Little things that brought you absolute joy as a child

[DevilledEgg]

For me it was silver balls on cupcakes. Such a simple thing but we didn't have them very often, so whenever I saw some on a cake I'd bubble with excitement. I bought a cake today with some on and I swear, I was five years old again!

A mixup. A big 50p one! I had a spotty twirly skirt with a spotty top in reverse colours. Navy and white. A twirly skirt was the pinnacle of joy. I also had many daydreams about a lipstick that would come out rainbow, and also silver and gold lipsticks, and I loved thinking up fancy names for myself. I had a very long one that I will not post here because you'll all pinch it for yourselves.

How did they do the magic???

An annual. NDN used to bring me one every year and I loved it! I knew it would give me hours of enjoyment.

I was in heaven with an orange and a Famous Five book.

When the fairy washing up liquid bottle was empty and your mum gave it to you to use as a water pistol!

I wonder what our kids will say when they reminisce about their childhoods...

Being anywhere close to a horse. I grew up on a council estate so horses were few and far between :) but I loved them and any opportunity to see them, near them was taken eagerly. I now have horses and in the depths of winter when it’s cold and dark
and dreary and I am down the yard looking after them, I remind myself that every birthday candle wish I made as a child has come true. I’m tired, cold and skint.. but dreams do come true :)

Creamola Foam.

Beano, Mandy, Beezer.

Wham bars and 10p mixes.

Playing A Team. I was always Hannibal.

Playing Famous Five. I was always George AND Julian. I had quite the ego.

New felt tips.

Buying bookmarks in gift shops.

Summer scheme.

Playing with the gravel / screenings they used to have on a lot of footpaths. Especially if they were warm from the sun. I'd gather them and pour them over my knees. Sitting in my knee socks and glorious scuffed red leather buckle shoes.

I did go through a phase of pouring these in my ear. But after several trips to the doctor to have one removed it was made very clear that I was not to do that anymore. 😊

Oh! And Fry's Five Centres. It is scandalous they do not do those anymore. I have to settle for the orange one now.

Little trailways through the woods, especially in spring. Waking up to pull open the curtains to snow in winter. Standing on a hilltop looking down on the world.

When the teacher wheeled in the big TV on the inexplicably large trolley so we could sit on the scratchy carpet and watch BBC Look and Read.

I wanted to be Badger Girl.

The theme from Dark Tower and Fairground still gives me goosebumps.

And Magic Magic E!

And Pigeon Street.

I could spam this lovely thread all day long. 😳😁

My mum is a very talented dressmaker and knitter and almost all our clothes were home made. So the absolute joy when I was allowed a dress from a shop for my birthday, it was a checked summer dress when I was about 5 from M&S.

This will make me sound mental but I was obsessed with this one bauble on our Christmas tree. It was such a beautiful shiny purple colour and I thought it was perfect. One year I stole it from the tree and kept it under my bed so I could look at it all year round.

So many things I'd forgotten about, inc those transfers you did by rubbing with a pencil

Simplest pleasures, miles of paperchains at my Grans at Christmas. Jigsaws and Lego, Lego used to do lots of small sets that I'd save my pocket money for and digging through the shelves in Woollies trying to decide which one i wanted.

@scalt Your family game memories are beautiful, what wonderful parents.

Did anyone else have cassette tape audiobooks to go along with a storybook? I only had 2, but my clear favourite was The Elves and the Shoemaker, by Well Loved Tales. I'd sit there with my book listening, completely immersed, and carefully examining the illustrations. A couple of years ago I was so happy to find someone had kindly uploaded it to YouTube!

m.youtube.com/watch?v=NLhFE6SFG9U

Fortune fish. Someone would always come into the playground with one after Christmas (from the Christmas crackers) and they would instantly become the most popular kid there as we all crowded round waiting to see which way the fish would curl in the palm of our hands.

Can I nominate this for Classics @mumsnet? About to fall asleep feeling all cosy about childhood stuff - so will post my memories tomorrow. Thanks all for a lush thread!

I didn't have those but you reminded me of the Storyteller cassettes and magazines I collected as a child.

Gobblino the witch's cat broke my heart!

It was the first thing I bought when I discovered Ebay. Paid far too much in my excitement.

I did love the Ladybird books. I had the Elves and the Shoemaker. I still buy vintage ones from Ebay. With the tree illustration inside the covers. Makes my heart happy. Didn't have the cassettes though. Going to have a listen on YouTube. Thanks for the reminder.

Ooh yes! I'd forgotten those!

Was that just not sellotape? 🤔🤔

Blowing one of those dandelion things and watching all the little seed things disperse.

That's still a perfect day!

I had an electric typewriter and would type letters to my friends and post them!
I also had an electric keyboard and I’d spend hours teaching myself how to play pieces of music by ear. I also loved going to the library and would take out 15 books at a time and carry them home, I used to work my way round the library pretending I was Roald Dahl’s Matilda.

We called those hairy witchys NE Scotland.
We were easy pleased as kids and putting a buttercup flower under your chin.
I can't remember the reason for that game, wasn't it if it was yellow under your chin something was meant to happen?

I think the buttercup thing was supposed to be if you liked butter or not. No spread in those days so everyone I knew ate butter. We called them Fairies in Devon.