M is for Memories of the Old Toy Shop

If we've had Scully & Sully, we must be into the festive season, but there's another box to tick, before we can consider the season complete, if you know what I mean, and so, earlier than some years, here's the display in Fleet Library of the annual toy-related exhibition by the Fleet & Crookham Local historical Society.

 

A coincidence, I'm sure!

 

Loved Fuzzy felt when we were younger!

 

Seen on the Blog, in three colours? Rosebud - bought by/swallowed by Mattel.

Rushden has its own Local History group;

 

https://rushdenheartsandsoles.co.uk/commerce/rosebud-mattel.html 

 

They're just very expensive Gonks for a generation who never had Gonks!

 

Mon'Kay! He has a very complicated history, involving two brands!

 

I've noticed that while Johnny Vegas can mention the monkey, he has 'lost' him,

and apparently can't legally discuss anything else about him!

 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Monkey_(character) 

 

Our gyroscope had a metal 'Eifel Tower'!

 

The tin-plate racing car looks modern?

 

New to me.

 

Nope! That Dinosaur isn't 48-months old, and never sold for shillings!

 

Stegosaurus in a generic (department store Christmas stock?) Triceratops' box?

 

Solido behind, don't recognise the one in front?

 

Not quite half-way through the month, and that's me done for the year! Sixth-best year ever for posts, despite two and a half months off, in April-May, and July, but don't worry, there's too much in the short queue to quit now, maybe I'll have a quiet January!

News, Views Etc . . . Colchester Museums Are Go!

Coincidentally running from my Birthday, although I've only just learnt of it, until the 30th June, so still plenty of time to get up there and have a look;

Everything else you need to know is here;

https://colchester.cimuseums.org.uk/events/joy-of-puppetry/

And, better late than never! Sorry, missed the activity weekend!

M is for More on Mecki

Mr Berke of New York sent these into the blog, he bought them many years ago in Germany, and hopes to follow-up further, with more of the little Mecki figures, but it might be a year or two before he digs them out of the stash - a situation I can sympathise with!

There's something slightly disturbing about a lady-mouse with bare-legs in tights or stockings! And what's happened to Mr. Mouse's ears, is he trying to do a Micky impersonation? That's Micky the mouse, not Micky the Mrs. Hedgehog. It's as if they never finished them?

Threading a needle and picking Edelweiss of a cliff . . . they can be easier to find! Another worry is how many real hedgehogs were used in the production of the studio hedgehog puppets; that doesn't look like faux-fur to me! Indeed they are really gnomes with a whole-hedgehog head-transplant!

I love the little appfelsaft glass, I have many happy memories of stopping in these big roadside 'country-club'/beer hall/restaurant things in the meadow-valleys of Bavaria or Wuttenberg and having a large glass of ice-cold apple-juice; huge wooden chalets, with painted murals and colourful window-boxes, tables out in the sun and being allowed to say "Noch-mal" or "Eine-mal" and having the waitress tick my beer-mat with her biro!

Meanwhile Macki and Mucki are about to dive into a blank-monge! Funny; you give small black eyes to an alien in a sci-fi movie = evil; give the same eyes to a stuffed hedgehog = cute!

Saving frogs was never more salient than now, to be honest thought, that frog looks either dead and beyond help, or very hung-over! While I'm not sure if he's planting something exotic in the right-hand image, or cursing the spread of the dreaded wild-garlic to his allotment?

The reverse of the cards; thanks Brian, with these and Peter's group the other-day we have definitely 'informed, educated or entertained' the audience about Mecki, here at the Better Blogging Corporation!