Favorite Childhood Toys
The anticipation is bubbling over! With big, gloriously pink bubbles! That’s right, Barbie hits movie theaters tomorrow. All the buzz around Barbie has stirred up nostalgia for the toys that vividly color our childhood memories. And we’re here for it. It seems most of us still have a soft spot for the toys we treasured growing up. We all know that Barbie’s life in plastic is fantastic (thank you, Aqua), but our childhood toys were much more than the plastic and parts they were made of… they were the cornerstone of our newly budding identities. For some of us, our early imaginative play even portended future professions! Our contributors returned to the past to reflect on their favorite throwback toy from childhood. Here are their picks…
Amanda, Patina Polished Living: I loved my Barbie, Ken, Midge, and Skipper, but I put them aside to focus on making furniture for them. Back in my day, there was no Barbie Dream House, so I created my own with tissue boxes. Then, I used small jewelry boxes to create furniture. My passion for styling furniture started at a young age.
Kim, Patina Polished Living: I loved playing with my doll house but ignored the dolls and focused on all the furniture. I had no idea I was actually fine-tuning my skills for Patina!
Adrien, Alexandria Wellness: I was such a tomboy! I would say a frisbee since I loved frisbee golf.
Katelin, Family First Law: Umm, Barbie! I was obsessed! I had well over 50 Barbies. My mom said our attic looked like Barbie threw up. I had the Barbie Dream House, Camper, Corvette, Convertible, Barbie Shower (my mother's arch nemesis), Barbie horses, as well as Midge, Skipper, Stacie, Kelly, and Ken – plus the Ken that came with Dep hair gel and the Barbie that when you moved her arm, her hair would grow.
Catherine, Alexandria Stylebook: I know everyone’s talking about Barbie these days – and don’t get me wrong, I loved my Barbies back in the day – but does anyone else remember Dawn dolls? Oh, I loved them, too! Dawn and her friends were smaller but equally stylish versions of Barbie. And the outfits! I recall one gold lamé ensemble that my 10-year-old self thought was the epitome of chic.
Christina, Alexandria Stylebook: As an only child, I was blessed to have an overflowing toy box and an array of ways to express my imagination. With my American Girl Doll, Butterscotch FurReal Friends Pony, Pretty Pretty Princess board game, and a rather impressive menagerie of Webkinz, I had infinite ways to play pretend. I think, however, the surplus of toys made me want to reach my then teeny-tiny hands out for something greater – not a toy, but a fur-ever friend. When my first dog, Max, was welcomed into the family, toys couldn’t make my eyes light up like he did. I used to tie shoelaces as “leashes” around my stuffed animals and drag them throughout my house, so I think it’s safe to say my parents took the hint… and thank goodness they did!
