Book of Me, Written by Me, Prompt 17: Toys & Games

The Book of Me, Written by You is a blogging theme where one can write about their own life using blog themes posted each week. More information can be found at Anglers Rest here.

This week’s prompt is – Toys & Games

• Can you remember your first toy, or game?
• Do you still have it?
• Who did you play with?
• Did you play board games?
• Have you inherited any of your family games & toys?
• Share some pictures if you would like to!

I don’t remember my very first toy. According to my baby book, my first toy was a stuffed giraffe. Some toys I remember from younger days—mostly from photos: cowgirl set with a hat and guns in a holster, Lincoln logs, blocks, puzzles, and many dolls which I hated. 

I never was much for dolls. I liked the cars, trains, and guns that my brothers got for Christmas better. I did have a Barbie, given to me in the 4th grade. I also got this cool Barbie house made of cardboard and my next door neighbor, Maryanne also got the house. My mother made a lot of the Barbie clothes for me but I think I had more fun playing with the house than with the Barbie. 

The next year, Troll dolls were the big hit and I saved up my allowance for two weeks to purchase one at 79 cents. I still have that troll doll and many more that I have bought over the years. I made lots of clothes out of felt and little houses from cardboard boxes.

Not my first troll (that's in storage) but very similar to ones I collect now

Some other toys I remember are board games such as Monopoly, Sorry, Scrabble, and Yatzee. Mom loved to play games and we had great fun, especially on rainy days.  We also learned to play all kinds of dice and card games such as Liar’s Dice, Rummy, and Spades.

When we were younger and living in Pittsburg, California where there were nice sidewalks, we had little pedal cars. I had a blue Cadillac that worked with a chain that kept getting loose. My brother had a black and white police car.  It was great fun riding on the driveway and sidewalks. Later we had bikes and would put playing cards on the spokes with clothes pins so they made lots of noise as we rode. Probably drove the neighbors crazy!

I was the oldest, so I remember toys that were in the house for the younger children, such as blocks, metal cars, slot cars, Tinker Toys, dolls and doll clothes. I still have a soft spot for toys. I had fun playing with Legos as my daughters were growing. I still fancy my trolls and love to play board games, especially word games like Scrabble and Boggle, and trivia games.

Copyright © 2014 by Lisa Suzanne Gorrell, My Trails into the Past