A Stroll Down the Memory Lane of Toys

–Photo submitted by Melanie Holmes.

–Photo submitted by Melanie Holmes.

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By Melanie Holmes

Toys. We love them, we recall our first favorites, and we are chagrined to find our old-timey toys in the aisles of local antique shops. I recently pulled together a collage of toys with the goal of conjuring smiles. There’s a Slinky, a Cabbage Patch doll, and a pedal car! On that last one, be still my heart. Somehow, my family amassed three of those pedal vehicles, including a red tractor. From Jacks to Rubik’s Cubes, toys magically take us back in time. As the current generation clamors for iPhones and video games, following is a brief trip down the memory lane of toys, including some hidden history behind those magical items.

Toy pedal cars actually came along soon after the full-size automobile. Production of these tyke-sized cars began around 1890, but were largely unaffordable for the average family, and they petered out a bit. After WWII, the boom in prosperity (and children) drove a comeback in popularity for these cars. However, the end of pedal car production came about when metal toys gave way to plastic.

One of the most ubiquitous plastic toys, beginning in the 1960s, was Fisher Price’s Little People line. There’s the school bus with its permanent bus driver. The airplane. And of course, the removable barrel-bodied people – plus, Lucky the Dog.

Barbie came along in 1959, the brainchild of Mattel (created by the wife of Mattel’s founder). Barbie made her debut at an international toy convention in New York City on March 9, 1959, and what came after has filled kids’ heads with dreams ever since. Ken and other dolls came later, as did Barbie cars, houses, and enough clothes to fill a Barbie mansion.

Next up is a toy with a particular jingle that you might be able to sing in your sleep. “What walks down stairs, alone or in pairs, and makes a slinkity sound? A spring, a spring, a marvelous thing! Everyone knows it’s Slinky.” Are you humming it? Good. Now, try to get that jingle out of your head!

The pre-Baby Boomer generation grew up listening to “The Shadow” on the radio and playing with wagons, trikes, trains, and paper dolls. That last one – paper dolls – was a sensation that continued into the 1970s but has been relegated to the days of yore.

Of all the toys in all the world, two of the oldest are Marbles and Jacks. Historians say the game of Marbles goes back to cave times. They believe cave men/women and cave kids played with small round pebbles or balls of clay. In fact, clay balls were found in the tombs of Egypt. As for the game of Jacks, the Greek philosopher Sophocles mentioned Jacks being played around the time of the Trojan War (c. 1190 BC). Deriving its name from “jackstone,” the game has been played with stones, as well as the knucklebones from sheep toe bones. (Eww!)

Cheers to racetracks and train sets and checkers and BB guns (don’t shoot your eye out!)! The world of toys is a truly wondrous place to dwell.


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Illinois News


House panel opens hearings on Pritzker’s health insurance reforms
House panel opens hearings on Pritzker’s health insurance reforms
Capitol Briefs: Lawmakers push bills addressing water quality, free school meals
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Capitol Briefs: Chicago school board, student teacher pay, local food measures all advance in Springfield
Unions back measure protecting employees who skip religious or political work meetings
Unions back measure protecting employees who skip religious or political work meetings


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Manhattan FPD swore in eight new full time firefighters on March 5. –Photo courtesy the Manhattan FPD & JLT Photography.

Manhattan FPD Swore in Eight Full-Time, Two Part-Time Firefighters

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Spread the loveOn Tuesday, March 5, the Manhattan Fire Protection District proudly swore in eight full-time and two part-time firefighters, after they each completed one year of probation! Congratulations to full-time firefighters Lou Helis, Thomas Kerrigan, John Marek, Kadin Phelon, John Slattery, Shaun Stapinski, Jacob Walsh, and Troy White, plus part-time firefighters Ryan Bernabei and…


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‘Mess of Feelings’ Workshop March 16

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Spread the loveA Mess of Feelings Workshop will be held on Saturday, March 16, from 10 – 11:30 a.m., at the Grief Center, 3115 N. 1000 West Road, Bourbonnais.  This workshop will give grieving individuals and families the chance to understand how messy feelings related to grief can be. UpliftedCare’s grief counselor will walk attendees…


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Kankakee Cultivators to Meet March 14

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Spread the loveReady to get the yard and garden ready for spring? Join the Kankakee Kultivators Garden Club on Thursday, March 14, to learn more about pruning and shrub care, with guest speaker Nancy Addison. The program will be held at 1 p.m., in the third floor meeting room, at Kankakee Public Library. The Kankakee…


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Congratulations to PJHS students Emerson Gall and Jonah Young, who advanced to competition at NIU, March 8-9. –Photo submitted.

Young, Gall Advance to IESA Championships

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Peotone Library News

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Spread the loveMark your calendars for the Friends of the Library Spring Book Sale – Thursday, April 18, Friday, April 19, and Saturday, April 20. Interested in the Homebound Delivery Program? Contact the Adult Services Department for more information and guidelines. Register for events on the website calendar or call the library at 708-258-3436. Primary…


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CAPITOL RECAP: Illinois Democrats hoping to host 2024 nominating convention

DeLuca Continues Work to Lower Property Taxes

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Spread the loveIntroduces plan to prohibit taxpayer-funded guaranteed income programs.  As part of his continued efforts to lower property taxes and the need to responsibly manage taxpayer dollars, State Rep. Anthony DeLuca, D-Chicago Heights, has introduced a measure that would prohibit governments from using taxpayer money to fund guaranteed income programs. “We must focus our…


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FY ’25 Budget, Streetscape, PR Agreement Topics at Peotone Village Board

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Franciscan Health Olympia Fields Redesignated Acute Stroke Ready Hospital

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Clove Alliance Hosting Cosmic Bingo

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Riverside Expands Primary Care Team in Manteno

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Spread the loveJenna Cella, DO, specializes in family medicine. Riverside Healthcare is pleased to welcome board-certified family medicine physician Jenna Cella, DO. Dr. Cella completed her Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine Degree at the Chicago College of Osteopathic Medicine in Downers Grove, then completed her family medicine residency at Franciscan Health in Olympia Fields. In addition…


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Legion Fish Fry March 9

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PHS Announces First Semester Honor Rolls

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Congratulations to the Peotone High School students inducted into the National Technical Honor Society through the Kankakee Area Career Center on Thursday, February 22! PHS Inductees included: Zoie Balaskas, Kayla Coners, Leilanie Haleem, Kadyn Holetzky, Finnigan Malloy, Christopher Pagliarulo, and Reganne Price. Well done Blue Devils! –Photo submitted.

PHS Students Inducted into National Technical Honor Society

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Peotone Library News

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Spread the loveMark your calendars for the Friends of the Library Spring Book Sale – Thursday, April 18, through Saturday, April 20. Interested in the Homebound Delivery Program, contact the Adult Services Department for more information and guidelines. Register for events on the website calendar or call the library at 708-258-3436. Don’t forget: Primary Election…


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‘Battles and Triumphs: The Human Condition’ Closing Soon

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