We made our own Skip It from cutting out the inside circle of the plastic lid to a coffee can, and using twine to attach a small ball.
http://www.mortaljourney.com/2010/12/1970-trends/lemon-twist-or-footsie-toy
https://www.amazon.com/Toysmith-TSM10086-12-Skip-Ball/dp/B000ID32VI
We played square ball, hopscotch and double dutch jump rope during school recess.
Help Wanted ads in the newspapers:
“Help Wanted-Male”
“Help Wanted-Female”
“Help Wanted-Male or Female” this category was very small.
Okay, things I remember that don’t exist today (and probably couldn’t)
1)Saturday movies (yes, this even existed in the 1970’s when I was old enough to do this), going on a Saturday afternoon, either at a local school (showing movies and shorts, like "Godzilla’ movies and the like), being dropped off, and spending an afternoon (it was back when they still had the concept of 2 movies).
2)Drive in Movies, NJ was the birthplace of them, where I lived had two very close by, and now there is one left in the state, down in south Jersey some place.
3)Video game arcades. They still exist, but in nowhere the numbers they once did, thanks to home video game machines
4)The original home video game, I think it was made by Quasar (?), where you taped a plastic screen over the screen and played things like tennis with a moving dot of light (I didn’t have one), this was pre-pong
5)Instant cameras, the original polaroid with the accordion body on it.
6)When fast food restaurants like McDonalds and Burger King were relatively scarce, and were considered a treat
7)When the first indoor shopping malls opened up, and how (to kids) they seemed like amazing places.
8)Putting baseball cards in the spokes of bikes to get that wonderful noise, after they turned into ‘collecting fever’ not likely to happen ever again (good ole Spaceman Bill Lee had one of the high points of Ken Burn’s “baseball”, when he said that was the perfect thing to do with them).
9)“exploring”…as kids we would wander our area (probably no more than maybe a half square mile),seeing what there was to be seen. A small creek that ended in an abandoned swimming hole, an old dairy farm long abandoned, old railroad tracks to nowhere, you name it, we would explore it.
10)When long distance calls were something of a thrill, given the cost of them (pre ATT breakup).
11)When a neighbor, who worked for Bell Labs, demonstrated an early prototype of what became cell phone service, in the mid 1970’s.
12)The first home pc’s, and how rare and wonderful (well, at least to me), they were
13)Ham radio (which still exists), fascinated that with that you could talk to people all over the world just like that.
I remember making craft projects such as rings and bracelets out of colorful striped telephone wire.
Carrolls, one of the first fast food restaurants in my region of the country (I think there is now a Burger King in the exact location where ours was in my hometown). I still have a free hamburger coupon for getting good grades in 4th grade that I never used.
doschicos - loved Gumby and Pokey!
We still have a drive in, but when I suggest going people look at me like I’m crazy .
Our local playground does include a merry go 'round and the rest. And we have a local dairy that delivers. We’ve also got a drive in movie theater. And an ice cream truck that roam. Blasts from the past. And just lucky, I guess. We made sure our kids got to experience these.
But how I miss the Charles Chips trucks that came around, where I grew up- not for the chips. In the fall, they brought fresh, glazed donuts and cider.
Musicprnt, my brother did hitchhike across the country. I did it with friends (all girls,) either to another college or once back and forth home, about a 3 hour drive. Only a few times, but nuts. Absolutely nuts.
Paying a $50/year membership fee at a store for the privilege of renting VHS tapes.
Loved Charles Chips.
There is a drive in about 5 miles from my house - we still have ice cream trucks and lots of people in my town still get milk and eggs from the milk man.
Was at a garage sale yesterday and there was a huge stack of Betamax videos.
Tin saltine container.
Sitting glued to my Tv the entire month of August 1981 until school got in the way.
Jacks…everyone had a set of Jacks.
At recess playing marbles or pick up sticks. Morning paper and later an evening paper. If you missed the school bus you walked to school by yourself no matter how old you were.
8 track tape player in the car. On road trips, there were rules how many times we could listen to “Jesus Christ Superstar,” the “Hamilton” of its day.
Those old radio and TV jingles stil ring in my head sometimes:
“Sun In and sunlight and you’ll be blonder to-night”
“Today is Sunday, Manhattan Coffee. Drink Manhattan Coffee. Drink it everyday”.
“Summer, summer fruits, it wouldn’t be summer without 'em. Fresh from the tree, taste 'em and see”.
“See the USA, in your Chevrolet. America is asking you to call. Drive the USA in your Chevrolet. America’s the greatest land of all”.
There’s an app for that today!
“Brylcreem a little dab’ll do ya’”
“You meet the nicest people on a Honda”
“Mother please I’d rather do it myself” (Anacin)
I think the “Jingle Jump” was the original Skip Around. You strapped it to your ankle with a strap like on the back of a baseball cap. It had a little box with a bell on it and the ball on the string. All plastic, in variations of yellow, red and blue. If you squashed the ball with your foot, it was ruined.
I remember when you could get a new twist-n-turn Barbie at the toy store by trading in your old one and paying a few dollars.
My brothers had a Robbie the Robot, a chemistry set and Erector Set. Their toys were very interesting to me.
We used to play all sorts of board games outside in the summer on a blanket under a tree. Risk, Monopoly, Sorry, Parcheesi.
Captain Penny, clackers (the acrylic balls on a string), A&W Rootbeer stands, Lipsmackers, Love’s BabySoft. Funny, the things that come to mind.
Beatles’ bubble gum.