The toys that made a difference to you...

[amazinblue82]

I had chance to speak to an esteemed FCBO member about the toys..not the "big boy/girl" kind that weigh a couple of tons..of my youth that helped fan/spark the flames of today's passion for iron and steel.

I had many but one stands out.

"Santa Claus" picked it up at our local A&P supermarket just in time for Christmas 1964. Man oh man. Crusader 101. I dont have many things left from my youth...I still have this toy 50 years later. Me, the beige guy, and my sisters' Barbie dolls took many an adventure.

http://www.collectorsweekly.com/stories/23404-1964-crusader-101-by-deluxe-reading

Please post a picture or a reference to the toys of your era that made an impact...the pedal car, the soap box racer, the Hot Wheel set, the pedal/motorized bike, the model car, building kit, train set, push toy, whatever..on you that resonates to the present. Maybe you still have it, like I still have my Crusader 101?

 

[commando1]

As soon as I saw the thread headline I had already thought of my

 

[Big_John]

Two toys come to mind....

My 1957 Garton Hot Rod. Bought new for me and I still have it! Here's my (now grown) sons with it.


And my Erector set. I played with that constantly... It gave me a love for building mechanical things from my imagination. I have bits and pieces that were returned to me after being handed down a couple times along with the now very rusty box. I never would have let it get in that kind of disrepair when I owned it!

 

[70NPORT]

I had a kick *** mongoose BMX much like this one....my 'goose I used to call it. Everybody had mag wheels and pads. Jumped every and anything. Started building them from scratch with some tools my dad gave me one christmas. After that I graduated to cars.

 

[commando1]

The taste in bikes in one generation went 180 degrees. Amazing. A Mongoose was the rage when you came of age. I think I ran over new one in my semi once.

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[300rag]

As soon as I saw the thread headline I had already thought of my

"Lowest Price Full-size Model" - some things never change.

 

[70NPORT]

The taste in bikes in one generation went 180 degrees. Amazing. A Mongoose was the rage when you came of age. I think I ran over new one in my semi once.

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Thank you for that piece of fine commentary.

 

[commando1]

As soon as I saw the thread headline I had already thought of my

"Lowest Price Full-size Model" - some things never change.

Extremely Freudian. Excellent observation.

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[Zymurgy]

I grew up outside, so Tonka toys were my favorite. My dad built my childhood home when I was 3. I had a huge sand pile left over from our brick house construction and it remained in the backyard for many years until I quit playing with them.

I got one at Christmas several years in a row. The loader was by far my favorite. The crain was the biggest disappointment the strings were always twisted and eventually broke. It also took too long to move the sand, compared with the loader.

 

[amazinblue82]

Folks submitting so far...really COOL stuff. generations change, stuff changes too, but wow. thanks to all of you for starting the thread in the spirit intended...we'll see how long it stays on track :yaayy:

as the sixties progressed, here is the bike i HAD to have. "Santa" Daddy/Mommy had revealed their true identities by then and in 1969 my wish came true: i got my Orange Krate "drag" bike"!

1970 saw the addition of a "sissy" bar...(second photo.. it not my bike actual bike though. i couldn't find the one photo in existence of it with me as a pre-teen wanna-be racer)

 

[Zymurgy]

I forgot about that bike I had the generic 1 speed Huffy with banana seat and sissy bar. My best friend had that bike and I thought it was so cool with the 5 speed shifter. Thanks for the memories, totally forgot about that bike.

 

[70NPORT]

Folks submitting so far...really COOL stuff. generations change, stuff changes too, but wow. thanks to all of you for starting the thread in the spirit intended...we'll see how long it stays on track :yaayy:

as the sixties progressed, here is the bike i HAD to have. "Santa" Daddy/Mommy had revealed their true identities by then and in 1969 my wish came true: i got my Orange Krate "drag" bike"!

1970 saw the addition of a "sissy" bar...(second photo.. it not my bike actual bike though. i couldn't find the one photo in existence of it with me as a pre-teen wanna-be racer)

That is KOOWELL!

 

[amazinblue82]

That is KOOWELL!

i loved that bike brother...i was the only one in the neighborhood for several months with one. I wasnt/still aint the "hey look at me" type, but for a while i was "da man" with my buds for six months in 1970 :glasses2:

 

[amazinblue82]

I forgot about that bike I had the generic 1 speed Huffy with banana seat and sissy bar. My best friend had that bike and I thought it was so cool with the 5 speed shifter. Thanks for the memories, totally forgot about that bike.

the shifter, the big/little setup, the springs, the bling...what a bike. traded it for this bike in '72-'73 time frame when ten-speeds became all the rage: A Schwinn Varsity.

But i learned sellers remorse tho on that deal..for the first time of many deals as it has turned out. Everybody had ten-speeds...FEW had any of the Krate bikes. i was just another kid on a bike after that...then came cars.

 

[72Fury]

I had a Pea Picker. They were heavy bikes, but would love to have it back. Slick rear tire, shocks on the banana seat, drum front brake, speedo. The BMX bikes were the rage shortly afterwards. Skateboards, Legos, & built many models.

 

[amazinblue82]

I had a Pea Picker. They were heavy bikes, but would love to have it back. Slick rear tire, shocks on the banana seat, drum front brake, speedo. The BMX bikes were the rage shortly afterwards. Skateboards, Legos, & built many models.

A Pea Picker...must be this one?

 

[72Fury]

That's it! I had the Schwinn speedometer & headlight/tail light with the generator that ran off the rear tire. No wonder why it was so heavy. I got it at a yard sale for something like $35 & sold it later on for $45. I had quite a few of the GI Joes, and some really cool slot cars. One was a tractor trailer race set, that would change lanes if you turned a small steering wheel on top of the trigger handle. All sold at a yard sale when I went off to school . I had a Honda Z50 and later on a MR50 , that I bought with grass cutting money. Now that was the *&% when your a kid. Good memories.

 

[mr. fix it]

two words...

Hot Wheels!!!!

 

[amazinblue82]

two words...

Hot Wheels!!!!

my first kit..birthday gift (i think) 1971... (stock internet photo, but this was the set I got.

http://hotwheelsracetracks.wordpress.com/2012/04/07/1970-hot-wheels-super-charger-speed-test-set/

 

[70NPORT]

I have a bunch of mopar hot wheels, one is a superbird.