Childhood Memories
A friend sent an email today with some pictures in it. They bring back a few memories. And what better time to be a little nostalgic, with just 25 days prior to a half a century worth of memories.
At first, I didn’t know what this was. It’s a 45 RPM spindle. It allowed you to play 45 RPM records on a 33 RPM record player. I’ll bet that sounds GREEK to anyone under 40. Forty-fives were records with one song on each side. Thirty-threes were the album size. At least that is how I remember it. And I don’t remember the spindles being yellow.
My Mom used to collect these! S & H Green Stamps. I remember licking them and sticking them in the book. This would have been in the early 1960s for me. I remember thinking they were pretty valuable. I don’t think they were and it took a lot of them to get things.
Metal ice cube trays. While I don’t quite remember these, I do remember the novelty of the new and innovative plastic trays in the 1970s.
Didn’t read the comic but do remember a cartoon with that green creature! Check out the price — 12 cents!
Here’s a roller skate key. Maybe because I didn’t do much roller skating, I don’t recognize this key.
The Cork Pop gun. Fun and harmless, unless you hit someone in the eye! I can only imagine the disclaimer that would probably be required on it if it was sold in stores today — I don’t think they are. I know I never saw them in stores when my kids were growing up. They would have had one for sure because DAD would want that toy!
August 20th, 2008 at 4:13 am
With the exception of the cartoon (the kid looks like Bam Bam by the way),I remember all of this stuff. The roller skate key haunts me, as I always got kicked in the head at the roller rink. Green Stamps were still around in South Carolina in the early 90′s, and there was even a Green Stamps store in Columbia, SC. I remember stacks of filled stamp books, but I can’t recall anyone ever redeeming them for goods.
This was certainly reaching deep into the past Phil.
August 20th, 2008 at 5:09 pm
Oh, I do remember some of these! Though not at the half century mark, yet, Phil…. my family did use the first 2 items. (boyish stuff was not needed in our house!
)
I still have my original Beatles 45′s and had bought a lot of the one-hit wonders on them in the early 70′s. I guess that equates to buying an MP3 song off the internet , now.
My mom did redeem something from her green stamps… I remember going to the redemption store to get it, but for the life of me, I have forgotten what it was.
August 20th, 2008 at 9:33 pm
Yep, I remember these things! Yep, I’m getting old.
We roller skated with those metal skates all the time. The first skateboard’s were made from taking those metal skates apart, They pulled appart lengthwise to accommodate different size shoes. Then the two pieces, each haveing two wheels were nailed to a 2 by 4. The 45 spindle thingys were made in all kinds of colors. The cork gun, I don’t really remember, but brother had like a “pop” gun that you cocked and when the trigger was pulled a puff of air came out, and it did pop quite loudly. My aunt worked at Kaufman’s. That was the Green Stamp redemption center. My mom got a waffle iron with them. My mom and dad were left executor to a little ole lady’s estate, the only living relatives she had lived in Canada and elederly, so my parents were blessed with the task. Oh my, what the lady kept. Shoe boxes full of Green Stamps! I heard you could still cash them in somewhere. Good ole memories! Thanks for sharing.
August 21st, 2008 at 8:22 am
I’m not old enough to remember green stamps, or metal ice trays. But I do remember the 45 spindle as I used to use them on my record player and I remember the 12 cents dell comics. (Not Beany and Cecil, but other titles such as Donald duck, tom and jerry, bugs bunny, the flintstones, etc). The 12 cents comic is a little bit before my time (if I recall correctly, a comic book cost about 35 cents when I was a kid), but there was a used bookstore in my old neighborhood that sold all sorts of comic books,including the old 12 cent Dell comics.
August 21st, 2008 at 12:24 pm
I had some 45 RPMs and I’m not 40 yet!! I also remember licking green stamps and putting them in the booklet so my grandma and mom could get a set of dishes.
August 26th, 2008 at 2:34 pm
Green Stamps = “Greenpoints”
http://www.greenpoints.com/info/inf_help_faq.asp
August 31st, 2008 at 2:37 pm
my mom use to collect them….she collected enough to buy a blue recliner chair!! that sounds like a lot of stamps:)
September 1st, 2008 at 10:11 am
Being too young to remember green stamps, can anyone tell me how many stamps you got from your local supermarket in return for how much money you spent there and give me a few examples of how many stamps it took to buy something with them? A color tv, a black and white tv, a recliner chair, etc.?
September 3rd, 2008 at 10:15 pm
Hey Leo! My Mom told me that usually the things bought were small type things….appliances, baskets, knick knacks, etc. My guess is that a tv would have been a HUGE amount to collect. And color tv back then was for the upper middle class. Our first one was in the 60s and my parents got it on payments…which ended up going back to the store. I fondly remember black and white shows and THREE channels to choose from.