Kids on long road trips this summer will have no appreciation for the hours of boredom children of my generation experienced. With their phones or tablets, they'll be able watch shows, listen to music, play games, and communicate with friends. The hours on the road will fly by.
This what we called a tablet in the 1970's, and if you were lucky enough to have one, you at least had some distraction until you eventually grew bored. I didn't even have this. I stared at billboards.
The "Magnetic Fun Board" was manufactured by the Smethport Specialty Company. This particular model was sold in 1978. It encorporates 4 different games, all relying on the magic of magnetism.
All games use this "powerful permanent magnet" stick.
As evidenced by the price sticker, this sold at Woolworth's for $2.87 which is $11.39 in 2018 money. A sizeable sum for what it is and probably not something my parents would have deemed worth the amount back then. No wonder I was looking at billboards.
"Powder Pete" is similar to "Wooly Willy" which was also manufactured by Smethport. By moving metal filings around, you can create hair, mustache, beard or whatever on Pete's face. Unfortunately, my Pete's powder took a powder and leaked out.
"Worm Turn" guides a "worm" (that little squiggle of magnet in the upper part of the apple) through a maze to the center where its "Home Sweet Home" is.
I don't think I need to explain "Tic Tac Toe". Score can be kept at the bottom so you can track how many times you skunked your sister.
"Doodle Balls" provides a grid upon which you can "draw" to your heart's desire, as long as you don't run out of balls.
Look at how much fun that family is having.
Smethport Specialty Company was purchased by Patch Products in 2008 and now goes by "PlayMonster". They still make "Wooly Willy" (and have added "Hair-Do Harriet") along with Doodle Balls. If you're planning one of those long road trips this summer, maybe pick up a few games and try to distract your kids from the electronic noise and make them suffer like we did.
I read Archie comics and stared out the window. I loved staring out the window because I might see a horse. I could never managed these magnet things anyhow.
ReplyDeleteYes, horses, cows and the occasional hitchhiker were always the highlight of the trip.
DeleteYou know I always wanted one of these I'm guessing the 2.87 price tag was why I did not get one :(
ReplyDeleteI feel your pain. But to be honest, I don't remember these, although I do remember Wooly Willy. And though I was fascinated with magnets, I don't recall wanting one.
DeleteMy mom got us comic book digests (usually "Archie" or "Dennis the Menace"). During the Seventies, you could get two or three of them for under two bucks, and at 150-200 pages each, would long keep you occupied, at least until the carsickness kicked in from too much reading. Also, it kept our heads down so we wouldn't be begging to stop at every fast-food joint we passed.
ReplyDeleteI loved those digests too. So much entertainment packed in small form, if you could read the print. I know I couldn't these days. Where are my glasses?
Delete"Doodle Balls" provides a grid upon which you can "draw" to your heart's desire, as long as you don't run out of balls.
ReplyDelete...or the car hits a bump and scatters them. that's what *i* remember about that one.
That's a good point. Just playing with it recently on my own, I found it difficult to do much of anything with it because every time you get a ball in place, when you bring the next ball over, the previous ball jumps up to the magnet and ruins the picture.
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