Saturday, April 28, 2012

Anything Goes Saturday - Play Time

Hey kids, what time is it? It's "Anything Goes" time! And today we're going to be enjoying a few vintage pix of children playing around.

I love this one from 1961, featuring an elf behind the wheel of his unusual pedal-powered hotrod. It's pretty cool! The expression on his face reveals a laser-like intensity. Or he grew up to be Popeye. He's clutching something in his right hand, but even a serious zoom-in didn't help me to discern what it is. Perhaps it is the magical amulet that gives him his power.


It's equal time for the girls, from a slide dated December 1957. It looks more like the 4th of July to me, but we all know how unreliable the dates on slides can be. Two adorable girls are putting on a show, with an elaborate proscenium made from a bed sheet and crayoned paper. Linoleum provides the perfect surface for tap shoes to sound their tappiest. It looks like they are crammed into the laundry room or something, with a captive audience waiting to be entertained. The girl on the left has a pretty amazing (home-made?) satin outfit, complete with matching top hat, while the girl on the right sports a tremendous candy-striped bow.


5 comments:

TokyoMagic! said...

Does that pedal car say "Sky Kar" on the side of it?

I bet those girls were just about to belt out, "I'm a Yankee Doodle Dandy....."

Nanook said...

That looks to be a 1957, two-tone, Dodge Sierra station wagon. (Is that coral & white-? Yummy-!). See kids, it was possible to haul-around the entire family without the need for a humongous SUV.

And, yes, TokyoMagic, that does appear to be an Evans Sky Kar. Evans also made the Scout Sky Cycle bicycle, among others.

Nancy said...

I want to live in that house! We had a big wagon like that growing up.

This takes me right back to the early 60s, remembering when we went to see Jack The Giant Killer (1962) at the drive-in wearing our PJs, and my two sisters and I laying belly down in the back with the tailgate open, my mom and dad sitting on lawn chairs.

in our basement we always had to have haunted houses and other stuff with the neigborhood kids. It was such a great time to be a kid in the 60s and 70s.

The GDB time machine comes thru once again! Thanks, Major!

K. Martinez said...

These images take me back to my childhood as well. I like the auto car theme of the first pic. We had a Buick sedan and Pontiac wagon. I had a pedal car with the same color scheme. Who knows, maybe it was a Sky Kar. From there it went to Donruss Odd Rod bubble gum cards and Redline Hot Wheels.

Growing up in the suburbs during the 60s and 70s was an awesome time. Yes, time travel is fun the GDB way!

Orange Co Native said...

I had a one of those hot rod carts except mine was a fire engine red color and it was present for Xmas 1965. The old standby station wagon. My parents had a 1959 Chevrolet. No seat belts. We just rolled around in the back seats from 1961 until my dad bought another car in 1968.

Even to this day, I can remember the spring/summer days in 1964-1967 in our backyard and getting the fragrance from the orange blossoms coming down from Anaheim, Irvine and Fountain Valley. By 1969/1970, they seemed to have gone and were no more. That is my recollection anyway.