I Got My Baby Box, Baby Box!

Several years ago, my mom gave me a big box of toys and nursery wall decor that were mine when I was just a wee, little Baby Anthony. My family actually called me Tony (and still do), but I tried to put a stop to that at some point in my teens when I had decided that Anthony sounded more mature. Besides, that is the name on my birth certificate!

Anyway, I know that it must have been a bitter-sweet moment for my mom when she gave me these things because she told me that she had been saving them for the day when I might have a child of my own. Well... back then, adoption by gay couples wasn't as prevalent as it is now (may not have even been legal), and she certainly knew a grandchild wasn't coming by natural means! So figuring it was a lost cause to save it, but also knowing how special it would be to me, my mom went ahead and handed over that magical box of babyhood memories.

It's interesting how I can remember some of the things perfectly, and others not at all. What really amazed me was the smell inside the box and on the stuffed animals. After lo these many years, it all still has a very distinct scent that (((WHOOSH))) instantly takes me back to the nursery. Fascinating, the way our sense of smell is so strongly connected to memories. It can almost evoke more than a photograph. Or, at the very least, the scent of certain things can conjure something that a photograph just isn't capable of capturing. Know what I mean?

Speaking of photographs, the one at the top is of my mom and me. Just thought I should clarify that in case it somehow wasn't totally obvious to everyone. And below you'll see a few that I took of two very psychedelic pieces of wall decor which came from grandparents on my dad's side. I imagine that they probably hung over my crib. The wall hangings, not my grandparents. When looking at them, keep in mind that I was born in the '70s!







Colorful enough for ya? Both wall
plaques are likely responsible for
why I'm so drawn to color...







This one is my favorite of the two!
Not quite sure if it's because of the
particular color combo, or that this
bear is cuter blowing bubbles with a
horn while wearing a nightcap?
Probably both.





That is all, for now. I plan to continue sharing the rest of my Baby Box contents as a series of exclusive posts, much like the 'Happy Music' and 'A Boy's Toy Joy' series!

Stay tuned...

A Boy's Toy Joy: The Fisher-Price Musical Ferris Wheel

Photo by Allison Jones

It is time, once again, for me to reflect on another one of my favorite childhood toys. Today, I am talking about the Fisher-Price Musical Ferris Wheel!

This toy was MAGICAL. Not only did it play music when you wound it up, its wheel also spun around, and around, and around as the "mad boy" cranked it! AND you could put your Fisher-Price Little People (Even the dog!) in the chairs so they could go for a ride! You'd have to ask my mom, but I'm pretty sure that this toy had the power to entrance and almost HYPNOTIZE me. Even today, if I just think about it, I can still hear the tune it played, 'In the Good Old Summertime'. It was such a cheerful little song!

Photo by Raya


As I've mentioned in at least one other post, I LOVE to collect the toys that I can remember having enjoyed the most when I was a child. It's sort of my way of recapturing the innocence of my youth, I guess. Maybe, that's the basic reason why, as an adult, I still enjoy toys in general? Of course, I also just like having fun... Whatever the reason may be, toys, especially the best from my childhood, make me HAPPY!

Photo by Raya

Hopefully, one day I will own this toy again. Yes, I know that I could buy one on eBay or from any number of other vintage toy retailers, BUT it must be just right! I cannot accept just ANY old Fisher-Price Musical Ferris Wheel... It must be absolutely perfect, or as perfect as it could possibly be for a vintage toy. I'm very persnickety when it comes to these things, what can I say? It's most likely psychological, same as with the whole "recapturing the innocence of my youth" thing. At least, I'm aware of this "problem". And isn't THAT the first step to recovery?

"Hey, kids! You can collect them ALL!"

Easily the BIGGEST on-going collection I've ever had, and probably ever will, is of a really cute toy line known as 'Littlest Pet Shop'. For those that aren't familiar, each one of these toys is a very small and stylized version of the much larger animal or insect it's based on. Well, the actual insects are probably smaller than their toy counterparts, but you get the idea.

Well, look, here are a couple of examples:

How much is that doggy in the window?

Only about $5, actually.

My snail is NOT wearing a bonnet

like this one because last time I

checked, snails do not WEAR bonnets!

See why I can't resist "adopting" these wee charmers? They are just almost TOO cute! And I love animals, anyway, so these are like my retail Achilles' heel. Oh, I almost forgot. Their heads bobble, also! Could they be any more perfect? "No", you say? Well, what if I told you that most of them come with some sort of accessory, such as the bone that comes with that dog, above? I bet that sweetened the deal for ya, huh? It certainly does for me!

At last count, I had 106 Littlest Pets in my "shop" and I'm pretty sure it's only going to continue to grow. I may need an intervention...

This is where I'm headed. Care to join me?

Billy Barty, Billy Barty, SEE Billy Barty!

(Above title should be sung to the 'Circus Vargas' theme.)




When I was really little (much like Mr. Barty) I saw something on the T.V. that scared the crap out of me! It's one of those visual memories that are permanently burned into your mind, never to be erased by the passing of time. It would have been in the early 1970s because I'm pretty sure that I was just a toddler. And I'm not certain if it was in a movie or on a T.V. show, although my feeling is that it was probably a movie.

O.K., here's the scene: Mr. Barty was playing some kind of deranged scientist or something, in a white lab coat, holding a big syringe menacingly. Before him sat either one or two young girls (I think) that were his victims. The room around them was all dark and it seemed like they were underneath a very bright light. His victim/s were very upset and crying because they didn't want to be injected. Needless to say, it was a VERY intense moment. I can see all of this so clearly in my head that I want to know how accurate it actually is. And if it would still creep me out, today.

I've only just begun to do research in the hopes of finding this "little" gem. No luck, so far... If anyone reading this KNOWS what that scene is from, please, tell me!

Recapturing things like this from my childhood is important to me. Just as meaningful to me are toys that I remember playing with, as well. I have several ongoing missions to acquire such fond nuggets of my past.


He looks ready to conduct my circus.


Another less scary memory of Mr. Barty is his role as Hugo on the Krofft Superstars' T.V. show 'Dr. Shrinker'. Hugo was the Dr.'s evil sidekick, if memory serves, and he assisted in trying to capture the 3 "shrinkee" teenagers that had already been shrunken and since escaped. The show had a catchy theme song, too! But don't ask me to sing it.



The titular Dr. Shrinker!




"Little" Hugo