So funny you would mention electric football! I was watching the final four yesterday and the subject came up. We had several minutes of laughs at the futility of it all.
Not only did I have an electric football game, but there was a store downtown that sold the football men hand painted with the colors of the each NFL team. Kids would show up at my house with plastic bags filled with their teams of football men and we’d play for hours on end. Things were so simple then…
My older brother had the chemistry set, like you, I’m surprised we didn’t blow up the house while we were babysitting my two younger brothers and baby sister. He, in 1965, did blow up one of the drawers in my dad’s desk, but that was fooling around with a cherry bomb. He was so freaked out! He fixed the front of the drawer pretty well and had red bricks holding up the blowen up side and got away with it for a couple months, until my mom decided to move it out and clean behind it. Neither mom nor dad were happy about that; if I remember correctly, he was put on restriction for a couple of months. 😂 The crazy things my three my brothers did…. I don’t know how they survived!
Your post took me back to my 1960s childhood, Marlon. I too enjoyed the Creepy Crawlers, and stayed home alone from the age of 7 while my parents were at work.
You may also remember "electric football," a toy I received from. Santa Claus for Christmas in 1969. What a magical toy that was for a young football fanatic like me, until I realized that the players merely rumbled aimlessly around the metal green field as it vibrated. Not a dangerous toy, but in the end not a very fun one either.
My brothers had the “electric football” toy and like you, and played it until they realized the same thing. I don’t think it took them very long to realize it. We still get a chuckle out of it when we get together, usually during a football game. 😂
The seat belt story! We had 7 kids in my family, which meant a station wagon was the family car. There were 3 rows of seats, and the furthest back seat folded down for additional cargo space. It faced backwards, with no seat belts. We used to get truck drivers to blow their horns to jolt my mother. Once she got so mad at us that she yanked the car over to the median and slammed on the brakes. All 3 of us went head first onto the back of the car, and my sister swears she broke her nose (it did bleed). But we stopped fighting and rode home in whimpering silence. Good times! Kids today need to toughen up.
So funny you would mention electric football! I was watching the final four yesterday and the subject came up. We had several minutes of laughs at the futility of it all.
Not only did I have an electric football game, but there was a store downtown that sold the football men hand painted with the colors of the each NFL team. Kids would show up at my house with plastic bags filled with their teams of football men and we’d play for hours on end. Things were so simple then…
Lawn darts were awesome. I own an old set!!!
My older brother had the chemistry set, like you, I’m surprised we didn’t blow up the house while we were babysitting my two younger brothers and baby sister. He, in 1965, did blow up one of the drawers in my dad’s desk, but that was fooling around with a cherry bomb. He was so freaked out! He fixed the front of the drawer pretty well and had red bricks holding up the blowen up side and got away with it for a couple months, until my mom decided to move it out and clean behind it. Neither mom nor dad were happy about that; if I remember correctly, he was put on restriction for a couple of months. 😂 The crazy things my three my brothers did…. I don’t know how they survived!
Your post took me back to my 1960s childhood, Marlon. I too enjoyed the Creepy Crawlers, and stayed home alone from the age of 7 while my parents were at work.
You may also remember "electric football," a toy I received from. Santa Claus for Christmas in 1969. What a magical toy that was for a young football fanatic like me, until I realized that the players merely rumbled aimlessly around the metal green field as it vibrated. Not a dangerous toy, but in the end not a very fun one either.
My brothers had the “electric football” toy and like you, and played it until they realized the same thing. I don’t think it took them very long to realize it. We still get a chuckle out of it when we get together, usually during a football game. 😂
The seat belt story! We had 7 kids in my family, which meant a station wagon was the family car. There were 3 rows of seats, and the furthest back seat folded down for additional cargo space. It faced backwards, with no seat belts. We used to get truck drivers to blow their horns to jolt my mother. Once she got so mad at us that she yanked the car over to the median and slammed on the brakes. All 3 of us went head first onto the back of the car, and my sister swears she broke her nose (it did bleed). But we stopped fighting and rode home in whimpering silence. Good times! Kids today need to toughen up.
Great story, Ellen!
Love this, Marlon.
Thanks so much, Reda! ☺️