Things growing up have fallen by the wayside

[ArmchairMillionaire]

Back then (when I was 8 years old) my parents bought me a "lead soldier" kit. A mold, an electric melting pot and ladle and lead ingots. Yup, 8 years old and melting lead in the basement.

But those ingots were expensive, so we went out to where they were building and harvested the over pour from the drain pipe joints.

I had a hundred lead soldiers. They stood up better than the plastic ones which was important when we blew them away with the toy cannons, tanks and mortars that fired plastic projectiles.

I remember melting lead right on the kitchen stove in an old pot when I was a teenager. We found the lead in the corners of curtains as weights. We didn't have any casts to pour it into, though. I think we ended up just pouring it out in the back yard.

 

[EarlyandLate]

Coincidentally, I just went down a YouTube rat hole featuring "banned" commercials. You know, the typical smoking, sexist and racist commercials. Interestingly, there were a lot of toys that I had or friends had. I guess the guy putting it together considered them banned since these toys could kill you or had bad social overtones, like the "Shrunken Head" makers.

I still can't believe I had a Wham-o Whing-ding. This is basically a martial arts weapon. Amazing we didn't all end up with caved in skulls.

Remember Jarts? Not the wimpy safe kind. We had the ones with metal spikes on the tips

 

[ArmchairMillionaire]

Remember Jarts? Not the wimpy safe kind. We had the ones with metal spikes on the tips

I still have 2 sets of Jarts™ One set has a Jart with a broken fin so it doesn't fly very well. We don't use that one.

 

[JoeWras]

Remember Jarts? Not the wimpy safe kind. We had the ones with metal spikes on the tips

Oh yeah. Played with them at my cousin's house. I think uncle supervised us. He always had the cool stuff. Drove a Corvette too, so the jarts fit that risky vibe.

As for molten lead, dad was a plumber. I had way too much access to it. Even legally loaded up my Pinewood derby car with it.

 

[MuirWannabe]

I still have 2 sets of Jarts[emoji769] One set has a Jart with a broken fin so it doesn't fly very well. We don't use that one.

We played Jarts. Also, I remember Clackers. They were very popular before getting banned. Think I heard the plastic could chip off and hurt your eye or something.

https://images.app.goo.gl/XGk9TrCa7q5HtnMS6

 

[steelyman]

I had forgotten about a real time-waster (perfect for kids): Paddle Ball. Our neighborhood didn’t have anyone like this, though:

https://youtu.be/9IuMUzCJ5m8

 

[ERD50]

In my neighborhood there were a number of similar vendors. They were of widely varied ethnicity, and the big difference was that they used horse-drawn wagons.

One had vegetables, one was a grinder who sharpened knives, one was a "rag man" who collected your old rags (they were made into paper), a few others. The one common thread, besides the horses, was that they would call out with completely unintelligible cries. Nobody ever figured out what they were saying, but they were loud enough to get your attention and go out to see.

The part that you may find hard to believe is that this was in New York City. I stopped seeing them around the mid 60s.

In late-1950s Toronto, we not only had the fruit and vegetable guys (mostly Italian) slow-rolling through the neighborhood, calling out whatever they had that day. We also had the random scissors & knives sharpener guy, popcorn man, and chestnut man ...all calling-out while walking though our 'hood pulling their little hand-carts.

I still remember the ice man and milk man making deliveries to other homes. And the bread/baked-goods man with his horse-drawn (!) cart.

Oh, and the brown-outs from 50-cycle electricity, before they upgraded to 60-cycle.

omni

There was a "scissors man" with a push cart on the NW side of Chicago into the mid 1970's. It really looked like something out of a history book to me.

-ERD50

 

[GalaxyBoy]

Remember Jarts? Not the wimpy safe kind. We had the ones with metal spikes on the tips

Jarts! What could go wrong?

I have a cousin who still has his and breaks them out at parties. Mixed with alcohol, well....

 

[JoeWras]

Jarts! What could go wrong?

I have a cousin who still has his and breaks them out at parties. Mixed with alcohol, well....

I'm tellin' ya, it is always the cousins!

 

[braumeister]

Jarts! What could go wrong?

I have a cousin who still has his and breaks them out at parties. Mixed with alcohol, well....

I finally got rid of mine about five years ago. Nobody ever wanted to play with them.

 

[Venturer]

I still have a set in my camper. When we bought it I was looking for something in the attic and came across the set in an old box of stuff from our 1995 5th wheel we had sold when we got out of camping. We were getting ready to take our DGD on a week long trip to Pigeon Forge Tn. and mt DD told me to "Leave them lawn darts in the box, I don't want her coming home with one eye!" LOL I think she remembers us camping when she was a little girl and some folks using them while imbibing. Not gonna mention who it was tho.

 

[FindingForward]

We played Jarts. Also, I remember Clackers. They were very popular before getting banned. Think I heard the plastic could chip off and hurt your eye or something.

https://images.app.goo.gl/XGk9TrCa7q5HtnMS6

Clackers! Yup - wasn't allowed to have them - too dangerous - was so jealous, as all the kids had them. Coveted the purple ones: how do I still remember that?

 

[FindingForward]

I remember what I think was called the presidential fitness test in elementary school. You had to do like 100 sit-ups, push-ups, and various other physical activities. The one I hated was the rope climb. I was somewhat chubby and no way was my body going up that rope so high. I do remember everyone watch the others attempt. It was embarrassing for me, guess that’s why I remember. Didn’t ever get the certificate from the White House. Today, a mom might sue over such embarrassment for a child.

I'm still angry at the disgusting way PE classes were taught and how ignorant and abusive PE teachers were back then.

Looking back, a kid like me who was out of shape, just needed a little encouragement to learn to love fitness/health - a chance to try solo activities- weight training, yoga and build some self confidence. But EVERYTHING back then had to be a team sport, with the humiliation of being picked last, failing ridiculous tests or dealing with the pressure of angry kids when you dropped a ball or messed up.

That's one aspect that has improved tremendously today. And it's ironic that I'm in the best shape of my life as an adult and love fitness while most of those nasty kids - and the abusive PE teachers - are probably obese & unhealthy now.

 

[JoeWras]

Clackers! Yup - wasn't allowed to have them - too dangerous - was so jealous, as all the kids had them. Coveted the purple ones: how do I still remember that?

Most of the clackers in our neighborhood ended up on the electric and telephone wires. These were eventually replaced by old gym shoes once clackers were discontinued.

 

[CRLLS]

Remember Jarts? Not the wimpy safe kind. We had the ones with metal spikes on the tips

According to wiki..."When dentist Lawrence Barnett invented an innovative outdoor game in his Fort Edward barn in the 1950s."

I remember my grandparents having a set in the 50's. They lived a few miles away from Fort Edward. When visiting my grandparents, my dad and I went over to buy a set for ourselves. There were none ready for sale. Mr. Barnett walked us out to his barn and assembled a set for us.

Fast forward a few decades, when clearing out MIL's estate last year, we came across a set of Jarts. Don't tell anyone. We gave it to DS#2. We did replace a few parts. They are now ready for decades more of dangerous fun.

 

[Out of Steam]

My cousin and best friend had one of those. It was a 20 inch version and so cool. I wanted one but finances would not allow it. He had gotten his for Christmas.

In one of the last good pictures I took of my father, he is fixing such a banana seat bike that belonged to my youngest sister for one of my older nieces.

 

[mickeyd]

When I was about 8-10 YO we used to ride bikes all around Tampa. Start about 9AM and get home about 6PM in time for dinner. Mom never seemed to give it a second thought.

 

[Idnar7]

Walking home for lunch from grade school.
Davey Crockett was a favorite tv show and everyone wanted a coonskin cap and fringed jacket.
TV test patterns.
Laying out at night watching for orbiting satelites or manned flights.
Handwritten report cards with gold stars if they were good.
Trying to make go carts out of wood and wheels.
Playing baseball and football out in the street.
Searching for agates on dirt roads and washouts.
Catching frogs. My grandfather would pay us for them to use fishing.
Baldy dress - madras shirts and knee highs
Our local grocer would offer credit if you were temporarily out of work. He had a book and would tell my dad "pay me what you can, when you can".
Tiny pieces of licorice called Sen-Sens

This has been a fun thread. Thanks Street

 

[Dtail]

When I was about 8-10 YO we used to ride bikes all around Tampa. Start about 9AM and get home about 6PM in time for dinner. Mom never seemed to give it a second thought.

Same here in the Bronx, NY. Just better be on time for dinner.

 

[JoeWras]

Same here in the Bronx, NY. Just better be on time for dinner.

Mom grew up on a farm and they had a bell.

We moved to the inner city, she still got a bell. I'd wait for the bell, and other kids knew it was their clue too.

 

[corn18]

One thing I am glad has fallen by the wayside are some of the things people used to say that were racist but accepted. Our small town was one color and one religion and some folks didn't give it one thought to say things that today would be abhorrent.

 

[travelover]

One thing I am glad has fallen by the wayside are some of the things people used to say that were racist but accepted. Our small town was one color and one religion and some folks didn't give it one thought to say things that today would be abhorrent.

Yea, that is kind of the moose head on the table here - back then things could be a lot different depending on your complexion. But this is a walk down memory lane for the childhoods the majority of REs here were able to enjoy.

 

[W2R]

My elementary school had a very small playground with 3 swings, a slide, and what is apparently now called a "Roundabout". (We didn't know what to call it, so we called it a "Roundy-round".) Ours was completely gray, instead of bright colors like the attached internet photo.

On the weekends, we would climb over the 9-10 ft tall chain link fence and play on the play equipment, especially the roundy-round. Never got caught, or chastised! That was such fun.

I loved that doggone roundy-round! Here's a random photo of one that I got off of the Wikipedia entry:

 

[W2R]

Mom grew up on a farm and they had a bell.

We moved to the inner city, she still got a bell. I'd wait for the bell, and other kids knew it was their clue too.

Each mom on our city street had her own personalized yodel, and they'd do that from their back porch at dinner time to summon us home. My Mom's was a very high pitched "Ooo-hoo.... ooohoo ooohoo ooohoo!" Our friends' mothers each had their own different yodel to call their kids in. One of them had a bell.

 

[N02L84ER]

We lived out on a farm and had a party line phone ring that was 2 longs and 1 short. When my parents needed us to return to the house, they honked the car horn, 2 longs and 1 short and we came running.