Today we’re not going to talk about the Polly Pockets, Fashion Pollys, Barbies, Bratz and Beanie Babies. Although all those things hold a very important place in my childhood and in my heart. We’re going to instead talk about the toys that got away, the ones that still pull at my heartstrings and the ones I want back.
First and foremost, help me find this one
There was a book sold at the Scholastic book fair somewhere between 2000 and 2004 maybe. It was called Make your Own Cool Girls Room or something similarly not creative. A hot pick cover, and pop out hot pink, yellow, aqua and purple cardstock furniture pieces to glue together. There was a little clear zipper pouch to hold the extra ribbon, beads and glue (all included).
I loved it, it was love at first sight. I want it again, but can’t find record of it anywhere. I contacted Scholastic, but they don’t keep record of old stock. It’s probably not as cool as I remember it being, but if I ever get my hands on it, I’d make all the furniture again and find cool ways to photograph it nevertheless.
okay, now that that’s out of the way – cabbage patch
I had a view binder when I was 7 or 8. It held printouts and floppy disks of my favorite drawings I made on Crayola Make a Masterpiece. The view panels on the outside held a wishlist of sorts, but largely pictures of what I believed were the cutest dolls I had ever seen – 1998 Mattel Cabbage Patch minis clipped from a toy catalog. Please let my mom and Santa know that I never got these and I still want them.
I did however have some Cabbage Patch Kids Love N Go playsets. The nursury, kitchen, doctor’s office and school (My sister insists we only had 2 sets- she got nostalgic about our cabbage patch recently too. I clearly remember all 4, so agree to disagree I suppose). Looking at pictures of these I could still smell the sweet smell of the dolls’ scented plastic.
kids meal toys
Mostly I just wanted that photo as a segue to talk about the first crush I ever remember having – John Smith. Not the real guy, not the character in Disney’s Pocahontas, but the plastic one from Burger King. He lived in a modest abode that my few knock off pink legos could muster and often had a broken leg with a make shift toilet paper cast so that I could tend to him. I was also just obsessed with broken legs and casts. What you don’t see in the picture below is my socked leg wrapped in rubber bands as an attempt to see what a cast would feel like, I didn’t want my mom to know I was doing this, hence not getting out from under the blanket and having flushed cheeks. I never did achieve my dream of having a broken leg.
bratz and barbie
I know I said this post wasn’t for them, but just a couple notes…
Speaking of toy crushes, I thought this guy was the absolute cutest. My neighbors mom had decided she was told old for Barbies and let me and my sister go through the trashbags. The neighbor went through the trashbags with us and kept her favorite barbies at our house after that point. I saw this McDonald’s Barbie’s sister Stacey’s sized guy and fell in love – 1993 Happy Meal Todd. I didn’t keep him, because I didn’t want to be lame for liking a boy Barbie. Still don’t know what that was about because my favorites of my 18″ dolls were boys too.
And then there’s Bratz. They were all the rage. I was almost grown out of Barbies and similar dolls, or at least I felt like I should be, but I had to get some Bratz. Yasmin was my favorite and playing MASH on the Bratz website was awesome. I even joined the Bratz fan club. To my memory it was a lifetime membership. I got a carrying case, and later a pencil case with pencil and sharpener and then never heard from the fan club again. I really want to know what happened there, I would still gladly accept free Bratz branded stuff in the mail :P
tea bunnies
While none of the bunnies and tea cups have made it into my adult life, all of the mini pastries have. See for example this nicely stocked fridge thanks to Barbie and the Tea Bunnies. And here are all 3 tea bunny babies cupcakes. I seem to have only prioritized keeping track of the tiniest of foods.
The best ones were Tea Bunny Babies. So tiny and cute, and again, scented plastic! They came with little cupcake beds where there ears could stick out of the plastic molded icing. I didn’t know this til now, but I think I want my tea bunnies back too. I want to say I owned almost all of the sets in the Tea Bunnies line. Just went to look at the ones listed for sale, and the boxed ones are over $100, so maybe I won’t re-get my hands on any.
update
I meant to publish this post last week, but then I found a Cabbage Patch mini doll and ordered her. Then I thought about a photo I wanted to make with her. Then I ordered a Kelly (Barbie) doll desk for her. And then I digitally designed a classroom for her. And then I patiently waited for her arrival. So well, now I need to take her picture, but I thought I’d go ahead and publish this post and get you a follow up soon.
in closing
If you need a nostalgic blast from your past, find Christmas catalogs from your formative years here.
What were your favorite toys growing up? Which ones did you keep? Which do you want back?