Saturday, April 01, 2023

Kids & Their Bikes

It's "Anything Goes Saturday", so I've decided to choose some vintage scans of kids and their bikes. Getting a bicycle was a big deal for me, and I'm sure it was (and still is) for most youngsters. "Look how fast I can go!". I still remember exploring parts of my neighborhood that I'd never seen before (even managing to get a bit lost for a brief while). My friends and I would take our bikes down to the beach (when I lived in Huntington Beach), and we'd just lay them down, play for an hour or two, and come back to find our bikes right where we'd left them, amazingly. 

These boys are proud as heck of their sweet rides (from a slide dated "April 1965"). One has a horn with a rubber bulb, the other a basket to hold whatever needs hauling (hopefully not school books). I love the "VENTURA CALIFORNIA" shirt, not far from where I lived for a time. 


Next we see three kids (siblings I assume), two on their bicycles, another on a scooter. I guess you could get them in any color you wanted, as long as it was red? The older girl has her creepy doll (with blinking eyes!) in her basket. The boy is the leader of this intimidating gang. "Hey Johnny, what are you rebelling against?". "Whaddaya got?". The younger girl has another creepy doll, but that doesn't mean she doesn't love her. 

I am imagining the scent of cut grass, and the feel of warm summer sunshine, the sound of bugs and birds... all things that make life great.


And one more... a boy who can play his plastic pan flute (it looks like a series of hotdogs) while riding his sporty bike (pay no attention to those training wheels). Looks like he even has a swell headlamp for night time adventures. Play us a tune, sonny! How about the Davy Crockett theme?


23 comments:

TokyoMagic! said...

Wow, this really is red bike day. Or red vehicle day, since there is also a scooter and a tricycle involved.

That baby in the basket looks like the creepy baby doll from Toy Story 3.

Thanks, Major! And thanks, vintage kids!

Nanook said...

Major-
All those bikes, and not a Schwinn among them-! But we do see two, Huffy bicycles in the 1st and 3rd images. And [one half of] those fabulous, 'Huffy Convertible' training wheels in the 3rd image,

Extra points for the fella sporting those bright red pair of socks-!

Thanks, Major.

JB said...

1) I bet the kid on the right grew up to be a stand-up comic. He has a cool bike; hi-rise handlebars, banana seat, hand brakes. Not sure if it's a Schwinn or some knock-off.

2) I had a scooter when I was about her age. And yes, it was red. I didn't have the creepy doll though. Ha! The leader of the gang does have a sort of "don't mess with me" look.

3) Major, I think he only knows the Oscar Meyer jingle. And hey, he wouldn't have anywhere to sit, without those training wheels to hold his bike up. I think he is eating his hot dog flute.

Tokyo!, I didn't notice that the 'leader of the pack' was riding a tricycle. How embarrassing for him.

Nanook, so I guess the 'Schwinn stingray' is a Huffy?

Thanks for the vintage kids, Major.

"Lou and Sue" said...

Pic #1: Count the trash cans.

Pic #2: The tough one is actually the young lady on the left. She's riding barefooted.

Pics #2 & 3: The fencing is giving-off a vintage "Disneyland vibe."

Major, it made me sad to hear about Blogger/Blogspot discontinuing their computer services/programs. After 16+ years of GDB, I don't know what we'll do without your daily dose of fun. :-(

Anonymous said...

;o)

Chuck said...

Bikes changed our worlds at that age. I remember the same kind of exploring, getting mildly lost, being able to go far afield from home - as long as I was back in time for supper. I think I may have gone as much as a mile and a half from the house, which seemed like a long, long way from home.

A couple of years after my grandfather passed away and my grandmother went into assisted living, I managed to get stationed in my parents’ small-town hometown for three years teaching AFROTC at the local university. We lived in the house my dad had grown up in, and the basement was still largely filled with things my grandparents had accumulated over the years.

In one corner was a large map of Wood County, Ohio, with a bunch of push pins in it. At one point in the late ‘40s and early ‘50s, my grandfather had bee an officer in the Northern Ohio Breeder’s Association, which was a professional organization for cattle breeders, and the pins marked all of the cattle herds in the county.

My dad and I were in the basement one time, running trains on my small layout, and he noticed the map. He smiled and told me when he was about 10, one summer day he had ridden his bike to Toledo, about 25 miles away, and back. He had planned the route using that map, packed a lunch, and headed off into the Wide World. He rode to what is now Jamie Farr Park, ran into his cousins, played with them for a while, and then rode his bike home in time for dinner…without having told his parents anything about his day.

After dinner, the phone rang. It was his aunt, calling to tell my grandparents that his cousins had come home telling about what a great afternoon they’d had playing with my dad at the park. He got in a lot of trouble for that. But his bicycle had given him a taste of freedom and expanded his horizons considerably.

I love the way the chain link - or possibly rolled wire - fences are dressed up with white framing. Makes it look less industrial and more like home. Too bad that’s not a thing anymore.

Thanks for another Anything Goes Saturday, Major!

Bu said...

Jaime Farr Park. Who knew? Does Hot Lips Hoolihan have a park too? Will have to look that up. I used to watch reruns of MASH everyday with my friends after school. I wasn't a huge fan, but they were, so I went with it. I'd rather watch reruns of Nanny and the Professor more...seemed that although the writing on MASH was better, but it seemed a bit "real", while Nanny was just a whole lot of figalilly. Phoebe Figalilly IS a silly name. Heaven knows, Anything Goes Saturday! A glimpse of stocking IS shocking. Thanks to all who get the joke. I do remember vividly getting a bike at Western Auto. It was yellow and green and the metal flecked colors kind of melded into each other...it had a banana seat..and interesting handle bars. It was not a "normal" bike I think...I think the neighborhood was fascinated, as it was different, but I got teased all the same. I honestly forget what the big deal was...something in the handle bars or something? The braking system? Who knows. I only rode it around the neighborhood, never too far and never to school. Ever. I did a "home to school" Google Map distance: it was over two miles. So I can safely say that I walked miles to school in driving rain. Well...sometimes...it was southern California, but there was rain sometimes. I would walk in the rain, and sometimes other Mom's would give pity on me, and pick me up. People can be kind. I love the Disneyland inspired fencing, and if you zoom in the scalloped edge of the wire pops out on top and gives it a little flair. It looks pretty simple to put together so maybe that's the way to keep with wildlife out of the food garden. I found a system of rabbit tunnels out there last week. They are cute, but have already munched on anything that can be munched. I suppose they are hungry. Ventura has some red snazzy socks to go with the bike, and you can see the reinforced knees of interior iron on patches on his friend. I had these patches on the inside too. They just kind of made my knees itch. I was just happy to be wearing long trousers like everyone else. I don't remember ever wearing shorts to school after that point. I'm thinking that maybe the dress codes forbid it, but it doesn't make sense in the surfer dominated world I was in. (?) Will have to investigate. Thanks for the memory joggers this AM Major!

zach said...

It's hard to look tough on a tricycle but he did it. My first bike was cobbled together from parts in the garage. My Dad grew up on a farm where nothing was thrown away.

Those first two kids are wearing clothes I would have worn at that age.

April 1st and no April Fools pranks. You guys are slipping.

Thanks, Major for the first taste of the Summer to come.

Zach

Grant said...

60s kids on bikes... flashback memories!

In those days suburban Anaheim was a great place to ride bikes. Unfortunately Disneyland was five miles worth of busy streets away and a bit too far but the local movie theater, Baskin Robbins Ice Cream, a small shopping center and our favorite slot car track were all within range.

Notice Ventura Kid is packing a knife. A real David Bowie one? A future outlaw biker in training? Or just prepared for the mean streets of Ventura? :)

JG said...

Zach, farms are definitely like that. We had some scrap piles of old metal where you could make almost anything.

I lived way out in the country and no friends close by. My parents wouldn’t let me ride on the highways due to high speed traffic, but I could ride on the canal banks and the river levees. Those ran for miles between farms and to some back roads that were paved but without much traffic. The bike was the best toy I had.

Thanks for these, Major. Surprisingly nostalgic.

JG

K. Martinez said...

Love these pics! I remember my bike being my lifeline to adventure when I was a kid. Not only did I ride around town, but to other cities as well. Sometimes I'd come home late afternoon and my dad would ask me where I was and he was shocked to hear that I rode my bike from Dublin all the way to East Bay/Oakland. Thanks, Major.

I agree with Sue. The barefoot girl is the leader.

Major Pepperidge said...

TokyoMagic!, I guess that red = “fast” in a kid’s mind. When my brother and I got Schwinn bikes, he got the red one, and I (being the younger brother) got the blue one. I can’t see a creepy baby doll without thinking of the toys from Toy Story 3!

Nanook, maybe Schwinn didn’t get super popular until the 60’s and 70s? I don’t remember any bike commercials, but it seems as if all the kids at school wanted Schwinns at a certain time.

JB, I’m looking at the worn out knees on those jeans, and remember my own pants being patched by my mom. Boys are tough on their pants! Those awful, stiff iron-on patches, yuck. I don’t think I ever had a scooter, which is amazing, because my grandparents spoiled us. The Oscar Meyer jingle, why didn’t I think of that!

Lou and Sue, somehow non-Disneyland trashcans just aren’t the same! I remember tying to ride my bike bare-footed, but the pedals were very textured. And those were the days when I went bare-footed everywhere, my feet were pretty tough. I haven’t heard any news about Blogger/Blogspot, not sure what you mean?

Anonymous, smiley face right back at you.

Chuck, it’s really true, for a kid, a bike really did mean freedom that was unthinkable before that. It’s crazy to me to think that my folks were OK with us just disappearing for the whole day. I love the story about the map in your grandparent’s basement. Your dad was pretty brave at age 10! 25 miles to Toledo! That’s a long long way for a kid. I once rode about 21 miles eastward when I lived in Pasadena, and then realized that I still had to go 21 miles back. It was an interesting adventure, going through towns and neighborhoods that were completely unknown to me. “Jamie Farr Park”!! Your aunt kind of messed things up, but I guess it was unintentional?

Bu, all parks are better when named after celebrities. We have Johnny Carson Park in Beautiful Downtown Burbank, and it is the greatest park in the world. MASH is on several TV stations, and as much as I loved the show when I was a kid (when it originally aired), boy it has not aged well. The funny thing is that I listen to a podcast out of Australia, and the hosts both go on and on about how great MASH is. All I think about is how the actors had big white teeth. Why have banana seats fallen out of favor? I thought they were cool looking, and comfortable. My Schwinn came with tassels on the hand grips, but some kid at school yanked them out. Dumb kid! I had an annoying bell too. School was actually close enough to easily walk the distance, but once I had a bike there was no way I was going to walk. Nobody locked up their bikes back then, it’s incredible. I definitely never wore shorts to school, not sure about the dress codes, but I don’t remember anybody else doing so either.

zach, part of Einstein’s theory says that “the smaller the tricycle, the cooler the kid”. It doesn’t make much sense to me, but that’s how Einstein’s theories often work. Trust me, I tried to come up with a good April 1 prank, but I didn’t have any ideas that I thought were that worthy. I knew it was going to disappoint some people.

Grant, I have heard about kids who lived close enough to Disneyland to be able to ride their bikes. Just imagine! There were those bike racks to the left and the right. Steve Martin rode his bike to the park, he says so in his book. I didn’t notice that kid’s knife! I got in big trouble bringing a pocket knife (that I’d found at the beach) to school.

JG, it sounds pretty cool to be able to ride a bike for miles along the back roads and canals! Being able to go to the beach was about the closest I ever got to that, and it was pretty sweet.

Nanook said...

@ JB-
It was supposed to be the other bike. Now, I'm unsure.

JB said...

Major, " I haven’t heard any news about Blogger/Blogspot, not sure what you mean?

Anonymous, smiley face right back at you."


That was Sue being pranky on this April 1st. Note the bulbous nose in the smiley face (Sue's trademark). Before I got the joke, I thought "OH NOOOO!", then after I realized that we'd been pranked, I thought "Oh yeah".

Anonymous said...

:o)

Nanook said...

@ JB-
It still may be a Huffy - just sold under a private label to department, hardware and automotive stores.

As for that "Stingray", it too may be badged under a private label.

Anonymous said...

By now our 'trike boy' has upgraded to the motorcycle version of today. He has a beard, wears leathers with a bandanna and Old Glory flies mounted behind him. Something similar to a friend of mine. As for me, I see those training wheels remembering how it felt rocking from side to side while pedaling as fast as I could to learn to balance. Not exactly the most comfortable ride, but it worked...even to this day! KS

Anonymous said...

Hahaha! KS, you just reminded me of when my dad helped me to learn how to ride without training wheels. I was on a sidewalk lined with bushes of all sorts. At one point, I lost my balance and ended up in some type of thorny hedge. We still laugh about it (though my dad felt horrible, at the time). I think my bike was red, too.

Sue

JB said...

Sue, your story is very similar to mine. Our house sat atop a small ridge, about 12 feet high. The gravel driveway went down the slope and made a turn to the left. After removing the training wheels from my ancient, hand-me-down bike, my dad gave me a push to get me started. I was going pretty good until I got to the downward slope of the driveway, where I picked up considerable speed. When I got to the bottom of the slope I didn't quite know how to turn the bike yet. I ended up going full blast into the massive row of wild blackberries at the bottom of the hill. I think I blocked the rest out of my memory banks.

Warren W Nielsen said...

Oh man. This triggers memories.

Chuck, I can relate to your dad's tale.

My older brother and I got English 3 speed bikes for Christmas when I was about 10. Rawleighs, not red but purplish colored. Our folks laid out how far we could wander from home, and that lasted about 2 weeks. Not sure if they knew or not.

One Saturday we got the great idea of riding out to visit our grandma. Sure, why not? It's about 12 miles from where home was in the Ballard neighborhood of Seattle out to the Edmonds ferry dock, a ride over to Kingston, and then another 8 miles or so to g-ma's place. We never left a note, didn't tell anyone we were off the grandma's house.

When we got there, late in the day, she asked if our folks knew we were coming her way. No, grandma. Well, she would not let us into the house until we went next door to use the neighbor's phone, (g-ma didn't have one.) Of course, that was a collect call, 'long distance' at the time. Mom and dad were just about ready to call the cops about 2 missing kids, 10 and 13, when they answered the phone. Not a happy conversation.

When they came out the next day to retrieve us and haul us home, well, that was the last time we touched our bikes for about 2 or 3 months.

Fun times then, warm and fond memories now.

Thanks Major.

W



Nanook said...

@ Warren-
That's quite the journey - not to mention the continuous 'incline' on the way up to the Edmonds ferry dock-! That must have been quite the adventure.

Anonymous said...

Loving these stories, thank you everyone!

Always wanted a Schwinn, never got one.

JG

Dean Finder said...

My older brother always reminded everyone that he "bought his first bike." He won a skateboard (and helmet and pads) in a contest, and my mother refused to let him ride a skateboard, so she took him exchange the package for a Schwinn Stingray.

About 20 years ago, the current Schwinn company reissued the Stingray, so I bought one and gave it to him for Christmas. I should ask if he has any pictures of himself riding a Stingray in his 30s