Favourite Childhood Toys!!!

When Scrappy Jessi invited everyone to join in her showcasing their favourite childhood toys I couldn't wait!

I LOVE TOYS!!!!

I had such fun searching the internet for pictures, digging out my old dolls and taking a trip down memory lane!

Here I am with some early childhood favourites!

Mum said she screamed "where am I going to put that" when dad won this big bear in a raffle!

An early cook in the making!

I can remember this pram.... it was a really plastic-y thing but Tiny Tears seems happy!

Now I couldn't post on my childhood toys without me mentioning my "adoptive children"... yes... the Cabbage Patch Kids!

First meet Patti Corrine

She was my first ever Cabbage Patch Kid... please forgive her for being a bit dirty. I received her for Christmas in 1984 and when taking her for first outing on Boxing Day I promptly dropped her in the snow. We never could get her "properly" clean again!

Patti was also the lucky one to have her own birthday party. All my friends brought their CPK round to join her! Such a shame I don't have any photo's of that occasion.

Next up is Gideon Bob

his birth certificate tells me i adopted him Christmas 1985. I can always remember standing in front of mum, dad and my brother saying my pledge:

"I promise to love my Cabbage Patch Kid with all my heart. I promise to be a good and kind parent. I will always remember how special my Cabbage Patch Kid is to me"

I was also "very cool" at the time for having a boy doll!!

Gideon was also a Preemie from the CPK range.

Alana Ethel was my Cabbage Patch Baby

I was actually with my parents when she was purchased. I can remember going to our local Argos where behind the counter would be hundreds of CPK boxes and you'd place your order and never know which one you'd get.

I was sooo desperate to see my new "child" but mum and dad of course told me I had to wait. I asked could they just tell me her name.

"Rosanna Lucy" was the name by dad told me. Unfortunately he was telling a little white lie and when I opened her on Christmas Day I was disappointed to see she was called Alana Ethel (I must say as a child CPK had some pretty "far out there" names). So what did I do... i went through the correct procedures and sent the documents away advising that I was changing her name. Unfortunately as is childlike by the time the changed paperwork returned I'd decided I preferred the name Alana Ethel and had reverted to that!!

Last but of course not least was Majesta Patricia

Majesta was a traveller CPK. Despite her tartan clothing she was actually from Canada complete with passport. I even took on holiday with me!

This is the only photo I could find of me with one of my CPK

Throughout my teen years of throwing out old toys my CPK were the one thing I could never get rid of and I'm so pleased that mum refused to let me part with them.

Now for some glamour with Ms Betty Boop

Betty made an appearance when I was younger and wasn't as popular as she is now so things with her image were hard to come buy and I would buy whatever I could find.

My aunts went with their then boyfriends to California in 1989 on a fly drive and when they asked me what I would like from America all I wanted was a Betty Boop doll.

Not a problem they thought... Betty's American!

Unfortunately days passed and no sign of Betty Boop until they visited Universal Studios. They walked round buy still nothing until my uncle (he still tells me this story now!) spotted this doll in the window... complete with display stand. He ran screaming round the shop for my aunt "I've found one" until the shop assistant was able to prise Betty from his arms and get him a new one.

She's had some facial reconstruction work done but I still think she's gorgeous!

Then of course every girls favourite BARBIE!

This is Peaches & Cream Barbie, one of the many dolls I had

A few years ago I began collecting the collectable Barbies on my travels in America along with with a friend of mine but found it sad to have them hidden in boxes in the garage and it was one of them collections that was costly and there was too much on offer so I decided to sell them, giving some to my friend to enoy through her.

I couldn't let "Marilyn" go though (well I had to keep 1 didn't I!)

When I was about 11 I did actually sell my Barbie house for a pair of shoes I wanted for £10 from BHS! White kitten heel stilletoes for my holiday - a wannabee fashionista ahead of eBay!

I did have one or two Sindy's, this one being my fave

isn't she glamourous?

These Russian Dolls are particularly special to me as they were given to me as a gift from my Grandfather before he died when I was about 2

I used to really love Strawberry Shortcake and had this doll

There was a strawberry shaped house I had too but cannot find any pictures of it on the net

I had some of these cute figures too (and keep eyeing them up on eBay!!)

Seeing the picture of this one the smell comes flooding back!

I seemed to have a lot of 1 thing of each toy phase,

My Little Pony - Cotton Candy

Care Bears - Love a Lot Bear

and these cute things were Keepers... complete with a key to hide your treasures!

And of course Rainbow Brite!

I was never lucky enough to have a doll

but did have some cute figures to play with

And here are the toys that got away...

The A La Carte Kitchen

Since a child I've loved a kitchen and to this day I cannot wait to have one of my own!

Does anyone remember the advert "wake up daddy breakfast ready" when the young girl has prepared a breakfast of jam swiss roll with baked beans! I tried to see if I could track it down on the internet but no luck.

Baby Talk

A doll that could talk! How could I not want this... I'm pretty sure I remember it being about £100 at the time.... that's a lot of money for a doll now!! No wonder I never got her!

But it doesn't matter what toys you buy kids... they always prefer a box!

I hope you enjoyed that tour through my childhood!

I had such fun putting it together

I used these sites for some of my "research":

www.inthe80s.com/toys

and

http://ghostofthedoll.co.uk/

You may be interested in these sister retro t-shirt companies in the UK and USA. I've found them to be great gifts for friends to remember them of their younger days!