It's funny the imagination we have as kids, don't you think? We seem to be able to visualise impossible, unlikely, or even contradictory scenarios in the 'ideas factory' of our minds. Our brains don't have much (if any) difficulty in running along two different trains of thought at the same time, even if reason and common sense dictate that those 'trains' shouldn't be able to run on tracks so closely parallel to one another without risking a collision when they reach the junction (metaphorically speaking). No, it's not a perfect analogy, but you know what I mean.
Which is a rather grandiose (pretentious even?) way of setting the scene for the simple subject matter of this latest post, but let's stick with it for a just a little longer. In my vast and diverse collection of DVDs, there's one entitled A FLINTSTONE CHRISTMAS. Haven't watched it since I first owned it in VHS format around 30 years ago, but if I recall correctly, FRED and BARNEY stand in for SANTA (who's caught a cold) in order to deliver presents that year. Even in their comic strips and mags, the Flinststones have been depicted celebrating the Festive Season.
The obvious problem with just such a scenario, however, is that the Stone Age occurred long, long before the birth of CHRIST, so Christmas didn't exist back in Fred and Barney's time. But why let that little fact get in the way of a story though, eh? Kids would probably be unaware of the dichotomy of the situation because, presumably, they're more willing to accept whatever's presented to them without analysing it for mistakes or contradictions (or some other reason).
Whatever the cause, when I was a kid I was the same when it came to contriving adventures for two of my toys to embark on as a duo. I often sat on the back step of my house and dreampt up stories involving my Fred figure from my MARX Toys FLINTSTONE FLIVVER, and Santa from my LP Toys SPACE BLIMP Of CHRISTMAS. (Yes, I'm back to that again - it arrived today.) It never occurred to me that the characters couldn't co-exist in the same 'reality', so that never got in the way of the imaginary escapades I created for them.
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Note that the pattern on Fred's Flivver is almost a perfect
match with my kitchen worktop in the above photo |
Now, at the back step of every home I've ever lived in we kept the same 'shoe scraper' grate, which came with us whenever we moved house. In the one I then lived in, I'd sit with my feet on the grate while Fred and Santa (the Unlikely Duo) palled about in whatever situation I mentally placed them (mental being an appropriate word in my case). That grate sits at the back door of my present abode (though now it's an inner back door as we closed off the once open back porch, which has another door), so I thought I'd rope it in for a photo opportunity in order to provide this post with some pictorial content.
I managed to obtain a replacement for my Flintstone Flivver around 20 years or so ago, and I bought the replacement for the Blimp on Sunday (as I said, it arrived today). Originally, there was a gap of around five or six years between my '60s possession of these two toys, though they met their demise at the same time in the '70s. It's good to see two old 'pals' reunited, and although they might be only two lumps of lifeless plastic to you, to me they're family and it's great to see them together again.
Okay, doctor, I've finished typing - just let me hit 'publish' and then you can take me back to the nut-hut. Flibble!
But before I go, let me ask you Crivs a question that I've asked before, but I'll ask again for the benefit of any new readers (though older ones can answer it again if they want to). Is there a particular toy from
your childhood that you'd love to own again, and what specific memories does it conjure up in your mind? The comments section is ravenous, so please feed it as much as you like.
Update: As you can see in the above photos, in common with a lot of '60s toys made in Hong Kong, the paint job on mass-produced items was seldom administered neatly. Although the Space Blimp had clearly never been played with (as witnessed by the fact that the reindeer head, etc., were still untouched in their bags), Santa's beard, gloves and fur trim had been painted with not much precision. I therefore gave them a minor touch-up to improve their cosmetic appeal, while not going overboard so that they retained the 'spirit' of their '60s appearance. Take a look below and compare the 'before and after' photos .
Of course, some collectors will be aghast, believing as they do that toys should be left in their original state even if slightly inferior, but I prefer to put my 'stamp' on them (only when 'corrective' work is required) so that it then becomes my toy, as opposed to a generic example of its kind. I wouldn't advise just anyone to do this, but I'm a dab hand with a brush (as you'll know if you've seen my built and painted model kits on the blog) and I'm of the opinion that a toy is much improved after any 'remedial' tinkering by me. You can judge for yourselves.
