Nickie Hayes
Editor-in-Chief
A bunch of princess dresses might not be considered a toy, but I certainly loved to play dress up when I was younger. Nothing in my tiny mind could beat dressing up as my favorite Disney princesses. My mom always used to tell me this one story where I may have gotten a tad too excited to play dress up.
So, my third birthday rolled around, and it was no secret to my family that I was consumed by anything princess related. Thus, I received a “The Little Mermaid” Ariel costume, and I decided there was no better time than the present to put on my costume. With no regard for every single partygoer in the room, 3-year-old me confidently peeled off my dress and in seconds had the costume on, performing an impromptu fashion show for the guests at my home. Even though that particular memory is quite embarrassing to think about now, I can’t deny the fact that princess dresses were my all time favorite toy as a kid.
Kiara Mapp
Staff Writer
Growing up, I went through a series of toy stages, from Bratz dolls, to Hot Wheels, to any talking model. My utmost favorite childhood toy is Baby Alive, which was introduced some time before I was born. Baby Alive is a child’s doll that can be fed food packets mixed in water where they move their mouths and eventually soil their diapers. To prevent leakage and mold, the diapers are to be changed, especially when they’re given a bottle, leading to feces. The realistic element made me connect with and stand in the shoes of my mom, as she did the same things raising me. What I didn’t realize until now, is that toys such as Baby Alive act as a first hug in expressing love.
Jessica Landman
Staff Writer
My favorite childhood toy would have to be little toy cars like Matchbox cars and Hot Wheels. Every year since I can remember, my sister and I have been given a toy car in our stockings. It became a tradition that we would get one every year. I loved playing with them, making up plot lines and driving them around. I would bring them everywhere with me whether it be shopping, camping or soccer games.
When I got older, I found out that my dad used to collect these little toy cars as well. One day he came home from my grandmother’s house carrying four collector’s totes full of toy cars. They were all from when he was a kid. They had to be close to 45 years old, covered in dust and the cardboard boxes were falling apart. We spent a whole day cleaning them until they looked almost new again. He would always tell me not to play with them, he thought I would break them, but I didn’t listen. They were my favorite toys to play with.
ZIAIRE FERRELL
Club Member
My favorite childhood toy was my Hannah Montana doll. I got this doll on my birthday. My toy came with a microphone and its own stand. It even came with a glow in the dark bracelet. She also had a button on her stomach which you could use to make her talk and sing. The song that would play was “Nobody’s Perfect,” one of her hit songs during that time. I loved this doll so much. I would bring her with me everywhere I went. I would run around my house pressing the button on her stomach just to hear her sing my favorite song. This doll meant so much to me growing up because just like every other girl at that time, I loved watching Hannah Montana!
Peculiar Joseph
Club Member
I did not exactly have a favorite childhood toy, but I had a variety of toys that were really interesting to me. The ones I really loved were dolls that had hair. Playing with dolls’ hair was fun for me because I got to practice how to braid hair and I usually did it with my friends. I also loved to play with a yo-yo. I owned a yo-yo just once in my life and I loved it. Those were the good old days.
Molly Ryan
Staff Writer
Growing up, I always loved Barbie dolls. But once I started expanding my likings for toys, I quickly found my love for Monster High Dolls. Monster High Dolls were dolls that looked like all kinds of creatures. Some included werewolves, vampires and sea monsters. I really liked these dolls because they were unique, unlike the typical Barbie doll. I remember my favorite Monster High Doll being a doll called Venus McFlytrap. She had green skin, fangs, and half-shaved pink and green hair. My favorite colors were and still are pink and green, so I remember looking at her and saying, “Wow, she looks dope!” These dolls were super cute and fun to play with. All of the dolls had diverse skin colors, body shapes and gender identities. They also made a show about the dolls and I would always watch it on TV.
APN 