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1,000th POST! * 1,000th POST! * 1,000th POST!
One of my very favourite toys when I was a kid was a MARX YOGI BEAR on a yellow friction-drive scooter. I got my very first one in 1963 and another one the week before my birthday in '64 or '65. (I had the first in houses 1-3, and the second in houses 2 & 3.) I'm not quite sure what fate eventually befell them, but the last time I can recall seeing either of them was around '67 or '68. I could've still had them beyond that date of course, but I just can't remember with absolute certainty. (Is there any other kind?)
Over the course of the last 30 years or so, since I started re-acquiring items I associate with my childhood, I've kept an eager eye out for Yogi and his scooter. No joy - though I did see a photo of the box in a HANNA-BARBERA book I bought a few years back, but not the toy itself. I published a picture of the box in a blog post back in April, asking anyone who had the toy - or knew where to get one - to get in touch, but no leads were forthcoming.
However, all things come to he who waits, and a couple or so weeks ago, I got an email from someone in Australia who had the very toy (and box) itself. He sent me some photos, a deal was struck, and it won't be long before Yogi and his scooter arrive direct from Down Under, hopefully none the worse for wear after their long journey. So, that's one more childhood toy dropping in to keep me company before I fall off the twig - only a few more still to acquire.
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So chuffed am I at the prospect of soon being reunited with my boyhood pal that I thought I'd share some of the photos of Yogi sent to me by the seller. In a short while I'll be able to claim that I've had the 'same' Yogi scooter toy in four straight houses in a row since the early '60s - which may be of no particular significance to anyone else, but connects me to a comforting continuity with the past from which I derive a great and palpable pleasure.
And thanks to Jerome for being able to 'bear' parting with him. (Ouch! Even I winced at that one.)
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And, lest you happen to think that the idea of Yogi Bear riding a scooter is an unlikely one, here's a photo which proves otherwise. Apologies to whichever site the photo came from - I can't remember and didn't take a note.
