A boy and his toys

I cranked the red launcher. I revved it as fast and as far as it would go. The seven-inch tall Evel Knievel on his red, white, and blue stunt cycle flew across the porch and onto the ramp. I had created the ramp using an old piece of wood that I had “borrowed” from my dad’s workshop. The motorcycle went up the ramp and soared into the sky, flying four or five feet in the air, over three lawn chairs and landed on the grass.

My dog, Snoopy, went running up the stairs to get back inside the house. Her eyes were the size of quarters. She was frightened and put her head up in the air in disgust. She wanted no parts of this craziness. On top of it, she wasn’t amused that I was disrupting her lazy summer afternoon. I paid Snoopy no mind and went running to retrieve the motorcycle. It was on its side, the wheels still running in circles.

I was on a mission. I would raid my the workshop again to see what else I could find. Maybe some more wood. Perhaps even a few bricks or an old box. I wanted to make Evel Knievel’s next jump even higher. In real life, Evel Knievel jumped over 14 Greyhound buses in Cincinnati, Ohio on October 25, 1975. In my mind, there was no reason why he couldn’t jump over my mom’s car, four of her large potted plants and maybe even a wheelbarrow.

To make the jump even dicier, I wanted him to jump through a ring of fire. I imagined how cool that would look to the neighbors! Oh, I knew my mother would have a “conniption fit.” She would be angry at me and worried about me burning down the house, but I couldn’t help but get excited about the possibilities.

But I knew better.

I thought about having something delicate and gooey near the end of the jump. I wanted something that would make the jump even dicier. I considered some slime. Or even better, a dozen eggs. They were cheaper back in the day, but I knew my mom would frown on wasting hard-earned food.

I considered a piece of her China that my dad had brought back from Germany when he was in the Army or some milk glass that she kept on the coffee table. But then I remembered her reaction when my brother had accidentally broken a piece. She’d ground me just for pulling it out of the cabinet. In the end, Knievel and I had to settle on an aluminum pie pan full of ice and water.

Oh, we were a daring pair.

The toy everyone wanted

Knievel was an American stunt performer and entertainer. In his career, he attempted more than 75 ramp-to-ramp motorcycle jumps. His jumps were regular appearances on ABC television’s Wide World of Sports. In 1972, Ideal Toy Company teamed up with Knievel to sell toy launchers with his likeness. The toy became extremely popular. From 1972 to 1977, the company sold over $125 million worth of the toys. 

The Knievel toy launcher became especially popular in my neck of the woods after he attempted to jump the Snake River Canyon in Idaho on September 8, 1974. Everyone stopped what they were doing to watch Knievel make his jump. The jump failed when the parachute on Knievel’s Skycycle opened on takeoff. He plummeted to the ground, but walked away with only minor injuries.

I haven’t played with the motorcycle in years. I thought for sure my mom threw my old Knievel away. However, I checked one of my kid’s old toy boxes this past weekend. Sure enough, Knievel was still there. Now the launcher is long gone. He’s missing both his feet. His helmet is cracked. Yet, he looked ready to make another jump. Thanks to time, I managed to somehow pick up an extra Knievel. I have no idea how. In any event, I might just have to buy a new launcher now on Amazon. They still sell them. Who knew?

If only to be a kid for a few more minutes.

Howdy partner!

I’ve been thinking about other toys that I played with as a kid. The toys that I loved the most were my cowboy action figures. I had a Johnny West cowboy action figure. He was the central character in the Louis Marx company’s “Best of the West” toy line. The line was produced from 1965 until 1976, and featured several characters based on the American “Old West.”

West stood about 12 inches tall and was made of solid poly plastic and hands made of vinyl. The clothing and accessories were made of either a hard or soft plastic. Beside West, my all-time favorite was Captain Maddox, a Fort Apache fighter. He wore a blue Army outfit and had a yellow kerchief. I would saddle up a horse and he would chase after the bad guys. I played with those action figures as well as GI Joe for countless hours growing up. GI Joe was interactive for his day. He had dog tags that would pull back and he would say, “This is G.I. Joe reporting for duty.”

I would line up my guys and watch the Lone Ranger on Saturday morning in black and white. If I was really lucky, mom would let me stay up late to watch a John Wayne Western. I would watch the movie and then spend the next several days making up stories in my mind and and playing them out.

It was the best of times.

Vroom, vroom, vroom

Of course, when I got older, my tastes changed. I thought our neighbors down the road were the coolest because they had a huge slot race car track — at least 8 or 9 feet by 12 feet that took up three quarters of their basement. When I finally got my own track, I was in heaven. I loved the red car, but when my brothers agreed to play me, I would chose the blue one because it was faster. They still managed to beat me.

I’ve been thinking about toys because we have a basement of our kids toys. I wonder if they’ll have the same strong feelings about their toys like I do about mine.

The process of buying toys has certainly changed over time. When I was a kid, my ears perked up whenever my mom said she had to drive to town to go to Montgomery Ward, G.C. Murphy, or some other five and dime store. I would ask if I could tag along to “help.” Of course, all I wanted to do was check out the toy section. My mother had to have known what I was planning.

When we got to the store, we had a tradition. She would go her way and I would go mine. I would head straight to the toy section. When my mom was done with her shopping, she’d come find me. Can you imagine doing that today? Letting an eight-year-old run free in a store? No way.

We’d look a little together at the toys. If I was really good and things were good financially at home, my mom would let me buy something small. I loved those days.

Yes, the toys have changed, but I still have some great memories.