Bloganuary: Jan. 4, 2022

Today’s prompt:

What was your favorite toy as a child?

This question has rocketed me back to my childhood, and my mind is racing with all the things I used to play with. And it’s an incredible trip down memory lane.

I see Frosty, my white teddy bear with rainbow-colored paws, who’s missing his nose because my first dog, Winston, thought it was a chew toy. I remember the game of Hungry, Hungry Hippos that was soooo loud. Oh, and the simple tennis ball that I would toss up the stairs and be the best hockey goalie this world has ever seen, as it bounced its way back down.

There was this electronic baseball game that was a series of dotted, red lights, on which I used up a number of batteries over the years. Then there was the pogo ball, and I’m still amazed I never twisted an ankle jumping on that. And there was my little, blue bicycle that rode like a dream.

Would a game console count as a toy? If so, that Christmas I unwrapped an original Nintendo Entertainment System led to a countless amount of enjoyment all the way to my university days. Who am I kidding? If it still worked, I’d likely still be playing Tetris at least once a week.

I played a lot of sports as a kid. You name it, I probably played it. Softball, hockey, basketball, volleyball, badminton, track & field, bowling, and more. With that said, it doesn’t surprise me that the toy that brings up memories of the most joy was the over-the-door basketball net. I could sit on my bedroom floor for hours, trying to improve upon my longest shot streak, cooking up incredible bank shots off the side wall, and seeing how far back I could make a basket.

I think I need more toys in my life again.