Digger The Dog

Ah, Christmas 1975… it’s hard to believe since I was only 2 years old then , but I remember it! Well, I remember one thing about it, really. I really reaaalllly wanted a Digger The Dog toy! I remember asking for it over and over and over again. I loved this thing. I had a real dog that was my best friend, but it wasn’t enough, I needed a plastic pull-dog with no discernable special feature other than a Sherlock Holmes hat!

I must have seen it on TV or something. It was probably this commercial that got me, because it seems really familiar. “Diggah” is Obviously Awesome and a Must-Have Item if I ever saw one! Sh.t I really loved all those Romper Room toys (but that is a story for another day)!

And I got it! I couldn’t have been happier (but you can’t tell here since I covered up my face!)!

My Digger is long since gone. I think it went in a garage sale in the late 80s or early 90s. Don’t get me started on the things I wished I’d saved!

So, B and I are in a Rescue Mission store the other day for shiz and giggles – we like to look there for bargains and/or fodder for Project Absurd. We were standing in front of the toy section, which naturally looked like Hurricane Rose Marie hit it, when something caught my eye. No way! Could it be? I dug through the naked Barbies, filthy stuffed animals and rogue puzzle pieces and fished it out… and it was! A vintage 70s-era Digger The Dog! I was beyond ridiculously excited. I hadn’t seen one of these in person in.. oh, 20 years or more?! Sure, he’s missing his tail and was dirty, but otherwise was in perfect condition. He was mine for $2.99 and it was Christmas 1975 all over again! I cleaned him up at home and he know adorns our stereo. I heart Digger!

Best Wedding Reception Centerpiece EVER!

It involves Hungry Hungry Hippos. Click here to see it!

I wish we had the nerve!

Native American Smurfs!

Originally posted 11/11/2007

Who knew???

Yep, Smurfs are BACK, bitchez! I was running around the Target site getting all caught up in our wedding registry when I came across several toys from the 70s and 80s that are making a comeback. None caught me more by surprise than the new Smurfs sets.

I have very vivid memories of playing with these kinds of little smurf dolls over at my friend Linda’s house as a child. We’d put on Smurf talent shows or just play out some Smurf dramz. Now I always see several bins full of those miniatures at every flea market we visit. I’ve always thought about buying them while the price was low. Never did it. Maybe I still have time before their value increases. Well, who knows if they ever really will increase in value. But the appearance of NEW Smurf toys is a great sign.

They even have Gargamel’s lab…

…and Smurfette’s bedroom set!

Not to mention the best Smurf ever…this bitchen drummer Smurf!

La la la la la la, smurf the whole day long!

Long live the 80s!

Blame England

Originally posted 08/10/2007

I meant to post this a few days ago but forgot. I love the lack of information in this story and the writer’s decidedly droll tone – as if this happens every day.

Giant Lego Man Found In Dutch Sea

AMSTERDAM (Reuters) – A giant, smiling Lego man was fished out of the sea in the Dutch resort of Zandvoort on Tuesday.

Workers at a drinks stall rescued the 2.5-metre (8-foot) tall model with a yellow head and blue torso.

“We saw something bobbing about in the sea and we decided to take it out of the water,” said a stall worker. “It was a life-sized Lego toy.”

A woman nearby added: “I saw the Lego toy floating towards the beach from the direction of England.”

The toy was later placed in front of the drinks stall.

Sesame Street Playset Ultimate Find!

Originally posted 10/07/2006

In retrospect, my favorite toy from my childhood has to be my Sesame Street Little People Playset circa 1974. This set is a replica of Sesame Street that functions as a dollhouse, complete with rooms deciated to Ernie and Bert’s residence and Mr. Hooper’s Store. Yes, this is from the era when Sesame Street was a new entity and not very polished yet. Most importantly, Elmo was nary a glint in anyone’s eye. And as mentioned, Mr. Hooper was alive and well. We were still on our first Gordon. In cleaning out our old toyroom a few years ago (yes we were lazy and easily overwhelmed before) I came across nearly every piece of that playset in fair to excellent condition. I was only missing a few pieces, most of which Brian has gotten me off ebay, since (for instance I have not a clue what happened to Ernie – my suspicion is our old dog chewed him to bits). So now my playset is complete except for the ladder (I think) and a few very rare items like the eraser and chalk that came with it. Things no one would expect you to probably have at this point anyway.

My set is packed away in a box in our storage area at the moment. I am waiting until we move into a house (or someplace with a fatter fat room (our name for a game room) where we could display it in all its greatness. However, here are a few photos of someone else’s playset so you can see what I’m talking about. This picture is my set exactly:

So anyway, this set has been auctioning for at least $100 complete as this in recent years. So I was psyched yesterday to find an ad where it actually sold originally for $12.84… 

I love how they have Cookie Monster driving the Sanitation Dept. (see: Garbage Man) truck with Gordon riding in the back! Good times, good times!

So, imagine my surprise, then, when rooting around in my parents’ basement today I ran across the original box this set came in! Holy shnit I nearly cried out with joy! Naturally, though, since this box has been in this spot in the basement for most likely 32 years it is covered in dust and grime. But not so much dust and grime that it’s not salvagable – from what I can see of it. It is, unfortunately, crammed on a shelf behind an impressive pile of furniture and boxes of Christmas ornaments. I couldn’t haul it all out of the way myself so the box will remain there a few more weeks until I can convince someone to help me. With my near-mint set in its original box I will have myself the holy grail of sesame street collectibles for years to come. Thanx Mom and Dad!