Toys of Christmas Past

Let's talk for a minute (of course, I will be doing all the talking and you'll be doing all the listening, but to be polite...) about toys. Not these new namby, pamby toys like the Lalaloopsy Holiday Ice Crystal doll. I'm sorry J, but Alice will not be getting one of these from me:

 I'm so not a fan.

Instead, let's talk (again, I talk, you listen) about my favorite toys that we got for Christmas growing up. Matt, I'm just going to be talking about my favorite Christmas toys from my childhood. Of course every gift you've given me for Christmas has been my favorite, all of them are tied for first place.

Now, on to the fun!  Of the top three toys that I could recall without anyone's help (the singing Ariel doll would be on this list if I had thought of it on my own, but it wasn't technically given to me or us so I don't think I could really include it, Mar), the third favorite gift wasn't really from my childhood. It was from my teenagehood. Yep, that's a real stage of development. Dr. Piaget just did not get that far.  Nicholas and his then girlfriend whom I shall not name got me and Marla our very own DVD player for Christmas. I know what you are thinking, big deal. You are right, it was a big deal. It was ours. And is still in use. Marla got it in the separation. I got the DVDs, she got the player.

Next up,

Anyone know what that is? It's a Clueless phone. As  in Clueless, the movie. You know, that movie based on that book by that lonely English woman that I didn't know existed when we got this phone. I mean, we didn't call anyone but we were super cool with the phone. It had a voice modifier where were could call people (if we called people) and be all creepy. It also had buttons that said "As if" and "Whatever!" when pressed. Did I mention how cool we were? I mean, check out that headset. We treasured that phone until it died. It went on an involuntary swim in my fish tank compliments of a little boy with idle hands. That little boy then went on an involuntary swim.

Okay, now, it's time for my most memorable (and dare I say favorite?) toy from my childhood. My mom might correct me on this, but I think the Family Talking Dollhouse was my favorite toy as an elementary schooler.  It looks like this:

All of the family and the furniture are outside the house in this picture. I promise, our talking family never had a garage sale like this family appears to be doing. Nor do I remember a grandfather clock and piano.

Anyway, the dolls talked when you put them in certain places in the house. There were little 3-quarter deep holes in all the rooms and whatever the talking family said correlated with that room. I know, I'm not explaining it well. I found you a Youtube video. You are welcome.

Mar, how come we didn't get the vacuum and the art easel, and all that other junk in the video? We played with that dollhouse for years. It very well may still be at my parents' house. Probably in the shed, but still hanging around for posterity. And that isn't a bad thing.

Anyway, there you have it. The rundown of my favorite Christmas gifts from childhood. Do yourself a favor, google "top toys of the '90s" and make your own Toys of Christmas Past list. Go on, you know you want to do it.