5 Popular Items from the Past

Kid's items, especially toys, come and go every year. Some of them stay high in popularity for years, while others are forgotten about within a month. Twenty years ago, when I was a child, there were numerous toys that were very popular with my age group, but as we all know, it is nearly impossible to find them anymore because the companies that used to manufacture them are no longer producing them, let alone selling them. Such places such as eBay and Amazon are good places to find these long lost items, but buying them new is not feasible anymore.

The first item that I used to enjoy as a child was the rows and rows of penny candy that lined the shelves in every store. Some of these items, such as fire balls and tootsie rolls can still be found, but paying a penny a piece is a thing of the past. For example, I used to walk into the small drug store in the town that I grew up in and purchased cinnamon sticks, which were toothpicks dipped in hot cinnamon. Even though a resemblance of these can be found in some stores, they are not dipped in real cinnamon anymore, are not as hot as they used to be, and are not found in every store that you walk into. Today, the candy that is produced and marketed seems to be items based on straight sugar, such as ring pops.

The next two items that I used to enjoy a lot were products associated with the game of marbles. As we all know, marbles can still be bought and sold, but my favorite aspect of the game were clackers and steelies. These two items are no longer available to purchase for this purpose. It is still possible to obtain these items, but they are not designed for marble usage. Clackers can be found at any fish store as decorations for aquariums, and steelies in all shapes and sizes can be found at automotive stores because they are strictly used as ball bearings.

The last two items that I enjoyed as a child were real muscle cars and trucks. This is a great point for debate because people in today's society claim that you can still purchase muscle cars and trucks. Anyone that has ever raced, and been around real muscle cars, know without a doubt that the true muscle car or truck, the ones that are so loud that they can shatter windows, the ones that are so fast that the front end comes off the ground, and the ones that are so eye appealing, are no longer produced or sold. The muscle cars and work trucks of today may be better for the environment, easier on gas, and more aerodynamic, but they are not true muscle cars or trucks.

Children's products come and go, as do styles and needs. Over the years many things have come and gone, and items in the future will do the same. My advice to everyone is to hold onto things if you really enjoy them because in a few years it will be hard, or impossible, to acquire them.