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Growing up in the 70's...
Topics: Bakersfield, toys, The 70s, TV shows, Bakotopia, blog, Bake town
Posted by baketown Thu May 17, 2007 17:50:12 PDT
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I watched a show about Evel Knievel on the history channel last week.  He is one crazy dude, as I’ve said before.  During the show they showed a kid playing with his Evel Knievel action figure and its motorcycle.  I remember watching boys play with those and being jealous.  I wanted to jump the motorcycle too.  I also wanted a Six-Million Dollar Man doll and a Big Wheel, but I never got them.  How come the boys got all the cool toys?

I was talking to a friend about all this and of course it turned into a conversation about all things having to do with growing up in the 70’s.  Like that crazy show H.R. Pufnstuf – a dragon with a nutty hill billy accent. Personally I found him to be sort of creepy.  Of course I thought Capt Kangaroo was creepy too.

<<<<Watch a full episode of HR Puffn' Stuff!! What the???

Then my friend asked me if I remembered Uncle Woody’s Toy Circus and his afternoon TV show.  I had forgotten all about it.  I did remember that it burned down.  That was sad.  Apparently Uncle Woody is still around. 

Amy mentioned the slip n slide recently.  The idea was to run and dive face first onto a wet sheet of plastic, causing you to slide across the surface.  More often than not I’d do a belly flog and just end up having the wind knocked out of me.  If I did manage to slip ‘n slide I would often just keep going and end up with grass stains on my face.  I’m happy to see they finally made an improvement on that idea.

Why were the toys in the 70’s so dangerous?  Remember Klackers?  That was really more of a weapon than anything. And the Lemon Twist.  I can’t tell you how many times I limped home from school after bashing that damn lemon into my ankle over and over again.  I guess I wasn’t very coordinated. 

Another toy I remember wanting but never getting was a Baby Alive.  I don’t know why I would want a plastic doll that eats and poops.  I think it was because I had a friend who had a Baby Alive.  That fake baby poop was actually pretty nasty.   I surprised to see they’re still making them.  Same with Shrinky Dinks. 

Another thing I miss from the 70s is the Wide World of Sports.  I loved the theme song and watching that skier wipe out.  Remember what the narrator said?  “Spanning the globe to bring you the constant variety of sport… the thrill of victory… and the agony of defeat… the human drama of athletic competition… this is ABC's Wide World of Sports!”  And Howard Cosell!  I miss his annoying voice.

 
I know there’s more out that I forgot, so tell me?  What toys, shows, or what have you do you remember and miss from the 70s?

 

 

 

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Comment From: bassman

The 70's for me was a Progressive Rock Peak, with Genesis (original not current sound), Yes, King Crimson, ELP, Pink Floyd, Gentle Giant, Camel, Deep Purple, and there is more, but these bands brought keyboards with highly talented musicians, long songs, theme albums, double albums, amazing live shows and a new era of changing the time signature of a song, building orchestrated compositions, Kansas, ELO, Styx, were some of the more commercial ones but still very progressive in nature. Oh, you meant TV stuff, like Gilligan's Island, Man from UNCLE, the MOB Squad, Lost in Space, The Partridge Family, well that is why I turned to music and then Progressive Music... Jethro Tull, Rush, Van Der Graaf Generator and many more bands, now today we have Pure Reason Revolution, Echelon, Magenta, Hawkwind, The Frost, Flower Kings, ..... Comment From: dragonlady

Let's not forget Mrs. Beasley! I HAD forgotten about Uncle Woody, but after that blast from the past, I remember that's how I became acquainted with The Three Stooges, and I still think they're totally great! Comment From: Tammyj

Ah, the 70's.. yeah they were kind of dangerous weren't they? hehe My husband and I have flashback sessions now and then. I remember my brother and I, sliding back and forth in the back seat of our car, each time my dad would turn a corner. We didn't need no stinkin' seat belts, lol. I too wanted a Baby Alive doll, but never got one. I guess that's a good thing though. Turns out they didn't work right, and the food would build up inside the doll, and attract bugs and all sorts of things. The ones out now have been re-vamped I believe. I used to love doing stained glass, putting those little tiny pieces of colored plastic into the frames, and then melting it all in the oven. Oh, and my favorite show was Donny and Marie. I got the dolls and the tv show set for xmas. So, I would get my tape recorder out, and record the songs from the show, and play it back, while playing with my dolls. hehe!! The 70's were a simpler time. Being that I'm only 36, I shouldn't be able to say that, but it's true. Things have changed very quickly, in a short time. I have some great memories though, and it's fun to share them too!!