DAILY DIRT: Ahh yes, the days of Etch-A-Sketch, Chatty Cathy and Silly Putty

To be perfectly honest, I could never get the hang of those Rock-em Sock-em Robots. My fighter always got his head knocked off. Always. … Welcome to today’s three thoughts that make up Vol. 797 of The Daily Dirt.

1. It seems every Christmas season there is one particular toy that becomes the “hot” ticket.

Way back in 1956 it was Mr. Potato Head, and in 1957 it was PlayDoh. You get the idea.

The staff at The Daily Dirt thought it would be interesting to take what are arguably the most important decades in the life a boomer and see what the hot items were in each of those years. Today we start with the 1960s: 

1960: This was the year the Barbie dolls burst on to the scene. It has been estimated there have been more a billion Barbie dolls sold in the past 60-plus years. Manufacturer Mattel claims there are three Barbie dolls sold every three seconds.

1961: Silly Putty, which could bounce, flow like liquid and break if pulled apart, was loved by kids and adults alike. 

1962: The Etch-A-Sketch, described as a “temporary drawing board,” was actually introduced in 1960 but exploded in popularity in 1962. The “erasable” canvas was a must-have toy.

1963: The Easy-Bake Oven completely changed the game for young girls. The oven came with cake-mix packets and tiny round pans — and 100-watt incandescent light bulbs.

1964: The Beatles’ “Flip Your Wig Game” was all about getting your designated Beatle (Paul, John, George or Ringo) a hit record. I’ll be honest, I have no recollection of this board game, but the pictures look mighty interesting. That it came out at the height of Beatlemania was no coincidence.

1965: Only Barbie dolls were more popular than the Chatty Cathy dolls, which could actually “talk”.

1966: Ahhh .,.. the Spirograph. This geometric drawing toy was developed by British engineer Denys Fisher. The “trippy” shapes made it the perfect toy for the swinging ’60s.

1967: I think every red-blooded American youngster had those cool Rock-em Sock-em Robots. Interestingly, this toy (complete with ring, by the way) was re-released in the 2000s, but with smaller robots.

1968: The Monopoly board game has been around since the 1930s, but it enjoyed a resurgence in popularity in the late 1960s.

1969: A multi-player board game, Mouse Trap involved creating an elaborate trap to catch your opponent’s plastic mouse piece.

On Saturday, we’ll look at the 1970s.

2. We have a new entry to the medal stand for the Great Plate Debate of 2023 as we hit the homestretch for the race to find the most creative vanity plates in West-Central Illinois and Northeast Missouri.

This week’s standings:

Gold medal: BE A BETH. 

Silver medal: APPEAL. This is our newest plate to crack the top three. I spotted it twice in last four days.

Bronze medal: FUSEBOX. 

(2022 champion: IMDUMB)

The best of the rest from the past week:

• WILD IVY
• PUNKY 77
• MOBILY 1
• MAIN 52
• MY SONZ 2
• TEX X 1

3. The most popular hobbies for retirees, according to retiredinusa.com:

• 1. Yoga. (Not going to happen.)
• 2. Travel. (Only if someone else is driving.)
• 3. Learn to play an instrument. (Nope. Would take away from my TV time.)
• 4. Gardening. (Seriously? The last I knew, Hy-Vee delivered.)
• 5. Playing games. (Excellent idea, particularly while watching TV.)

Steve Thought O’ The Day — If, by some wild stretch, I would decide to try yoga would I need to buy some tights?

Steve Eighinger writes daily for Muddy River News. I guess no one told Steve his “Hot Yoga and Gardening” podcast starts Jan. 2.