Classic Toys: Care To Take A Little Trip? Let’s Head Back To When We Were Cute Little Rug Rats

I thought, OK, I'm getting a jump on Christmas this year.  No more waiting until Christmas Eve and fighting all the last-minute deadbeats at the store.  Oh wait, I was there too, so does that make me....nah, I was just too, ah, busy...yeah, that's it!

Anyway, my kids are grown now with families of their own, so they're not tough.  Heck, a gift card to here or there for them and done.  But the Grandkids?  Well, that's another thing.

Off I go to the toy store...the big store store, if you know what i mean.  The one with acres and acres of...well, toys!  This shouldn't be too tough.

Right.

First off, let me say that at my, ah, advanced and seasoned age, I'm not into the 'video stuff'...games, figures, names, what's hot and what's not.  I don't know an Xbox from a Ybox or a Zbox...nope, the electronic and video junk (Sorry, I mean technological young persons interests) will be left to their Pa and Ma.

Now then, over to the 'real' toys, things I'm familiar with.  This should be easy.

Right.

I thought I could pick up a barbie.  They've been around a million years and are beloved by little girls everywhere.  But wait, there's not a Barbie, there's a thousand different Barbie's!  And each one comes with a thousand Barbie 'accessories'.  After all, what good is a Barbie without special sunglasses (at an extra cost) or a Corvette (at an extra cost).  Oh, there were other, cheaper dolls but they weren't....well, Barbie!

Over to the boys section, after all, 3 Grandsons, all different ages.  I was a boy once (yeah, yeah, hard to believe) so this, finally, would be easy!

Right.

I figured 'Dukes of Hazzard' stuff was still a hot item.  Heck my son loved the Dukes.  After reminding myself that was 1982, I moved into the 21st Century.

A million toys, another million games, all of which were totally unfamiliar to me.  Oh, I found the Lego aisle alright, but unfortunately my bank was closed so I couldn't get a loan to buy the 'middle' priced set.

So, was it easier to buy for kids (or Grandkids) back in the 'old days'?  Maybe not.  I'm sure if my Ma and Pa were still on the planet, they'd say we were as hard to buy for as kids today.  I'm thinking that when we wanted an electric train set, it might have taken a few years off Dad's life to see the price (although he did make it to 86).

But just look at this commercial and see what all us kids wanted back in the 50's and 60's.  Seems pretty simple!