The ants are marching . . .

[lewdandlicentious]

.............................................whereas Lou's smile shines through on her AVs.

Hear hear!!!

 

[Weird Harold]

Wonder what else I can find to repay his kindness.

I happen to think that the "best toy to give the child to annoy the parent" is a Jibber-Jabber (or similar toy.) Jibber-Jabber makes annoying squawking sounds when shaken and REQUIRES NO BATTERIES -- the only time it runs down is when the kid is too tired to shake it.

You can start at a very early age with non-electronic toys that make sounds when they're moved or turned over -- things like a "Cow in a Box" that moos when turned over or a manual Jack-in-the-Box as soon as the kid learns enough motor control to turn the crank.

Crib toys that make ratcheting sounds and ring bells whenplayed with cn be annoying as well. For true annoyance value, avoid anything that requires batteries and can be silenced by removing them.

 

[SlickTony]

Another old-fashioned toy that makes lots of racket and involves no electronics or batteries is Hungry Hungry Hippos.

 

[cookiejar]

I happen to think that the "best toy to give the child to annoy the parent" is a Jibber-Jabber (or similar toy.) Jibber-Jabber makes annoying squawking sounds when shaken and REQUIRES NO BATTERIES -- the only time it runs down is when the kid is too tired to shake it.

You can start at a very early age with non-electronic toys that make sounds when they're moved or turned over -- things like a "Cow in a Box" that moos when turned over or a manual Jack-in-the-Box as soon as the kid learns enough motor control to turn the crank.

Crib toys that make ratcheting sounds and ring bells whenplayed with cn be annoying as well. For true annoyance value, avoid anything that requires batteries and can be silenced by removing them.

When my daughter was young my brother gave her what I call "The Popcorn Popper." That toy you push across the floor and the marbles pop under the bubble. Guarenteed to drive a parent crazy.

 

[lucky-E-leven]

When my daughter was young my brother gave her what I call "The Popcorn Popper." That toy you push across the floor and the marbles pop under the bubble. Guarenteed to drive a parent crazy.

We have one of those damn things, but this day and age it has lights up the handle that flash and change color and everytime the popper goes off a sound box counts another number up to ten as the damn thing plays music.

When will it end?

On an unrelated note...playgrounds these days suck. When I was a kid we had merry go rounds. The most fun a kid can have is hanging from the outer rails of a merry go round at full speed, body flung out horizontal to the ground, fingers getting sweaty and slipping, flying off into the sand and immediately standing up only to tilt and fall down again from extreme dizziness.

Now it's all a bunch of tubes and stupid monkey bars. Most don't even have swingsets any more. I think it's awful to have so much lawsuit abuse that our kids can't go to the park and swing.

I say, out with the tubes and in with the merry go rounds and teeter-totters. Is there any better feeling than hopping off unexpectedly and sending your friend crashing to the ground?

~lucky

 

[kellycummings]

Another old-fashioned toy that makes lots of racket and involves no electronics or batteries is Hungry Hungry Hippos.

I love that game!

The one that annoys me is the 'Bumble Ball'. They never turn it off and it bumps around the house and gets stuck somewhere and you keep wondering what the hell that strange noise is and where it's coming from.

 

[SlickTony]

Now it's all a bunch of tubes and stupid monkey bars. Most don't even have swingsets any more. I think it's awful to have so much lawsuit abuse that our kids can't go to the park and swing.

There are still swingsets in the parks around here, but all the nice, high slides went away years ago. It sucks.

I've always sort of been tempted to get a bumbleball...for my cats!

 

[Boxlicker101]

There are still swingsets in the parks around here, but all the nice, high slides went away years ago. It sucks.

I've always sort of been tempted to get a bumbleball...for my cats!

I remember all those things from playgrounds when I was a kid. I don't recall anybody ever getting hurt and if anybody ever had, the parents would have figured it was just part of growing up and nobody would have considered suing. We used to swing way up, as high as we could, above the bar, even, and when we were at the other end of the arc, bail out and go flying. We landed on soft dirt and we were young enough that we couldn't get hurt from a little thing like that, at least not seriously. I remember what we called the giant swings which was something like a maypole, with chains fastened to the top of a big steel pole cemented into the ground. We would run along holding onto the bars fastened to the end of a chain and when we were going fast enough, we would lift our feet off the ground and fly the rest of the way in a circle, holding onto the bars. When we slowed down, we let go and went flying, falling into the dirt. I'm pretty sure they don't have those anymore, thanks to avaricious lawyers.

 

[lucky-E-leven]

I remember all those things from playgrounds when I was a kid. I don't recall anybody ever getting hurt and if anybody ever had, the parents would have figured it was just part of growing up and nobody would have considered suing. We used to swing way up, as high as we could, above the bar, even, and when we were at the other end of the arc, bail out and go flying. We landed on soft dirt and we were young enough that we couldn't get hurt from a little thing like that, at least not seriously. I remember what we called the giant swings which was something like a maypole, with chains fastened to the top of a big steel pole cemented into the ground. We would run along holding onto the bars fastened to the end of a chain and when we were going fast enough, we would lift our feet off the ground and fly the rest of the way in a circle, holding onto the bars. When we slowed down, we let go and went flying, falling into the dirt. I'm pretty sure they don't have those anymore, thanks to avaricious lawyers.

We had something similar. A large center pole with a large cross-bar at the top that swiveled in either direction. One swing hung down from either end of the top cross bar. One person in each swing and a parent in the middle that held onto the center pole with one hand and held the chain of one swing. Then the parent would pull the one swing and begin turning faster and faster around the center pole until the free swing was flying way out. Then they'd let go of the other swing and it would go flying out as well. It was like being in a tornado, flying in a massive circle until the inertia slowed down and left you unbelievably dizzy with your field of vision jerking left to right in sharp replays of the same scene. So much fun, but the swings have been removed and it stands there, a lonesome T, reminding me of fun days gone past.

The large slides are also gone, as SlickTony mentioned. We used to take Wax Paper and sit on it, flying at least five feet past the end of the slide when we reached the bottom. Kids these days are surely missing out. Cooped up in their rooms playing video games and surfing the net, isn't at all what being a kid is about, imo.

~lucky

 

[damppanties]

Wonder what else I can find to repay his kindness.

A watergun. Don't you hate it when you're sitting, probably reading something or watching TV and you feel a squirt of water land on your neck and run down your back...
A second or two of murderous rage.

 

[lucky-E-leven]

A watergun. Don't you hate it when you're sitting, probably reading something or watching TV and you feel a squirt of water land on your neck and run down your back...
A second or two of murderous rage.

Sweet Dampy,

It depends on who is doing the shooting and whether or not I'm in a white t-shirt with no bra. Puts a whole new spin on water gun fight and wet t-shirt contest. Wanna play?

~lucky

 

[damppanties]

Sweet Dampy,

It depends on who is doing the shooting and whether or not I'm in a white t-shirt with no bra. Puts a whole new spin on water gun fight and wet t-shirt contest. Wanna play?

~lucky

Of course!!

I was talking about bad toys for kids.

 

[lucky-E-leven]

Of course!!

I was talking about bad toys for kids.

Well it's midnight here and the kids should be in bed.

Now you go sit down and read something or watch t.v. I'll sneak up on you with the water gun in a few minutes....

~lucky

 

[damppanties]

Well it's midnight here and the kids should be in bed.

Now you go sit down and read something or watch t.v. I'll sneak up on you with the water gun in a few minutes....

~lucky

I'm right here in front of the 'puter. So absorbed.

Oh wait! I've got to change into the see thru t-shirt.

p.s. don't you think a bucket full would be better? A gun is too small...

 

[lucky-E-leven]

I'm right here in front of the 'puter. So absorbed.

Oh wait! I've got to change into the see thru t-shirt.

p.s. don't you think a bucket full would be better? A gun is too small...

Grrrrrrrrrrr....I love it when you raise the stakes.

You go ahead and change into something more transparent and I'll handle my end...might need to change your handle afterwards though. I'm going for drenched panties, instead of just damp.

~lucky

 

[Boxlicker101]

Grrrrrrrrrrr....I love it when you raise the stakes.

You go ahead and change into something more transparent and I'll handle my end...might need to change your handle afterwards though. I'm going for drenched panties, instead of just damp.

~lucky

I hope I can watch. Use warm water, though. This is March, after all, and you don't want to catch pneumonia.

 

[lucky-E-leven]

I hope I can watch. Use warm water, though. This is March, after all, and you don't want to catch pneumonia.

Watch? Hell, let's just make it a free-for-all. I know if Honey were here, she'd be in. Dampy's probably not opposed.

How about I straddle Dampy's lap at the computer and you surprise us both with a bucket of warm water?

~lucky

 

[damppanties]

I hope I can watch. Use warm water, though. This is March, after all, and you don't want to catch pneumonia.

It's almost 40 degrees here. Cold water please.

 

[Boxlicker101]

Watch? Hell, let's just make it a free-for-all. I know if Honey were here, she'd be in. Dampy's probably not opposed.

How about I straddle Dampy's lap at the computer and you surprise us both with a bucket of warm water?

~lucky

That sounds like fun but watch out for the wombats.

 

[lucky-E-leven]

That sounds like fun but watch out for the wombats.

No wombats allowed when playing lusty with dampy.

sorry.

~lucky

 

[damppanties]

No wombats allowed when playing lusty with dampy.

ummmmmwwahhhhhh

 

[Weird Harold]

I remember what we called the giant swings which was something like a maypole, with chains fastened to the top of a big steel pole cemented into the ground. We would run along holding onto the bars fastened to the end of a chain and when we were going fast enough, we would lift our feet off the ground and fly the rest of the way in a circle, holding onto the bars

That reminded me of the best piece of playground equipment I ever played on -- Part swing and part merry-go-round and part monkey bars, and almost a guaranted wayto make some kid throw up.

It was a double ring about 10-12ft on the inside diameter with cross rungs about every two or three feet.

It was suspended from a single pole of about 15 feet by eight chain running from the bearing plate at the top of the pole to the outside ring. At rest it was about three feet off the ground.

Once loaded with a dozen or two kids, the "pushers" (not drug dealers, kids who didn't get a place on the ring so have to work for their turn by powering the ride) start the ring spinning around the pole and swinging back and forth until somone can duck inside and pin the inner ring up against the pole use leverage to increase and guide the rotation so the inner ring stays in contact with the pole.

Amazingly, one 70-90 pound kid could keep that ring pulled tight against the pole and spinning with very little trouble, lifting those kids lucky enough to be on the high side of the ring about 10-12 feet in the air and move them at a tremendous rate of speed -- about 10 RPM on a 12 foot radius works out to about 25-30 MPH on the high point of the ring, IIRC, and generates about 3-5 G's of centrifugal force.

As a parent and grandparent, the very idea of that "Big Ring" is horrifying, but as a child, it was Paradise.