While I was walking inside this mall in San Juan, I came across this small stall full of toys. It was located just in front of the entrance.
I don't know what unseen force drove me, but I decided to take a look.
Then unexpectedly, I saw this toy which was once popular during my toddler years. It was the Troll doll which I once played when I was young.
they were creepy creatures that a lot disliked, but ironically for me, I liked them.
The somewhat near imitation of a real troll in these toy dolls (if not only for their long multi-colored hair) have always caused wonder for me. Of course, not all kids would like to play with an ugly "monster" who are known to be man-eaters, but I really ponder on what's going on with the minds of these toy makers.
For one, toys are normally supposed to be child-friendly. Second, of all the mythological characters they can think of, why a troll? They were creepy creatures that a lot disliked but ironically for me, I liked them back then. I'm not a bad kid to say the least, but I pretty much liked the long hair of these toys. I remember back then that I used to throw them everywhere by just holding the hair and spinning it wildly before I let go and throw them (thinking of sadism).
Well, other than the troll dolls (which now cost only 10 pesos, great deal right?), I also saw these Grow 'em toys which again was very popular when I was a kid.
just throw them in the water, wait for a few minutes and they will grow 5 to 10 times their normal size
They are these toys which when submerged in water would grow into a bigger version. Just throw them in the water, wait for a few minutes and they will grow 5 to 10 times their normal size. When I first bought one, I can't wait to go home and submerged all five of these in water (they were 5 different dinosaur designs which were the ones available back then). I was so wide-eyed to see the small toys start to grow and become bigger by the minute. I probably looked ridiculous back then.
I also saw these ever famous plastic water guns which were very famous among boys. These toys, along with the robots and the swords are society's way of telling boys that "Hey, you are going to be a strong man someday and you'll get to marry the most beautiful woman on earth!" These are the opposite of barbie dolls, fairy wands, and cooking toy sets which girls tend to play.
I used to get scolded back then by making one of my playmates so wet after firing all the water in my gun at him.
It was one of my most favorite toy before. I used to get scolded back then by making on eof my playmates so wet after firing all the water in my gun at him. That was also the end of my water gun-firing days.
And lastly, I saw this net full of green marbles which again was a big part of my childhood. They were these small (and some big) spherical toys usually made out of glass or clay that a lot of children love playing. Well, a lot of games had been invented by children in terms of playing marbles so I can't really explain all of them here, but normally, the standard objective of this game is to hit the enemy's marbles and let it go out of a drawn circle.
they were these small (and some big) spherical toys usually made out of glass or clay that a lot of children love playing
One unforgettable experience I had with playing marbles is getting a very big bump in my forehead after being hit by a marble. I was too near the place where my playmate was targeting his marbles with when all of a sudden it went directly to my head and boom. After my mom saw the big bump, she was so furious, and that was also the last time I've seen my box of marbles.
There were also all these other toys that were being sold at a very cheap price in that stall. Probably for people who haven't bought their presents yet for their inaanak.
Well, Christmas had always been the time of year that a lot of kids always look forward to. Well, even people like me are no exception. It brings back a lot of childhood memories which everyone will forever cherish regardless of gender or age.
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