home, then gave a few to my dog. You should've seen the look on her face when they started popping! She sure spit them out in a hurry...and she never spits out food, ever... )

And The Avengers was my favorite show for quite some time...I used to pretend I was Emma Peel, all sophisticated and sexy-like at 10 yrs old, but still able to beat up the enemy whilst wearing my sexy high heels.

Oh yeah, and I was totally in love with Captain Kirk from Star Trek. My dad used to think I watched the show because it had weird alien-people in it from time to time, but I was always anticipating the mandatory 'Kirk gets his shirt ripped off and has to fight bare-chested' scenes. *sigh* (Of course now, he reminds me of my dad...ewww )

 

[girlzilla]

ah yes, i love strolling down memory lane. sometimes i drive past my old childhood houses so i can re-live memories

when i was about 10 i lived on the same street as several of my best friends. we would spend all weekend roller blading together, buying lollies at the local shop, exploring the neighbourhood, wreaking havoc and just having good fun. it was the days when it was safe for kids to run around all over the neighbourhood (even at night) and it was safe, parents didn't worry.

i miss those days!

 

[seniorcats]

Bassetluv wrote:

seniorcats, I loved candy cigarettes and candy necklaces! Whenever we had the opportunity to buy something at Al's (the local corner store), my bag of penny candy always included at least one candy necklace. I wore it with pride - munching on the beads one by one until all that was left was the elastic. Also used to get Joe Bazooka bubblegum. And jawbreakers (lol...my mouth hurts at just the thoughts of those now!). Oh, and pop rocks!!! They were the best. (Okay, confession time...I did something really terrible a few years ago. I found a store in town that sold pop rocks, and so I bought a small pkg and took it home, then gave a few to my dog. You should've seen the look on her face when they started popping! She sure spit them out in a hurry...and she never spits out food, ever... )

And The Avengers was my favorite show for quite some time...I used to pretend I was Emma Peel, all sophisticated and sexy-like at 10 yrs old, but still able to beat up the enemy whilst wearing my sexy high heels.

Oh yeah, and I was totally in love with Captain Kirk from Star Trek. My dad used to think I watched the show because it had weird alien-people in it from time to time, but I was always anticipating the mandatory 'Kirk gets his shirt ripped off and has to fight bare-chested' scenes. *sigh* (Of course now, he reminds me of my dad...ewww )

Did you want to be Twiggy or Jean Shrimpton? We were all into 'the British invasion'. I would go to my friend's house to do my homework which really translated into listening to music (45's with those little plastic inserts, 33 and 1/2's), watching The Avengers, The Prisoner and later, Laugh In. James Bond movies were totally wild and my mom had a fit when she found out my brother was going to the drive-in to see the movies.

OMG, I forgot about Pop Rocks!You're poor dog - but it's still a funny story. Then there was the white lipstick and the Yardley eye shadow that came in a little eyeball container. What a laugh. Wonder if any antique stores have those?

 

[MsBinky]

OMG pop rocks, candy necklaces, JAWBREAKERS LOL (the stories of those!)...

What about the ring pops? And how about the sour jawbreakers??? Fun Dip? :biggrin2:My boss had ordered a whole bunch of candy youcan no longer find anywherefor the store and the employees bought have the stock. I think we sold more candy than we were selling toys and games at one point. LOL. The adults would go crazy when they'd see 'em.

 

[Gordon]

Bassetluv wrote:

Oh yeah, and I was totally in love with Captain Kirk from Star Trek. My dad used to think I watched the show because it had weird alien-people in it from time to time, but I was always anticipating the mandatory 'Kirk gets his shirt ripped off and has to fight bare-chested' scenes. *sigh* (Of course now, he reminds me of my dad...ewww )

Now that made me laugh. Did you ever see him in a vintage Twilight Zone episode?

 

[Gordon]

I love reading this stuff, guys. Keep the memories flowing.

 

[seniorcats]

Gordon wrote:

I love reading this stuff, guys. Keep the memories flowing.

Air Raid shelters in public places, concrete home air raid shelters in the back yard, civil defense drills and duck and cover, Corduroy pants, Brylcreme a little dab will do ya', greasers, Mickey Mantle, Cassius Clay, Tickel Bee, pick up sticks and tiddly winks, Camelot Barbie and Ken, instant mashed potatoes, Wonder Bread builds strong bodies 12 ways, cigarette ads on TV and the Marlboro man, Lucky Strike Means Fine Tobacco, Sky King, My Friend Flicka, Fury, orange pop in plastic oranges at the Saturday movies, 50 cent matinees, $5.00 transitor radios,Connie Francis, Annette Funicello,a song called Lyndon Nimrod Fountainpen Johnson, Walter Cronkite, black and white TV, hoola hoops, Fizzies, Dippity Doo and hair tape, getting 'pinned', 1/2 cent Benjamin Franklyn postage stamp,bread and butter notes, the first TV dinners, a six pack of ginger ale labeled as 'Goldwater' (I still have mine).


#1 favorite memory, endless barefoot summers going to the swamp to watch dragonflies and try and catch tadpoles. Leaving our footprints in the mud certain we were 'making fossils' for future generations. Going home dirty and happy.

#2 walking home from school on a crisp fall day, orange blazing leaves. Mom in the kitchen with an apron on an a big tray of fresh baked molasses cookies with mulitcolor sprinkles on top. We called them Joe Froggers.

 

[Gordon]

seniorcats wrote:

Gordon wrote:

I love reading this stuff, guys. Keep the memories flowing.

Those are two great TZ episodes! The fortune telling machine one is one of my favorites, and of course the gremlin is an all-time classic.