When I heard about the little girl in Massachusetts who ended up with third-degree burns from making home made slime, I started thinking about the inexpensive toys we used to play with when we were kids. It wasn't about technology then, it was about imagination and boy did they give us imagination!

Here are some toys from back in the day that didn't cost a lot of money, but kept you amused for hours. Show them to your kids and see how they react, better yet, give them a few and see how long it takes for them to put them down.


Silly Putty - It bounces, it breaks, it reproduces pictures from the newspaper, (now you have to go find one of those!


Slinky - An amazing spring that can walk down stairs  but it's also fun just to slide it back and forth in your hands.


Rubik's cube - It's a 3D combination puzzle that was invented in 1974. There are people in New Jersey still trying to solve it!


Paddle ball - All it was was a paddle with a ball attached to it by a rubber band. When you found someone who could keep it going fpr a long time, it was a sight to behold, unfortunately, I was not that person!


Klik Klax - You could slam those two plastic balls together for hours, so what if one of them chips they'll take you eye out, in fact they were taken off the market for that very reason. Too many kids were getting hurt playing with them.


Super Ball - This Whamo product was so popular that the National Football League actually named the Super Bowl after it! . This ball could bonce higher than any you've ever seen!


Spaldeen - This little red rubber ball made by Spalding could be used for all kinds of games like punchball, stick ball, curb ball, box ball, The Spaldeen was so popular that if one ever rolled down the sewer, many a kid twisted a hanger to fish it out, less they be forced to go in after it. There was nothing like the smell of a fresh Spaldeen right out of the store!


Etch A Sketch - Talk about using your imagination! Just try and make a diagonal line or circle. you had two choices, up and down or sideways but those who could, created beautiful works of art, only to be erased with the shake of the Etch A Sketch.


Yo-Yo - You could keep it in your pocket but when you took it out, you could "walk the dog", "Rock the Baby","Hop the Fence" and many other great tricks.


Ding a ling - Favorite toy of many boys and the only number one song Chuck Berry ever had!

Next time you're going on a trip with the kids, hand them one of these and see how much fun they have and you as well!

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