The last 30 years of my life have gone by so quickly that unless something I buy has a date on it (like a comic), then it's sometimes difficult for me to remember precisely how long ago I purchased it. That's the case with this 'modern' equivalent of the Santa on a three-wheeled scooter-type thingy that I showed you in the previous post. I think I bought this one in BEATTIES toy shop (or one very near it), across from the St. Enoch's shopping centre in Glasgow. I know I definitely got it in a shop across from St. Enoch's, but time has eroded my memory of whether it was actually Beatties or not. (Maybe it was R.S. McCOLL'S.) It could be anything from 15 to 25 years ago, and I suspect it was closer to the latter, 'cos I've had it so long now that it seems like it's been around forever.
Truth to tell, I don't think it's the best Santa I've seen, but I bought it mainly as a decoration, not a toy. It lies in a box of decorations up in my loft all year round, and then gets placed on top of a display cabinet for the duration of the festive period before going back in the box. In fact, seeing as I have the camera out, let's snap a few photos of some of its stablemates - all of them Santas in/on some form of mobile vehicle. (They range from pullback, wind-up, and friction-drive, and are in need of a dust.) Like the one above, they only come out for Christmas (except for the bottom one, which sits in my room), and they're probably older than Santa on the bike. Do you own any such yuletide items, and do they represent a particular period of your life? Christmas obviously, but I'm talking about childhood, teenage years, etc.
I Have Pipe Cleaner Santa!..which i remember fondly from the 1960,s..it was always part of the Xmas decorations, then sometime in the 1980s it vanished, probably, like most things got thrown out by my mom, who bought a bunch of new ornaments to hang from the tree, anyway i got one this year from E bay,exactly the same, so once again pipe cleaner Santa hung proudly from the tree, in a different house, & a different time but he bought back lots of great memories for me, especially since i lost my mom & dad within a few days of each other at the end of November this year, so it was a happy sad occasion i guess.
ReplyDeleteAfter seeing this post Kid, im going to track down a couple of the Friction drive Santas you pictured, ready for next Xmas.
Great to hear that you and Pipe Cleaner Santa have been reunited, RD. I always find that the replacement, in some kind of magical, mystical way, becomes the original in my mind, so hopefully it's the same with you, too. The Santa from the previous post is friction-drive, as is the Santa in the sled (bottom pic) in this post, which I got in the late '80s or early '90s from a shop across the street from one of my childhood homes, so even though I was an adult when I bought it, it connects me to my childhood. One I'd dearly like to have again is a Space Blimp Of Christmas (Santa in a rocket sleigh), which I got from Woolworth's in the '60s, but I've been unable to find one so far. There's a picture of one on the blog somewhere though.
ReplyDeleteHi kid, Yes ive seen The Space Blimp Post, Ill Keep a look Out this year at any toy fairs we Visit, Just in case one turns up.
ReplyDeleteGood man. If it's not one you're wanting for your own collection, I'd pay a good (but fair) price for it.
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