What gift items do you remember from your childhood which would never be gifts today?

[FredaFrogspawn]

Another thread ended up accidentally debating the fact that ashtrays were common gifts for weddings or twenty first birthdays. I remember big marble or onyx ones, and ones on a stand which went by the arm of the chair. No one smoked in our house and we still had a shed load of these things.
Another thing I remember is steering wheel covers, in pleather. What were those about?? And leather covers for the TV listings magazines we all had to have before papers printed what was on with ‘Radio Times’ self importantly embossed on them. (My dad kept his TV Times in there and ringed the programmes he wanted to watch with a Quink ink capitalised ‘Tell Dad When This Is On.’)

Anything else?

Gosh yes, notelet’s and writing sets. Parker pen.

Yes - note let’s and writing sets. I loved a good writing set with pastel sheets of paper and matching lined envelopes.

Soap on a rope - remember that?

I have no idea why predictive text put that apostrophe in notelets

Fountain pens and bottles of ink. Wooden pencil boxes with compartments and a sliding lid. Crochet dollies - I made yards and of crocheted string.

We have fuzzy felt and spirograph and the dolls head! All bought from shops in the last few years. I think these are pretty classic toys!

It di MSM’s it for me too Fanthorpe. Very irritating.

I do remember soap on a rope.

I am typo central.

Sony Walkman
Speak And Spell
Vinyl singles
Barbie/Sindy/Pippa

We used to buy my dad Wisden every year (cricket stats for the previous year) and Dodds parliamentary companion. He was a total cricket and politics geek.

The internet has overtaken Wisden I fear though Dodds is probably still published.

My mum would get a box of Ma Cher cherry liqueur chocolates. Yuck!

People were always giving my dad decanters, they have tons of the dratted things. All cut crystal.

And re bath stuff - those horrid squidgy bath pearls that made the bottom of the bath lethal!

My nan went through a phase of giving me Totes Toasties slipper socks for a while, I had quite a few at one point.

My mum had a souvenir soldier in a plastic tube.

I used to get it out and make it fight with Crystal Ken over who could go in Barbie's car. I seem to remember Ken knocking his hat off once and snapping the little chin strap.

My mum wasn't happy.

I got a false “sink” with plastic dishes that you wash up. You got to add washing up liquid and water. I absolutely loved it.
It would never be given to a girl today - and for shame while I loved it as a kid - I leave washing up to dh now days

Mexican jumping beans .

Wooly Willy

Real china dolls tea set with roses painted on each piece.

I had loads of those folks in plastic tubes. My dad brought them from all over the world. I wasn't allowed to play with them though & he went to woodwork evening classes & built me a glass fronted cabinet to keep them in

Dinky diary

Plastic trolls with lurid wild hair.

I loved a post office set.

That was good I agree. And the John Bull printing services, and the tiny bar of Cadbury dairy milk dispenser.

My kids have got fuzzy felt and a toy sink with real working tap!

Gift boxes with an oval or heart shaped soap, all the soaps were the same but the plastic transfer on the top could be one of loads of characters, Care Bears and my little pony were the ones I always seemed to get. There was so much packaging and when you used them those plastic transfers really hurt when the caught your skin. I used to have whole class parties so would often get 8 or 10 of them for my birthday, I doubt my parents ever had to buy soap when I was a child.

Just been on a Fuzzy Felt google search! Happy memories
Mousetrap anyone?

My brother and I were both given Gollywog dolls in the 60's by a loving great aunt. We didnt have a lot as children so they were loved. I think I still have mine with other childhood teddies in the loft. They were all special.

My son loves fuzzy felt! He tells fantastic stories with it.

Knitting dollies are definitely still a thing as are fuzzy felt sets.

This is a bit off topic but does anyone know what those foul tasting red sweets were? I’m sure they were shaped like lips of similar and were quite strongly perfumed.