Before PlayStation: The toys I grew up with – Part 7

Homemade Fun

Although there were only two other children in my family, my parents never had very much money to spend on entertainment. I grew up in the 90s, but it was not until my teenage years that my family obtained a PlayStation or even the Internet. Every year we received a few gifts for birthdays or Christmas. However, my favorite toys of all were the homemade ones.

My best friend and I were highly imaginative children, and great animal lovers. We had an entire collection of rocks, which in our minds was a family of turtles. In my backyard there was a small creek, and we used mud and sticks to create an elaborate lake-side village for our turtles, complete with buildings. Wild blackberries were always useful for adding color to the rocks. Leaves transformed into bedding, and flower petals became salads. With simple rocks, we passed entire summers playing outside.

Every year for Christmas I was given one doll. Then, the rest of the year was spent increasing her wardrobe. The fun, however, was in clothing them. My mother always sewed some nice outfits for my dolls. I spent countless hours clumsily sewing, taping, or even gluing together what I considered skirts and dresses. I also created plenty of my own dolls and stuffed animals. I had sock cats and puppets that I played with as well. I even had a doll that I had made myself using Kleenex and yarn.

Today, most people seem to think that their children need the most complicated and technological toys available. For me, on the other hand, the most fun was obtained from my own creations and imagination. Watching my eighteen-month old nephew play, I observe the same thing. He has every toy for toddlers under the sun, yet he only ever wants to play with the Tupperware and the rocking chair. In the end, it seems, the simplest things plus a little imagination make the best toys.