Star Wars came out last week, and it reminded me of one of my favorite toys, the X-Wing Fighter. It seems like children today have such a huge selection of toys to choose from, but I thought I would take you through yesteryear to see if there were any toys that you received Christmas morning that still warm your heart today.
Some of the toys we loved, just never seem to go away. I guess that's why they are classics. The Rubic's Cube, Lego, Hot Wheels, Teddy Bears, and the classic John Deere riding tractor are still around today.
To me what has always made a toy successful, is the ability to attach the imagination to the object. If a child can take themselves away to another place through that toy it truly becomes special.
Creativity is also one of the hallmarks of a great toy. I remember creating on a Lite-Bright till I could see the image even when I closed my eyes. Remember trying to get the Etch-a-Sketch to draw a line on angle or even a circle? Original art pieces gone with a shake, shake, shake.
My friends and I spent countless hours with toys that were automotive based, such as building the coolest cars out of Lego, assembling slot car tracks, or pulling the rip cord out of the top of our Smash 'em Up Derby cars and letting the two objects race towards each other over a ramp with certain cataclysmic destruction imminent.
The Cabbage Patch doll and Teddy Bears, were something that never quite caught on in our household, but I remember having to pretend I cared as every girl in the school seemed to have one, so you had to either try to steal one to get a girl to chase you, or pretend that you cared about Cabbage Patch dolls as your crush rambled on about all the fun things they did together.
It seems like there are only a few toys like this that really stick out in a person's mind. I must have received countless toys over the years, but these are the ones that stick. Memories of me, and my friends and relatives bonding over our collective imaginations, hours upon hours that felt like minutes as time just seemed to melt away.
I didn't want to write anything to deep this holiday. We at Socially Correct wish you the Merriest of Christmases, and the Happiest New Year. May you feel the joy of a child opening their presents on Christmas Day. God bless you, your family and your co-workers.