The Rubik's Cube

One of the most iconic toys of the 1980's is a little 3 dimensional puzzle called the Rubik's Cube. Even though the popularity of the Rubik's cube peaked in the early 1980s, it was invented in 1974 by Hungarian sculptor and professor of architecture Erno Rubik.

This puzzle, originally called the "Magic Cube", was licensed by Rubik himself and sold to the Ideal Toy Corporation in 1980 through a couple of German businessmen; Tibor Laczi and Tom Kremer. It won Germany's Best Game Of The Year as well as Best Puzzle Of The Year. This classic cube shaped toy contains six faces that are covered with 9 colored stickers. Each of these stickers were one of six solid colors; traditionally white, red, blue, orange, green, and yellow. To play with a Rubik's cube, one would mix the colors up by using a pivot mechanism which enables each face to turn independently. To solve the puzzle, each face must be returned to a solid color.

Looking to buy the original Rubik's cube? Click on the link below.

Rubik's Cube - original - $11.99
Retail Price: $21.99
You Save: $10.00
from: Old Time Candy Company

Yesteryear World: It's Slinky! :)

Yesteryear World: It's Slinky! :): For a lot of us, our inspiration for asking Santa Claus for certain toys came from commercials that played on Saturday morning during cart...

It's Slinky! :)

For a lot of us, our inspiration for asking Santa Claus for certain toys came from commercials that played on Saturday morning during cartoons. :)  One of the most popular toys was called the Slinky. Slinky was nothing more than a simple metal spring that provided plenty of entertainment as we tried to make it "walk down the stairs" like the advertisement showed, or other tricks. The toy was developed in the early 1940's by Richard James, a naval engineer and it was demonstrated in Gimbel's Department Store in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in 1945.

Slinkys were also used in a musical composition called "Sounds of Venice" by composer John Cage. This piece of music included an amplified Slinky, a slab of marble, a Venecian broom, a birdcage of canaries and piano.

NASA has used Slinkys in zero-gravity physics experiments in the Space Shuttle. During the War in Vietnam, United States troops used them as mobile radio antennas and high school and college professors have used the toy to simulate the properties of waves. 

Looking for an original metal slinky that you had as a kid? Click on the links below and get one for yourself or for someone as a stocking stuffer this holiday season! :)






Slinky Collector's Edition (metal) - $7.99
Retail Price: $17.99
You Save: $10.00





Slinky Original (metal) - $4.99
Retail Price: $14.99
You Save: $10.00
from: Old Time Candy Company



Slinky Dog Original (metal) - $21.99
Retail Price: $31.99
You Save: $10.00
from: Old Time Candy Company

Chastity (1969)

Directed by Alessia de Paola, Chastity is a film that stars a young Cher at the beginning of her career and it was written and produced by her ex husband Sonny Bono.  

The movie, named after the main character, opens with her running toward the camera. Perhaps this was meant to be a symbolic gesture as to what is going on in her life. Having a troubled past, she finds herself on the run while encountering many strangers in hopes of finding someone that will make her happy.  Along the way she encounters a man by the name of Andre in which she does find love; however, she ends up leaving Andre because she felt that things were getting too serious between them. After running from Andre, she finds herself in Mexico where she encounters an owner of a brothel who happened to be a lesbian. Chastity soon saw a mother figure in the "Madam" ; however, the madam felt differently. Being hurt by that discovery, Chastity returned to Andre to start a normal life. However, her issues caught up to her again as she thinks about her troubled past and while she thinks that she will never be loved by anyone, she runs away again.  The final scene shows her having an emotional breakdown as a truck driver pulls to the side of the road and asks her if she needed a ride.  Leaving the plot wide open as to what really happened to her in the end. Did she eventually find love? Did she have a tragic future?  The end leaves the audience wondering what really happened.

Chastity flopped very badly in it's debut in 1969 and it discouraged Cher from acting in films until the 1980's. However, Sonny and Cher's child, Chastity,now Chaz, Bono was conceived during the filming of the movie. 

Eerie Songs: In The Year 2525 (1969)

It's that time of year again. A week before Halloween and many of us turn to scary movies, creepy songs and other things to add to the fun of this holiday. The song "In The Year 2525" is a nightmarish vision of the future. As each 1010 years pass, we see a very disturbing prediction of the human race becoming less human and more overdependent on the technology of the year.

In The Year 2525 was a hit in 1969 by the American Pop Rock Duo Zager & Evans. It was on the Billboard charts for six weeks.

Moving

I know it has been awhile since my last post. We have sold our house and moved to Spokane Valley, Washington (USA) in a section called Veradale. To me it is like coming home again because I grew up here. In fact, the high school I went to is just down the road. :)  Veradale still has that feeling of a small town; the feeling of home where you feel safe and it is relatively quiet even though the street nearby is quite busy.  Even though things have been built up in this area, I still have many fond memories and I feel that it is good for me to once again remind myself of who I am and where I came from. Those are two things that nothing or no one will ever take from me because they mean so much. I hope to return to this blog soon to post more once  we get settled. :)

R.I.P Andy Williams

                                  December 3, 1927- September 25, 2012

Andy Williams was an American singer that recorded 18 gold, three platinum albums and five Grammy nominations as well as having his own variety show from 1962-1971. He also owned a theater in Branson, Missouri that was named after his signature song, Moon River. In the 1960s, he has a middle American, Establishment appeal that was different from the counterculture movement at the time. He was also known for his easy listening style. He remained on the charts thoughout the 1970s and had several television specials during the Holidays. He was also known for his famous Christmas time "The Most Wonderful Time Of The Year" and for singing the theme song for Oscar winning tear jerker, "Love Story".