Remember these?

**Legion** · 07-09-2012, 08:11 PM

Originally Posted by DevinLT1966

What's sad is that there is a name for it now "Free Range Kid". When we were kids there wasn't a name. It was being a kid.

Sure. When school holidays rolled around our mothers used to kick us out of the house to "go play". They never really worried about where we were, as long as we were not under their feet. We never got into too much trouble having our adventures.

**Slash McCoy** · 07-09-2012, 09:10 PM

Our "wars" would shock most post-Spock parents today. We used galvanized garbage can lids for shields, though, as a safety measure. Sometimes lard-can knight's helmets. Spears, swords, catapults, slingshots, good old hand-thrown dirt-clod "grenades", homemade bows and arrows with bottle caps bent around the tip to form an arrowhead, cherry bomb propelled cannons, bb guns, (no fair hitting above the shoulders or shooting at point blank range!) and other potentially lethal toys and activities. I once fell into the deep part of a nearby creek and got soaked up to the waist, then got bit by a snake as I scrambled back out. I thought it might be a water moccasin but I was scared to tell my parents, because I always got a serious hiding any time I was caught down at that creek without an adult. I was pretty quiet in my still wet shoes at the supper table, expecting to keel over from deadly venom at any moment lol! Same with a rat that we caught who managed to bite me once. Oh no, rabies! But I sucked it up and toughed it out rather than report my idiocy and let my dad take me to the doctor. Funny thing is, apart from the occasional bruise, cut, or (rarely) broken bone, nobody ever got hurt. We knew how to play rough. Now kids take guns to school and never fight. They just argue and shoot. So much for modern child rearing.

**Yuritau** · 07-10-2012, 04:10 AM

My fave toys when I was 8 was the (awesome) air rifle my dad bought me and the (crappy) bow and arrow I made for myself. Pretty sure I shot every damn thing within 5 kilometers of the house we were living in.

**diamondtim** · 07-10-2012, 08:32 PM

Originally Posted by STINGYBRIMSandBOURBON

I saw this in a novelty store similar to the five and dime stores of my childhood in Brooklyn. I bought 2 doz and gave them to all of my nieces and nephews and little cousins. They dropped their nintendo's and PSP's for 5 minutes and enjoyed it..... Ah The good ol' days. What did you play with it when you were 8?

We made ours from a bolt, a nut and some washers.

**JaggerDragger** · 07-11-2012, 11:07 AM

I had totally forgot about that cap toy! My brother and I would usually get bored of the single shot caps and move to the sledge hammer on a whole roll or drag a penny over a whole line of them. Then we discovered that TV tubes could be imploded with heavy objects. God must be real, I cant explain why else I am still alive...

**maxman** · 07-11-2012, 11:33 AM

Woot! I found mine downstairs!!
this thing has to be at least 25 years old now.
ahhhhh the memories. I'm going to the dollar store today and I'm gonna buy me some caps.

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**Pkrankow** · 07-11-2012, 11:47 AM

Originally Posted by legion

Slip and Slide! Now those things were a recipe for disaster!

My neighbor sets it up on the hill going down, extra speed! If only our pond wasn't extra nasty I am sure he would run it into the pond! His kids love it (mine too)

Phil

**Pkrankow** · 07-11-2012, 11:58 AM

Originally Posted by saf

No one has mentioned a pellet gun?

I just got one of those, they were not "kids toys" where I grew up, neither were BB guns.

Originally Posted by Fileroman

Cherry bombs and M80s MWAAAAHAAHAA

Ron

They don't make them the way they used to, the new ones (M-88) barely make noise.

I found a couple REAL M-80's in my stuff when I lived in Toledo. I set them off in the back yard, the first one flattened all the grass in my back yard (small yard) It was really cool watching the shock wave. The second did similar. A few minutes later the police arrived looking around...(I was done so I wasn't busted)

Phil

**Hawkeye5** · 07-12-2012, 09:47 AM

Cap rockets!! I'd forgotten but the photo brought back the images of mine in a flash. What fun!

**Alacrity59** · 07-16-2012, 06:13 PM

Originally Posted by Ron991

Attachment 256085

Roller skate key?

**ricardo9505** · 07-16-2012, 06:15 PM

WOW> I remember those from my childhood in Queens, NYC. those were awesome , simple and effective. did u ever play skeles?

**Dirk-Lerxst-Pratt** · 07-17-2012, 02:32 AM

Originally Posted by STINGYBRIMSandBOURBON

I saw this in a novelty store similar to the five and dime stores of my childhood in Brooklyn. I bought 2 doz and gave them to all of my nieces and nephews and little cousins. They dropped their nintendo's and PSP's for 5 minutes and enjoyed it..... Ah The good ol' days. What did you play with it when you were 8?

Sent my sister to the ER with one of those when I was seven. She was hiding behind a turned over picnic table in the basement during a spirited game of Army. I still blame her for not choosing better cover. I got my @ss beat. Ah...memories.