Rennie – When I was growing up money was very tight so we couldn’t go out and buy new toys so we mainly had to make our own. I was just wondering who else out there used to do that and what things did you make. Of course we made the skateboard out of a piece of ply and a skate taken apart and screwed on.

Karen – Yeap – I loved Blue Peter, so every week I’d pester mum to use up her fairy liquid…..so I could have the empty bottle …… Carboard boxes were converted into dolls houses, complete with windows and curtains! Dollies clothes were designed and sewed onto the doll …. lol
I loved to make things, still do……I’m a frustrated Martha Stewart

Awombleforever – Hi Karen,I used to do the dolls houses with cardboard boxes and make peg dolls,forgot about that.Home made sledges were a favorite but my dad would have made them.Great they were too,used to fly along,dont know how he made them as they were solid bar runners ,if I remember rightly.
There was so little traffic then we could slide down the roads,also lived at the top of lots of hills so we had some great fun.I lived in the North of England ,lots of snow.
I had a rocking horse that I loved dearly,think it was handmade,cried when my dad chopped him up for firewood,I’ll never forgive him for that.

Goldencup – I made the traditional go-kart out of planks of wood and pram wheels. I used to make dolls’ house furniture out of matchboxes and silver paper too, with those gold split pins for knobs.

LouLou – I made Dougal from Magic roundabout with a washing up liquid bottle and some yellow wool.

Goldencup – I made one of those too and a Florence with a ping-pong ball head!

Rennie – lol Florence with a ping pong head!!! Did that make her batty????

Goldencup – Well my version certainly wasn’t very stable! I was never any good at that Blue Peter stuff. Did anybody’s versions ever bear any resemblance to the ones they made on TV?

Karen – oh my No…..mine always looked so amateurish….but fun to try….lol

JOHNNY7ANDCHADVALLI – Hi, I used to make matchstick firing guns out of Pegs and rubber bands. Anyone remember making ‘BOBBY ARROWS’ ?? It was a stick which we had to carve to leave most of the weight at the front and then add large flights to the rear. A notch was made at the flight end and then the throwing string was wrapped around and held tight at the front. When thrown it would travel a hell of a way and i guess very dangerous by todays standards, CHOW CHAD

Awombleforever – Paper aeroplanes were fun to make and paper kites,just a piece of paper on a bit of string. Also a leg of a stocking with a rubber ball in the toe,tied loosely around the ankle and swung around and hopped over.They make one now that you can buy with a plastic hoop.”

Rennie – I remember making the matchstick firing things, I have a great drawing my brother did for me. It’s a *how to make a tank* We used to make a tank out of a candle, cotton reel and elastic bands and used to race them. The clever thing with them was that you could make notched in the wheels and race them over more rugged terrain hence the name Tank. I’ll have to post the drawing up.

Awombleforever – Talking about cotton reels,did anyone make the telephone type affair with a cotton reel with matchstick tied to thread pushed through cotton reel ,with a bottom of a matchbox the other end ,thread pushed through and tied ,with a button in the middle.
You would hold the open end of box to your ear and someone the other end would work on the thread making a noise with the button and their finger and making a clapping sound with the matchstick that was pulled through the cotton reel A little story was told ,I’m not sure of exact wording now though.
It started Micky mouse walked in ,he sawed the wood,cut his finger and the ending was and the audiance clapped.Can’t remember all of it though? I’ll have to try making one and bringing it to butlins.Not sure if it will work though.”

JOHNNY7ANDCHADVALLI – Great, Yes i remember them, and it reminded me of something else. A hairclip,rubber band and a small button. We put the rubber band through the button holes and stretched it across the widened end of the clip, then it was wound round several times and put in an envelope to keep it secure. When the envelope was opened it released the button which gave you a nasty scare .
What was your favorite toy that came with comics?? We always enjoyed the cracker thing ,which was folded and then brought down sharply, giving out a loud crack. I think it was two triangles of card with brown paper joining the two ends which was folded in
And the toys from cornflake packets?? The divers and submarines that you put baking soda in to make them go up and down – CHAD

Rennie – I used to have a submarine… how about making the flying lolliesticks?
You could make a few different shapes by bending lolliesticks and interlocking them together making a big frisbee type thing.

Awombleforever – Yes we had some great toys didn’t we then.It’s all changed now with computers etc.
Anyone remember the thing that made a noise like a buzzing bee when swung above the head and around in circles I do remember the cardboard and brown paper triangle noise maker ,was good that.
Also the circle of plastic /paper /card With the thread through the middle that you put on left and right fingers that you pulled in and out.Didn’t they make a bit of a noise too Not a very loud one though. Hey it’s all coming back to me now. When power balls came out I thought they were the bees kneeze.Big black power balls exscuse my description sounds a bit rude.
We used to bounce them so high,dangerous really .

Rennie – ahh we used to call them super balls. I remember the swinging thing, that paper noise maker thing I’m sure we used to be able to make them, can I remember how tho??? Might be a Butlins task lol

Lainybins – Rennie wrote:”We used to make a tank out of a candle, cotton reel and elastic bands and used to race them. The clever thing with them was that you could make notched in the wheels and race them over more rugged terrain hence the name Tank.”
Good grief! My brother used to make these! I’d quite forgotten about them. Didn’t you have to wind them up with a matchstick or something? So his boarding school education wasn’t completely wasted then ~ he came home in the holidays to make tanks and play early Genesis records at us (for which I will be forever grateful ~ I mean for the Genesis, not the cotton reel tanks!).

JOHNNY7ANDCHADVALLI – Hi Something like this then? Hummin’ Chad

Lainybins – My l’il sister and I used to make horses out of a bamboo cane and a stuffed sock on the end, with wool for reins. Mum would sew buttons on the stuffed socks for eyes and embroider a mouth. We’d gallop about the garden and occasionally make jumps out of upturned flowerpots with bamboo canes across them. I’m just thinking that the neighbours must’ve thought us bonkers!
Also, we’d drag our dollies around the block tucked up snuggly in cardboard boxes with string attached until someone took pity on us and bought us a doll’s pram!
And my Mum once made my little sister a Lamb Chop puppet (like Shari Lewis had) but never did respond to my request for a Hush Puppy.

Rennie – i got my brother to draw up a how to diagram to show you how to make one of these famous tanks so i’ll scan it and post it up for you.