Yorkshire GRIT

 The Missus and me were discussing whether a paperboy would deliver a Saturday newspaper to our caravan. 

We concluded that they don't exist anymore. Paperboys. At least here in Yorkshire. They're all playing Minecraft. 

I was never a Paperboy or an Altar boy or any kind of boy as a kid but back in the Sixties lots of my fellow nippers were paperboys, zooming round the early morning streets on Choppers with a Satchel full of folded papers.

I don't think they were paid much. Do you?

We're you a paperboy readers? 

Did you you do any other work as a kid for pocket money? Stable hand? Wash cars?

I got Look In like this in the early Seventies, every week, my name scrAwled on the top corner and the house number, Woods 24! Always a great thrill when my Look In comic landed on the mat.

As a reader of American comics back then I'd stare at the back page where calls for GRIT deliverers were advertised along with a whole bonanza of gifts they could earn.

I had no idea what GRIT was. I thought maybe it was just that, grit, with kids lugging round sacks of it on their bikes, gritting the streets!

I realised it was some sort of newspaper but what I'm not sure. You?

I could only gawp at those amazing gifts they could earn.id never seen so much cool stuff on one page! Things like typewriters, baseball sets, bullworkers, radios and TVs. Can you imagine, your own TV in your bedroom in the Sixties! 

Did you have one as a kid readers? A TV in your room?

Did you deliver GRIT as a young 'un in America?

ROB'S PUZZLE PAGE

Looking for something else yesterday I came across this fabulous website, Rob's Puzzle Page, dedicated to keychain plastic puzzles. Its an amazing menagerie of shapes, rockets, robots and characters. There's even Captain Scarlet's SPC and MSV in there! What can you see?

http://www.robspuzzlepage.com/keychain.htm#keycpeop

ASTRO PLAY MONEY

You don't often see toy space money.

I was fascinated to see this Astro Play Money by Chemtoy on auction online.

They sum it up as 'inter-planet coins and bills', which hints at the exciting prospect of spending this cash on different planets!

I wonder what kids would wanted to buy on another planet.

What would you have bought as a kid on another planet readers?

The Stuff in My Kid Pockets

It takes a lot to make a childhood.

Obviously there are essentials like love and affection from parents or guardians and tender loving care all round. A nice safe warm home with lots of good grub available also helps and a decent clean bed to kip in.

There is also the small matter of school so a washed uniform and PE kit and sturdy shoes go a long way too as well as folks who take an interest in your learning.

A few books and comics scattered about the home don't go amiss either and maybe a working TV. 

Once all these are in place with a sizable dash of good luck and good health, the real reason for childhood can take centre stage: playing.

The tools of play have never changed much: a decent imagination and a few toys and nik naks. If one is lacking then use more of the other.

Like many of you my own baby boomer childhood, 1960-1978, was garnished with the playthings of the day and it was often the smaller pocket toys which defined my existence.

At any one time I might have a whole cache of nik naks on my person, my pockets stuffed with more sweets and gizmos than a magician for hire.

These oddments included:

Pea shooter: a sturdy straw with a mouthpiece through which to shoot .... peas. The peas were the dried variety raided from the pantry, the king that came in boxes along with a huge white tablet. The sound they made as you blew was something like ploof but maybe you can describe it better!

Clackers: these were small plastic balls on a string with a plastic grip in the middle of it. the idea was to clack the balls as fast as you could both below and above your hand. A bit like hard nylon conkers they were eventually banned on account of possible shattering. They made a great sound though and a good clackering was as satisfying as seeing Lance Henrikson do his android knife trick in ALIENS years later.

Whoopee Cushion: more of a joke than a toy, these rubber fart bags were everywhere in the Sixties. You couldn't move for hidden whoopees and almost every time you sat down one went off. I hope Mister Whoopee the inventor made a mint as millions have been sold.

Catapult: these were basically lethal weapons for juniors and I'm amazed we were allowed to wander round in public with them. You got what you paid for with a catapult but the basic playground issue had a metal grip, a thick elastic pull and a hide ammo seat. I can't describe the sound it made but its not something I'd like to hear these days. My chosen ammo remains a locked memory but for the tougher kids it was a pocket full of pebbles. Any derelict house windows never stood a chance!

Flicker ring: these were so cool it made your eyes water. i think the correct term is lenticular and it was a craze. My fave flickers were TV related like the one you got with the Corgi UNCLE Thrushbuster and superb little Batman and Robin rings which were sold everywhere.

Clicker: I'm not sure of the exact name of these but essentially they were a tinplate shape with a sturdier piece of tin attached to the back. This was clicked with your thumb and the noise produced was like an armour plated cicada. It was loud and for anyone nearby very annoying!

Kazoo: equally annoying was the kazoo, a sort of plastic duck whistle that sounded like a strangled pheasant. Entire pop sings were kazood much to the disgust of anyone nearby. For the koazooless kid, a similar rasp could be made by blowing though tracing paper held over a plastic comb.

Half eaten packet of Fruit Gums: theses were always in the pockets of Sixties kids, poking out like the slithery heads of anenomes. For some reason the packet was always half eaten and a flap of paper and silver foil wrapper stuck out like a flag. the sweets could vary and might also have been polo fruits, opal fruits, fruit gums or Munchies [messy!].

What did you have stuffed in your kid pockets readers?

what's the favourite thing you ever bought on holiday?

Holidays were and are great times for buying stuff.

As a nipper in the Sixties I always spent a few shillings on sweets, comics, plastic toys and other essential tat.

My best purchase ever was a rubber dinghy. I loved that thing and can see me now just off the breakers in Wales smashing the hell out of kelp with my oar. I pretended that they were sea monsters. In fact my older Sister whose family I went to Abersoch with always asked me if I was going to be playing at monsters that day! ha ha.

I remember not having enough cash for the dinghy, which was hung in the Warren resort's beach shop like a prize turkey. For some reason I seem to recall getting more cash from my Parents miles away in Preston but how could they have done that? No idea.

God I remember how chuffed I was to actually go and buy the thing, which was already inflated in front of the shop. I walked it back to the caravan with a lot of difficulty but it was my absolute pride and joy that hot Welsh summer long ago.

What was your favourite thing you bought on holiday readers?

no fivers at moonbase

I've just been alerted by BRASSA the space ATM that old five pound notes will be invalid after midnight tonight here in the UK.

Yep, old fivers will be worthless in the morning.

Having checked the Moonbase coffers I'm pleased to report that we are already fiverless. 

Get spending those old fivers UK readers!

stocking filler experiments

Thinking further about those sticking filler toys of old, I have been dreaming up experiments for them, ha ha!

1. Slinky Riders

Could an action figure be transported downstairs inside a Slinky? Like entering a black hole or a time tunnel would the figure travel the bends and up-ends of the snaking coil without falling out?

If it worked could the figure size be increased with a bigger slinky? Could spaceman Major Matt Mason successfully ride the metal to the bottom?


2. Pop Chutists

Could a small plastic parachutist be shot out of a large shaken bottle of pop like Tizer or Cream Soda, fly into the sky, open its dripping parachute and descend successfully?

3. Bubblenauts

Could a small plastic astronaut like the tiniest of SpaceX figures or even smaller be placed inside a soap bubble and then for them to both rise into the sky?

4. Canon Man or Woman

Could Action Man/ GI Joe or Barbie drive the Firebolt Lazer Canon normally ridden by Captain Lazer?

5. Dad Deck

Could a garden flight deck/ death slide style set-up be made out of the garden clothes line and a suitable plastic toy jet and fly close to the head of Mum or Dad sleeping in a deck chair?

6. Catapult

I couldn't think of anything interesting to do with this toy although there must be!

What do you think readers and can you come up with more experiments?