Although a toy like the ones above cost 5 cents or 10 cents 30 plus years ago, it was too expensive for the children who came from poor families....
.... so we made our own toys with whatever we could find. What others considered junk, they were turned into toys that entertained us for hours each day. :D
Simple things like bottle caps provided hours of fun for the boys.
Tops for the boys and handmade skipping rope for the girls
We girls would string rubber bands to form a skipping rope. Zero point was my favourite game every day until I fell and broke my right arm playing it. I was ten. :P
Wordless Wednesday
I remember playing gasing when I was a kid. Gasings were made of different wood, the more hardy ones cost more. To be a champion gasing player you need to knock off your opponent's spinning gasing by striking it with your own gasing. You will be considered a champion if your gasing, after knocking off your opponent's gasing, still remains standing and spinning.
ReplyDeleteI've always loved playing the tops! I played so much outside when I was a kid so I had a hand of these toys too =) almost the same what we have in the Phils =)
ReplyDeleteit's great to see those again here ECL!
ReplyDeletehave a great monday!
Hi ECL! ohh the skipping rope..I remember skipping for hours at home :-P
ReplyDeleteoh no u fell and broke yr right arm?! OUCH!!
ReplyDeletethe first picture is very colorful with all lille toys. Yes, when kids don't have any toys they create new ones with their imagination. I remember I srunf from a high tree when I was about 7 and broke my foot. I was always running every where with a little friend of my age!
ReplyDeletebrings back memories indeed. gona b away for 3 mths...how u been?
ReplyDeleteyup, i also love these old toys!
ReplyDeleteThis is really nice. I hope I can get my baby girl to play with these kinds of toys while it's early. I don't want her to get hooked up on Psp, computer games, etc.
ReplyDeletei remembered playing half of these that you mentioned! especially the rubber bands rope, it has been so much fun jumping over n over again through the rubbery rope. XD
ReplyDeleteThese are indeed toys of yesteryears! Sadly, I wonder how many of today's kids play with these anymore. They are spending way too much time on computers or glued to the tv.
ReplyDeleteI remember that colourful paper ball, the five stones and the tops all hand-me-downs from my older sister and brother.I don't know if it means anything these days but our gang used to play Dog and The Bone,Hop Scotch,Hide and Seek and Catching.In those days cars rarely passed St. Patrick's Road in the afternoon so we had a lot of space.
ReplyDeletestanley,
ReplyDeleteI don't know how to play gasing. :P My younger brother was very good at it. It's a boys' game and they didn't allow the girls to join in. :(
I used to sit at the side and watch the boys playing gasing, knocking one another's gasing out of a drawn circle.
Those were the days. I miss my childhood, it was so carefree and full of fun.
Ayie,
ReplyDeleteOoooo... so the Filipinos play with these tops too! We kids were playing with similar toys!
Unlike you, I wasn't allowed to join the boys in their game of gasing. And I still don't know how to spin a top. :P
I played with the bottle tops as a kid on the playground. We would fill them with melted crayons of different colors (melted on the top of a light bulb...I still remember the times I burned my fingers trying to take it off quick!) and we would play on a grid of numbers painted on the ground. The games was called "scalies".
ReplyDeleteYou would have to get your checker inside each number box clean, from 1 to 13 and back to start, shooting it with your finger.
We used to compete to have the best looking checker with crazy colors mixed inside the tops, too. That is probably where some of my creativity began! ;)
Monica,
ReplyDeleteI guess the rubber-band skipping rope was the basic toy for us girls in SE Asia. I remember each of my girl friend had one and we compete with one another for the honour of having the longest or thickest rubber-band skipping rope. :)
I slipped and fell, breaking my right arm while trying to get my leg over the rubber-band skipping rope placed at shoulder height. Dangerous stunt.
claudie,
ReplyDeleteWhen we were kids, we were creative and could come up with many toys from things found in our surroundings. There weren't so many tall buildings then and so much greenery. Climbing trees and catching insects was our next favourite past-time. :)
Hi stan!
ReplyDeleteLong time no hear from you. Going on a backpack holiday? That would be cool! *envy*
sgshortstories,
ReplyDeleteYou probably didn't play with many of them. During your time, there was the beginning of fanciful toys and electronic gadgets.
ahjie
ReplyDeleteThanks for the advice
jellybelly,
ReplyDeleteKids these days only know how to play with electronic gadgets and computers. They have lost touch with these traditional toys and even board games.
Yes, teach your girl how to play with these toys and have fun!
levian,
ReplyDeleteIt's not easy to find these traditional toys these days.... and they are not cheap too.
The rubber band skipping rope is easily available and such a fun toy to have!
Mei Teng,
ReplyDeleteYou're right, many of today's kids don't play with these toys. They prefer the computer and TV.
I hope their parents and school would introduce such fun into the kids' lives. They could learn to design and create toys.... most important, go out to have some fresh air and sunshine..... and have lots of fun!
Jean,
ReplyDeleteAll those games you mentioned were what I played as a kid too.
We kids would throw down our school bags once we reach home, gulped down our lunch and run out to meet our friends. We would play until Moms came yelling for us to go home for dinner.
We didn't have much homework, no tuition, no assessment books.... yet we were promoted to the next level every year.
Such lovely memories of my childhood. Sadly when it comes to my son, he has lost much of his childhood to the rat race.
The Fitness Diva,
ReplyDeleteNow that is indeed creativity! A new way of playing with bottle tops. They would look so pretty with all those colours of the melted crayons. The game 'scalies' sound interesting.
I wish parents would stop buying their kids expensive toys and gadgets. Show them how to play and make these traditional toys. Let them be creative and come up with more games which family and friends can have fun together.
yenjai,
ReplyDeleteYou're welcomed. :)
i also created most of my toys when i was a kid. Barbie was too expensive.:p we played "kick" using a bunch of flowers or woven coconut leaves, our rope was a vine found near the beach. all for free.:p
ReplyDeletei remember i had altogether three store bought toys in my childhood.. a ball, monopoly set, and an inflatable Batman :) everything else was self made :)
ReplyDeletei used to play the skipping rope in school before assembly. it reminds me of the past and bring back old memories.
ReplyDeleteHi Eastcoastlife, thanks for this post.
ReplyDeleteTHis museum reminds me of the Children Little Museum that I had went to earlier this year with a good friend. It's at 42 Bussorah Street. Thank you for the nice memories that this post brings.
i remembered playing the gasing with my friends..
ReplyDeleteI can't remember any of these toys, we probably had others, and then just after the war, there weren't many. We used to play in the ruins.
ReplyDeleteI like "five stones" and "zero point" :D ....also those "CC" cards (that guys play) and "green spot"...HAHAHHA!
ReplyDeleteI was quite boyish and I grew up with my older brother. I'm the one dragging him to play guns and bows and arrows! hahaha! I played many traditional outdoor games too. I used to weave my own rubberband skip rope and play chinese garter also. Ohhh makes me feel old...yesteryears!
ReplyDeleteS USA for 3 mths expedition trip.
ReplyDeleteYourself?
A good post ECL! This reminds me of my younger days. I used to have all these toys. :D
ReplyDeleteWow! Tekkaus played so many toys! He had all of them! : )
ReplyDeleteI used to play those bottle caps too. They were fun!
ReplyDeleteNowadays, you don't find kids playing these anymore. Mostly they prefer playstation and computer games! Too bad!
ReplyDeleteFor me, I like to play my piano. Even now. Haha!
ReplyDeleteWow! Break your arm! That's very painful! How long did it take for your arm to completely heal?
ReplyDeleteI remembered playing with most of the games here as a child but my all time favorite is the 5 stones, which is self made. I could even play alone with it!
ReplyDeleteMy brother and I collected bags and bags of marbles back then.
ReplyDeleteHappy WW!
My entries:
Moms... Check nyo
Yummy-as-can-be
Emm....I have never played those before though aware of their existence. Kids nowadays probably think those are from outer space. LOL
ReplyDeleteGreat story ECL hopefully the kids of today will some day appreciate how much they have!
ReplyDeletei love zero point too. Another of my favourite is what we call - main batu..gather some small stones, flip it and try to catch it before it hit the ground.
ReplyDeleteThx for sharing,ECL. Your post really brings back the old memories. :D
The simplest ones are sometimes those that are most fondly remembered.
ReplyDeleteI remember the boys in class (primary school) last time brought the bottle caps (and the thing inside, what we call that?) to play. Hardly find it now 'coz plastic bottles replace the glass bottles...
ReplyDeleteahhh, toys from the good old days....missed all of them!
ReplyDeleteI remember playing those colorful marbles and the more marbles i gain just makes me so happy. Spinning the top is also another skill that is difficult to learn but I get to spin a few after much effort. Sadly all these toys r no more to be seen.
ReplyDeleteI remember in 1970 that I had a bottle cap collection. Even in Troy, NY. Glad to know that this phenomena was larger than myself. thanks for your post. The world isn't as large as we think!!
ReplyDeleteHi there,
ReplyDeletewhat place is this? Would like to bring my kids there to experience the good old toy games!
Cheers,
Paula
Woow, a toy museum - how exiting! :-)
ReplyDelete