My Favorite Childhood Toy

Day 87


We didn't have Gameboys or Xbox. We had cardboard box.

A cardboard box could become anything depending on the size of the box. If it was the box from a refrigerator we felt we had won the Powerball lottery. It could be a race car, a tank, a ship or submarine. It was a castle tower. It was a tunnel leading to a buried treasure chest (a much smaller box). A small box could hold a much needed vaccine or safe cracking tools.

One time we were combination brain surgeons, rock stars and undercover spies, all at once. (I just want to add this was before Buckaroo Bonzai, he stole our schtick) As the heroes we never looked for a fight, but we didn't runaway from them either. Our fantasy's would play out for hours. In the summer we stayed out until dark. In the winter we came in the house long enough to warm up and put on dry clothes.

Our yard at home was small so we often played in the basement. But my grandma's house had a large grass lot. Grandma always had cans of pop and black raspberry jelly (very hard to find now). On warm summer evening's grandpa would sit outside and listen to Ernie Harwell announcing the Tigers game on the radio, with his soft southern drawl.

Today's generation is missing out on so much. But in forty years the youth of today will be saying the same thing. Each generation has it's own childhood memories. All we can do is hang on to our own and tell stories to anyone who'll listen.

A Gameboy will always be a Gameboy, an Xbox will always be an Xbox but a cardboard box can be anything you can imagine. My favorite childhood toy.

Until tomorrow,

Ken