I adore Pinterest, recently I came across a 1970’s toy feed and the memories came flooding back! If you are a similar age, then I sure these will bring back happy memories too. I used to get the Twinkle Annual – every christmas.. do you remember those? Mandy was an older version and then it moved to other magazines. I loved the doll hospital stories in Twinkle, she had such a pretty nurses uniform.
Did you have one of these drawing sets? I remember sticking the pin in the paper and turning the wheel to the right number.. all those squiggles eventually came out with disney characters. Why they didn’t just make stencils I don’t know! Perhaps it was educational!
I had a Sindy doll, not a Barbie and I had this cardboard house with this kitchen sink! I remember we had the exact same kitchen units in our house – they were white and chocolate brown… !
I think this is the american advert, because I remember calling my doll Tressy! She had a wind up key in her back and you could either wind it up to make her hair shorter, or longer! I remember the curlers got into horrendous knots all the time!
Just looking at this board brings back such fond memories of playing it with my Brother and my Nanna. It had traps that if you landed on the hat would come down and you would have to start at the beginning. That is the trap at the bottom of the stairs!
I remember having one of these when I was quite little, I think mine was a disney cinderella! It worked on batteries and it was quite powerful. Of course this was a cut down version of my parent’s cine cameras… we would have movie nights watching our home made films in the dark! It was such fun.
Did you have a selection box in your Christmas stocking? I remember picnic bars were always the ones I left until last because I didn’t like the raisins! Flakes were my favourite!
My dad used to go away to sea and usually came back with one of these international dolls. My Gran, who was Scottish had one of these. I had a lovely dutch doll with a lace cap and clogs on her feet, but it was the Spanish flamenco dancer I loved the most.
I loved my Pippa dolls they were smaller than Sindy dolls so I could take them about with me. I remember she also had some furniture on a smaller scale. I also had an Amanda Jane with really lovey doll furniture – you could get the most amazing outfits for Amanda Jane, including a very detailed brownie outfit.
I remember getting one of these houses for Christmas 1976, I used to set it out with cushions and dolls and spend hours playing in it. It was a bit hot though, being plastic in that long hot summer!
It must have been the same year that I was given one of these, you could buy refill boxes back then, lots of individually wrapped chocolate! Needless to say, my vending machine spent most of its time empty!
These little machines were wonderful – I remember having a set for Lady and the Tramp, in those days the disney films were only available at the cinema – often meaning queueing for a good hour before the film! I remember seeing Song of the South – still find Zipidee do dah a cheery tune.
Did you collect whimsies? They were virtually unbreakable – I dropped mine so many times. I think you could buy them for about 50p!
Did any of this bring back happy memories for you?
Fred the Needle 
I’ve loved this post, I was born in 1970 and had a Twinkle annual every Christmas every year from my Grandparents, with a pair of slippers. As I grew out of annuals it became slippers and talc from Avon.
I had Sandy not Barbie, loved the selection boxes. I could go on, I had a lot of the things you mentioned. Love it. Happy memories of a 70s childhood.
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Glad you enjoyed the post, the 1970s was a lot of fun when you were a child..
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Oh wow!! Yes, so many memories, I had completely forgotten twinkle but she only brings back vague memories. I had sindy dolls and the horse and gig, I still have for that matter, I used to get them out for my eldest to play with for a treat when she was ill and now my nieces love to play with them if they come over! I loved selection boxes but anything nuts or raisins were given to Dad to eat! Yes!! Whimsies, I also collected little China pigs and frogs, they often had then in gift shops, all doing different things! I always wanted one of those chocolate machines but never had one 😔 but Mum would get a bar from the machine at the station whenever we went on the train. We used my Dad’s old view master, he some beautiful slides of places and animals from all around the world. My sister had a wendy house and I loved my Amanda Jane! Those international dolls, yes! I had the same soldier, I can’t remember what else. I bought one for Josh on one of my trips to London just for the sake of memories 😃. Thanks for a fantastic reminiscent start to my week, you’ve really put a smile on my face! X
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I am so glad! Finding the pictures had me smiling, so it is good to pass it around!
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I’m pretty sure I had ALL of these back then except the Sindy/Pippa dolls, much as I always wanted one. The drought of ’76 brings back memories of the stand pipe that was put up in the street in readiness for when they cut the water supply to our homes. It never came to that, thank goodness, and I remember we all just ran out and stood in the rain as the thunderstorms broke the drought. Happy memories indeed:)
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It was a hot summer! We didn’t have stand pipes, thank fully, but I remember the Blue Peter episode when they explained why showering was better than taking baths!
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Oh wow, that was a blast from the past – especially the Whimsies (I had no idea that was what they were called)! I used to collect the souvenir dolls too, but never used to take them out of their plastic cases, I had a ledge above my window where I would display them all. And yes we always used to get a selection box in our stockings, along with a satsuma and a brussel sprout…Thanks for bringing back some happy memories 🙂
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Oh I forgot the satsuma in the stocking! you had a brussel sprout too? that must have been fun!
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It was my parents idea of a joke as I hate brussel sprouts! 🙂
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I loved looking at all the older toys. Some I had, like the view master, some I had heard of, and some I have never seen before. It was a lot of fun going back in time. Thanks for sharing and I love Pinterest too.
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I am so pleased you enjoyed it as much as I did. Pinterest is such a wonderful resource.
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What an amazing post. My Dad used to buy me the Twinkle comic every week. I also remember one Christmas, receiving the Pippa doll along with all her friends plus furniture. It’s nice to hear that you remember the Pippa doll’s as well, I used to think I was the only one.
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Hi Sally delighted to hear the page brought back happy memories for you too! Pippas weren’t as well known but I liked Pippa she has some great accessories and she was smaller than Sindy…. and Barbie just wasn’t on my radar! I don’t think we had so many American toys on the market then. Thanks for taking the time to post it is always lovely to hear from readers!
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what about evil conevil, stretch armstrong, rockem sockem sets or the road runner that dunked it’s head in water
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I remember stretch Armstrong, someone brought one to our primary school!
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Wonderful childhood memories from late 70s early 80s thank you. Do you remember…I think there was a funny colourful witch in twinkle (I had the 1980 annual) maybe Winnie the witch but the modern one looks different, maybe a similar one??
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