With Christmas a month away, there’s been a lot of discussion in our house about toys. Toys my eldest child has grown out of are now being passed on to her little sister, especially bigger items like bikes and trikes. It makes me a little nostalgic to be honest.
I’ve been looking at various retailers, trying to find suitable Christmas presents for the children. Among the ranges I’ve looked at has been George at Asda’s toy selection. I can see a few items that may get passed on to future generations, especially the wooden toys. Â
Two toys spring to mind when I think of items that were passed down to me. The first was a toy aeroplane.
The craftsmanship that went into this item was amazing. It would have been a vintage piece when it came into my possession. I’d have been about nine years of age at the time and I played with it for hours on end.
It was made of metal, painted yellow and green and the wings folded up. I believe it was based on an aeroplane that would have flown from an aircraft carrier during WWII. Such items have gone right out of fashion these days, but when I was young toys from that era were quite acceptable.
The strange thing is, I don’t actually know how exactly it came into my possession. I think my mother got it for me from somewhere, either that or one of my other relatives must have given it to me.
The other item isn’t a toy as such, but a musical instrument. It’s a harmonica that I believe was given to me by my father when I was very young, say one or two years of age. Quite what I was expected to do with it while I was so young I have no idea!
It’s a long story, but I don’t have much from that side of my family. This item was knocking about in toy chests for years, totally ignored. Every time I moved house, the harmonica would come with me, but I never really used it.
When I became a teenager, things changed. I got into music and learned the basics of this beautiful instrument and started using the harmonica properly. After a short while I noticed a small component needed replacing. I got it repaired and this spurred me on to make a few enquiries about its value.
I didn’t think it could be worth much at all, a few pounds maybe. How wrong I was! It was worth a small fortune and so I’ve kept it safe ever since. I got it out the other day and my girls had a quick play with it. Who knows, maybe one day I’ll pass it on to them, but not just yet; I’ve got to learn how to play it properly first.
What toys have you got that were passed down the generations? Are there any items you plan to pass on to your own children? Please do leave a comment below, I’d love to know more.
Disclosure; this post was produced in partnership with George at Asda.
4 thoughts on “Passing toys down the generations”
Great post John I love passed down toys and mementos I a lot of vinyl records which I’m glad I kept now. The shame is so much gets lost over the years. The harmonica is brilliant what a lovely thing to pass on to your children.
Woah, yes, to have a lot of vinyl would be amazing. As you say though, various bits do get lost and mislaid over the years. Glad you like the harmonica!
I still remember a special Christmas when me and my sister were given a big bag of toys. The bag was as big as me! I don’t actually remember any particular toys, but I know they were all hand-me-downs from the family. That year my parents had no money to get us presents and paradoxically we got the most we ever did!
I love seeing my 2 year old playing with my husband’s match box cars. Incredibly sturdy stuff!
#brilliantblogposts
How ironic! As you remember the occasion, it seems the presents were all very well received.