52 Weeks of Personal Genealogy & History:- Week 7, Toys

This week's blog challenge:

• Week 7: Toys. What was your favourite childhood toy? Is it still being made in some form today?

I was a real bookworm as a child. In fact, I use to read so much, curled up in my room, or on the sofa in the lounge, that my Dad used to often tell me to go outside and play.

Dad often brought toys back from his trips at sea - often from the States. Toys that we couldn't get in NZ. I remember when I was very young, Dad brought home a walking talking doll that was as big as me! She had curly hair, and I remember the first time I saw her walking: Dad had set her off, and she came walking into my bedroom crying "Ma-Ma, Ma-Ma". Well, I freaked out . . .  she terrified me!

As I said in the previous week, I was given a mechanical Dalek - which I thought really cool. Didn't last for long, as it broke. I played with my various Barbie dolls of course. Loving the ones with bendy knees. I use to role play, and act stories out with them; later I was to get good marks at school for my creative writing.

My Dad brought a lime green bike back from a trip, it had ape hangers and a banana seat, with "Dill Pickle" painted across its crossbar.

I remember a space hopper and a pogo stick at one point. And roller skates - I loved my roller skates. They were adjustable, strap on kind. We had a rink nearby that played disco music. I loved to dance (still do) and roller skating to music was just so much fun!

I played tennis, badminton and netball. So got a tennis racquet, badminton set and a netball at various stages of my life.

If I can't choose books, then I guess my favourite "toy" from when I was a young child, was probably my Barbie dolls (if I couldn't read books, then I could make stories up).

And when I was a young teen, it would have been my roller skates.

My daughters have had Barbie dolls of all sorts (including the Disney ones), and they have had roller blades - the boot expandable types.