It was so much fun to read your answers last week about what you loved reading as a child. Wow, are there some great books out there or what?!
Thinking about books I loved to read made me think about the toys I loved to play with. I was TOTALLY into everything girly….and well….I LOVED dolls. I got a new doll for Christmas every year (until I got married)..and I played with them all…forever. Oh, and my mom almost always made a big box of homemade dolls clothes for my new Christmas doll to wear…and usually she made them out of the scraps of material leftover from my clothes…so my dolls and I matched.
I remember in the seventh grade being embarrassed that I still played with dolls. I had some friends coming over one weekend, so I went down and messed up the little doll house section of my basement so that it wouldn’t look like it had been recently played with. (You’ve gotta love Jr. High.)
Besides baby dolls, I loved paper dolls, barbie dolls, teaching school to all my dolls, dressing up all of my dolls, cooking meals with my little dishes…for all my dolls.
I probably had some other toys too… But I mostly remember playing with dolls.
What did YOU love playing with as a child?!
Sharmista says:
My Little Ponies!! I had almost 100 of them, and the castle, and the mansion and I played with them all the time! Until I became a teenager and was shamed into giving them up. They’re back now and it’s all I can do not to buy bunches of them for my girls. Though, they really aren’t interested in ponies. They would rather play with baby dolls and that’s okay by me.
July 26th, 2008 at 9:00 am
Vanderbilt Wife says:
I played with Barbies until I was in high school…loved dressing them up! I had a sister so mostly it was Barbies, Cabbage Patch dolls, and make believe.
July 26th, 2008 at 9:28 am
Cindy says:
I liked playing outside mostly: running and chasing my brother, playing games. I remember having a Barbie when I was about 8, but didn’t keep up with playing with it after a few years.
It sounds like you NEED to have a girl! All that “doll” experience, but no girls to show the way!
July 26th, 2008 at 9:48 am
Michelle says:
I loved playing with my Holly Hobbie and her friend Heather rag dolls. I still have them. I also enjoyed my Etch-a-Sketch and LiteBright. My favorite toy wasn’t really a toy at all because it really worked. It was a Susie’s Homemaker Stove. It looked like a small kitchen stove and I baked many cakes, cookies, and biscuits in it with the little pans that came with it. I still have the pans. It was much better than the light bulb type of oven where you could make things. I guess that is where my love of baking came from as I still bake all the time. Now I am off to make brownies (homemade type- not box) before my children think they are totally neglected since we have been without any for a day- haha.
July 26th, 2008 at 10:20 am
Marie says:
I had a few Barbies that I’d play with once in awhile. But I was more like Cindy, always outside. My brother and I would wade in the river, ride horses, ride our bikes. If I was inside I was reading. I’m the one that needed boys! I’ve NEVER been the girly type!
July 26th, 2008 at 10:40 am
Laura V. says:
I grew up with a tom-boy for a mom, my dad and 2 younger brothers, so I played outside A LOT. My favorite thing was when we would get all the neighborhood kids together and play baseball in our HUGE yard! I also grew up in the deep south and love fishing……. (I know, weird, huh?!) As far as toys go, I do remember having an easy bake oven and lots of Barbies and Barbie knock-offs (and I’m finally having a daughter I’ll be able to pass the Barbies on to!!).
July 26th, 2008 at 12:06 pm
Chelf says:
I had barbies until my brother decided one of them needed a new design, and cut 1/4 of her hair off. Perfectly half way over, and halfway down. Grams had crocheted little dresses and beach wear and other outfits for them. The one dress I still need to buy a barbie to put in it… A “Carmen Miranda” style flamenco dress. Red and Black, with a fruit hat, and little undies and a bra… Too beautiful.
I asked for Legos one birthday (6th grade) and got a Cabbage Patch doll instead. Eh. Wasn’t impressed. But she could wear actual baby dresses that were mine from the 70’s.
Micro Machine cars. Riding my bike. Pretending with trinkets that I was Nancy Drew finding clues. Anything that was costume jewelry. I read a LOT of books.
July 26th, 2008 at 11:27 pm
Donna says:
Baby dolls until I got ‘too big’ then it was Barbie dolls.
One of the coolest things happened to me when I was into my dolls- our neighbor threw out all of her baby girl’s clothes (gorgeous) and we asked for them and our dolls could fit them! Our dolls were dressed to the ‘hills’!!
But I was like you….I taught ‘em all how to ‘read’!
I would hold the chalk in their hand and make them write their ABC’s on the chalkboard! 
What fun!
Isn’t it great that we still get to do this?!?!?!?!
Paper dolls! loved ‘em too!
July 27th, 2008 at 1:05 am
Lenetta says:
Barbies, Cabbage Patch dolls, Strawberry Shortcake (who were the children of my Barbie!) . . . we also played a lot of cards, baseball, croquet and etc. with our neighbors and we developed our own form of kickball (roll ball) with my cousins, one of whom was too little to kick.
July 27th, 2008 at 1:55 pm
Hands-Free Heart says:
My younger brother and I played extensively with stuffed animals. Our house was a county, each room a town, and each of the 70 or so animals had a role to play in society.
Just before 7th grade we moved and the next door neighbor who was my age had lots of Barbie dolls and a huge homemade dollhouse. We played with them throughout jr. high, but like you, we were too embarrassed to let anyone else know we still played Barbie dolls.
July 27th, 2008 at 7:44 pm
Mary in Ohio says:
I loved my baby dolls (still have some of them that will go to dd when she gets older) and my Barbies. I loved them both well into high school age (I had 2 younger sisters, one 14 months younger and one 5 yrs younger so I played with long after most others stopped but we had fun!!!) We would have contests to see how elaborate we could do Barbie’s hair and try to make our own clothes for her too.
July 28th, 2008 at 7:09 am
Teresa says:
I had an easel as a child and I can remember painting there for hours. I loved all of my arts and craft supplies.
July 28th, 2008 at 11:44 am