Chaos Reading discussion

Was just chatting with some people about the 90s TV series "American Gothic". I really wish they'd show that again here!

"Someone's at the door! Someone's at the door!"
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V3xD3q...

Jumping back a bit to the 70s.... Anyone remember Fuzzy Felt? I think it might have been more of a UK thing, but we had them in Australia too.

You stuck the pre-cut felt shapes to the fuzzy background to make your own pictures which could be mixed & matched between the dozens of different themed sets. I LOVED these things...

I don't remember having Fuzzy Felt, but I had Colorforms - pieces of vinyl that stuck to laminated cardboard. Wish I still had my Lancelot Link, Secret Chimp set.

I survived many fads from klackers - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FLHftI... (Oh, yes! They were THAT annoying!) to deely bobbers - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Deely_bo....

I'm looking back now, shaking my head and going WTF were we all THINKING???

I don't think I'm old enough for this thread.

Okay, that's not true. I had Colorforms!

Bahaha. I still wear the occasional deely-bobber!

At first I thought you meant these... the fabled space hopper. My parents never got me one :(

Riona wrote: "I don't think I'm old enough for this thread.

Okay, that's not true. I had Colorforms!"

Rub it in, why dontcha?

I had Mork & Mindy Colorforms. Okay.... I STILL have Mork & Mindy Colorforms!

I don't remember fuzzy felts or color forms but my mom didn't buy us the trendy stuff.
When I was a kid [in the '90s] I wanted slap bracelets. http://static.fjcdn.com/pictures/Slap_8f6967_274486.jpg

I loved American Gothic! I watched it when it originally aired. It was so creepy.

I can remember back when all the cool kids had to be sure to watch The Six Million Dollar Man and Charlies Angels if they wanted to be part of the conversation the next day at school. That would have been around 1977/78.

Lauren wrote: "I loved American Gothic! I watched it when it originally aired. It was so creepy. "
It really was! I had forgotten it was Executive Produced by Sam Raimi too - of Evil Dead fame.

Checkman wrote: "I can remember back when all the cool kids had to be sure to watch The Six Million Dollar Man and Charlies Angels if they wanted to be part of the conversation the next day at school. That would ha..."

I loved Charlie's Angels when I was a kid. I wanted to be Cheryl Ladd :)

Gasp! I had one of those bouncy ball things! (message 5) I LOVED it!

I got one for my kids and they never used it.

Melki wrote: "Gasp! I had one of those bouncy ball things! (message 5) I LOVED it!

I got one for my kids and they never used it."

Oooooooh!! Ooooh! Can I have it? Pleeeaaase? *flutters eyelashes*

Sorry - it was given to Goodwill years ago.

We got these for the boys - http://www.sensoryedge.com/flturionto....
They have to wiggle to make them go.
Almost as fun as the ball.

Riona wrote: "I don't think I'm old enough for this thread.

Okay, that's not true. I had Colorforms!"

Maybe I'm too old for this thread - I remember fuzzy-felt, but don't recall it during my childhood...

Derek wrote: "Maybe I'm too old for this thread - I remember fuzzy-felt, but don't recall it during my childhood... "
That's a shame. I loved those things. I bought some vintage sets on eBay to use for making accessories, but ended up keeping most of them! I did make one necklace, but that was it:


Melki wrote: "We got these for the boys - http://www.sensoryedge.com/flturionto....
They have to wiggle to make them go.
Almost as fun as the ball."

That's nuts! But I still want a space hopper :(

Melki wrote: "Sorry - it was given to Goodwill years ago.

We got these for the boys - http://www.sensoryedge.com/flturionto....
They have to wiggle to make them go.
Almost as fun as the ball."

I LOVE these! My Niece and Nephew have something very similar, except it's a bit bigger and I use it allll the time. Ofcourse I put my niece on my lap to pretend that I'm doing this for her, but it's a lie, It's all for meee :P

Ah, sneaky...
One of the best things about having kids is playing with their toys. One of the worst things is always tripping over their toys.

Only having a cat, I have toys to trip over but nothing very sophisticated to play with. Actually, that's a lie. I buy toys for myself all the time. I don't like children in the house because they always play with MY toys. :)

Hate to admit it, but the biggest fad when I was a kid was this strange new toy called the Hula Hoop. Seriously.

My nostalgia goes back to the '50s and '60s. I bought the DVDs of I Spy, The Man From U.N.C.L.E. and Danger Man (secret Agent in the U.S.). I also have all the seasons of All Creatures Great and Small.

I think you're right about Fuzzy Felt being mostly UK. We had felt boards here but mostly those were used by teachers and bible teachers to tell stories (cut out figures stuck to a felt board while telling the story). We also used to make them at home (I grew up in the country) by cutting out felt figures and sticking them to a blanket draped over a chair of something.

I used to buy my kids Colorforms kits (back in the '70s) every year before we left for vacation for them to play with in the car...none have survived however.

Ah! Illya Kuryakin -- one of my very first heart throbs. And some of my earliest writing was scripts for Man from U.N.C.L.E. episodes. None of which, sad to say, ever saw the light of day.

I love the show...but they screwed it up badly the third season (went with that "crappy campy" stuff Batman started). They started changing back the fourth season, but before it could get it's audience back it was canceled. Maybe your scripts could have saved the show, LOL.

Mike (the Paladin) wrote: "I love the show...but they screwed it up badly the third season (went with that "crappy campy" stuff Batman started). They started changing back the fourth season, but before it could get it's audi..."

Hahaha! Maybe so, Mike.

I'm reminded of American Gothic every time I see Gary Cole in Office Space :}

my favorite campy show was probably The Adventures of Brisco County Junior

Mike (the Paladin) wrote: "I used to buy my kids Colorforms kits (back in the '70s) every year before we left for vacation for them to play with in the car...none have survived however. "

I will admit that my mother threw my Mork & Mindy set out when I was a teenager. So a few years ago, I bought a vintage set on eBay - still unused! The pieces are still connected to the plastic sheets. I'm SO tempted to just push them out and play with the damn thing!


Do you remember the ones, (I can't remember what they were called) where you rubbed the little transfers onto a picture? Kalamazoos or something? My Mum used to get me one every time I did something I really didn't want to, like visiting an elderly relative!

Not sure... I'd have bought them for my kids. When I was a kid we actually bought books where you cut paper "stuff" out for cardboard figures. There were a few for boys but most were dress-up paper dolls.

I grew up playing with cap guns and small plastic men...army men, cowboys, knights etc. I had sets that tied in to several TV programs. I had a Wyatt Earp Dodge City set that came with a sheet metal western street you put together. I had a Zorro set, a Wagon Train set....

I still own muppet babies from McDonald's that I won't let my kids play with nor are they allowed to lay on my Gizmo pillow, my house is filled with 80's toys no knocks here .... Funny how my kids think I will let them touch them . Mine!

Jess wrote: "I still own muppet babies from McDonald's that I won't let my kids play with nor are they allowed to lay on my Gizmo pillow, my house is filled with 80's toys no knocks here .... Funny how my kids ..."

I'm the same. People seem to think that because I have a house full of toys, it is okay for their children to play with them. WRONG.

Spacehoppers, yay. But what were those things we had? They were like a double ball with a plastic ring around and you stood on the ring and gripped the top ball between your feet and bounced around on it like a loon?

"Clackers" I was on the end of that craze. My younger brother had some. I think they were also called "Ker-bangers".

Amy wrote: "Spacehoppers, yay. But what were those things we had? They were like a double ball with a plastic ring around and you stood on the ring and gripped the top ball between your feet and bounced around..."

Looked a bit like a flying saucer? I had one. It was really bugging me so I've just spent 20 minutes on the net tracking it down! "Lolo Ball" or "Pogo Ball", they were kind of the 80s space hopper, I guess. £10.99 on Amazon.co.uk - it turns out you can still get them!

Anyone have stickle bricks (fuzzy felt made me think of them)?

Yay, Klackers! (or Clackers) Show your friend who has never seen them before, then let them have a go and watch them REALLY bruise their knuckles! Alright, so I was a sadistic child!

The last "toy" I got was the one with the unfortunate name "Super Ball". It was a ball that could store a lot of kinetic energy and would bounce over a house. If got in an enclosed space or room (with no breakables) you could throw it hard against the floor or the wall (then duck and cover) as it ricocheted around.

Mike (the Paladin) wrote: "The last "toy" I got was the one with the unfortunate name "Super Ball". It was a ball that could store a lot of kinetic energy and would bounce over a house. If got in an enclosed space or room (w..."

Thank you for reminding me of this classic spoof SNL commercial inspired by the Super Ball: Happy Fun Ball.

"Do not taunt Happy Fun Ball". Love it!