My Childhood

It's been a little while since I posted anything, so I figured it was time to do so. Lately I've been thinking and wondering what kinds of things Liam is going to like when he's a kid. I wonder what the coolest toys will be, and if I'll have to deal with a child who begs for them whenever we go to a store. So that got me thinking about the things that remind me of my childhood. I'm talking about toys and games and TV shows and such. Things that when I see or hear mention of them these days, I get a little nostalgic. So growing up as a girl in the 80s, here are some of the things I quite enjoyed back then (in no particular order of importance or even in date order):

Barbies: I had a TON of Barbies, and played with them all the time. Fave: Peaches and Cream Barbie

Pogo Ball: Shaped like Saturn and tons of jumping fun

Ribbon Streamers: Great for twirling around and dancing with
Care Bears: I still have my Care Bears lunch box I got in preschool
Strawberry Shortcake: I loved anything Strawberry Shortcake
My Little Pony: My favorite one was pink with teal hair

Hula Hooping: In my adult life, I can't do it to save my life, but back in the day I could handle two at once and even walk around while hula hooping. Skills.
Popples: I had one that was a soccer ball when you rolled it up
Jem and the Holograms: I had books and dolls and watched the cartoon. I always wanted some big star earrings.

The Disney Channel: I stayed with my grandparents a lot and they had satellite TV, so I watched it all the time when I was there. Back then, the Disney Channel played old stuff so I mostly remember old Mickey Mouse cartoons and Disney movies.
Nickelodeon: If I wasn't watching the Disney Channel, I was definitely watching Nickelodeon. Double Dare, Inspector Gadget, You Can't Do That on Television, Out of Control, Looney Toons, Mr. Wizard, then later on-Pete and Pete, Salute Your Shorts, Hey Dude, Doug, Rugrats, Ren and Stimpy, etc. Then you had the old shows they aired like Dennis the Menace and Lassie. My favorite was probably Clarissa Explains it All, though. I do have a fondness for old school Nickelodeon.

The Monkees: For some reason, Nickelodeon aired episodes of The Monkees TV show from the sixties. As a result, they were my favorite band when I was 7. I'm pretty sure I entered a contest to meet them.

Nick at Nite: Man, I sure watched a lot of Nickelodeon. I would watch Nick at Nite with my grandparents. I loved Mr. Ed, The Patty Duke Show, The Donna Reed Show, Dobie Gillis, My Three Sons, Alfred Hitchcock Presents, Green Acres, etc. I also remember watching Laugh-In and Mork and Mindy. All that old stuff! I also asked them if the TV was broken since it was in black and white.
Dirty Dancing: Yes, I was allowed to watch this movie as a child whenever it came out. I remember dancing to "I've Had the Time of My Life" on the second grade playground!

Walk Like an Egyptian: This was my favorite song for a while when I was a kid, and yes, I walked around doing the Egyptian arms.
California Raisins: Remember when they were huge? I still have my California Raisins I got from all those kid's meals at Hardees in Homer.

New Kids on the Block: Around 4th grade every girl loved them. I remember being quite upset when I didn't get to go to either concert they performed in Shreveport. Then I remember the hubub dying down in 5th grade. Were they really that short-lived, or am I not remembering it correctly?
The Baby Sitters Club: I was obsessed. Lots of books, movies...the board game. You name it, I probably had it. That obsession lasted for years. Well, it lasted until I was 13, which is the same age as the girls in the books. Once they were no longer older than me, it was no longer cool. I have the same birthday as the author, Ann M. Martin, though. I was truly upset when I found out years later that most of the BSC books were ghost-written.

 

There you have it, some of the things that remind me of my childhood. There's so much more I could add, but I will stop there. Perhaps I'll get Will to post about his childhood since he's a boy and liked different stuff. This post was fun!