We are deep in the dog days of summer, when the air is as thick as soup and everyone on the news is trying to fry eggs on the pavement, bake cookies on dashboards and make lasagna in mailboxes.
It’s the kind of heat that makes you question your life choices (particularly if you work outside) until you remember there’s still time for a little fun.
When we were kids, we didn’t care about the temperature. We just grabbed a garden hose, hit the sprinklers, or cannonballed into anything that resembled a pool, which was often the neighbor’s pool, and you didn’t have permission to use it. Reckless youths!
READ MORE: Things That Perfectly Capture Summer Vacation in the ’70s & ’80s
Retro Bicycle
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Summer Adventures Required Some Serious Toys
Every day was a new adventure when you had very few responsibilities, except for maybe a paper route or babysitting the neighbor’s brats. We always made sure to be back in the house before the streetlights came on and reruns of Laverne & Shirley started (dating myself here).
READ MORE: Photos That Take You Back to Summers in Your Grandparents’ Yard
With no screens to distract us (outside, at least), we made our own entertainment, and we were really good at it. Hide ‘n Seek was a favorite, though we’re still not sure if we ever found Derek. Red Rover, Red Rover was fun, and I still have the scars to prove it. Come to think of it, many of the things we did to keep ourselves busy were really quite dangerous.
Girl sliding on backyard water slide having fun in summer
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The Potential for Danger Only Made Us Tougher
And when I say dangerous, I mean even the toys we played with. Water toys turned us into little stunt professionals (or amateurs) and were quite plentiful. I remember buying low-grade fireworks at the candy store. Many of these toys were likely to poke your eye out, stab your foot, or practically strangle you.
If you grew up in the Wild West of the ’60s, ’70s, or ’80s, summer toys were a lifeline because many of us were locked outside (until the street lights came on). Inside was no place for a kid! Check out these classic summer toys that kept us cool, kept us busy, and always seemed to add a dash of danger.
Gallery Credit: Stephen Lenz
Take a trip back to summer in the ’70s and ’80s — when Ring Pops ruled, bikes meant freedom, and Press Your Luck kicked off the day. These photos hit all the nostalgic notes.
Gallery Credit: Stephen Lenz