Play For Nostalgia
I have childhood toy flashbacks the way I imagine some people have out-of-nowhere acid-trip memories. All of a sudden, I'll be walking down the street and I'll hear the low, Jaws-like tones of the '70s light-up game Simon in my head, or I'll remember the commercial jingle and distinct weight and feel of a Weeble. Lately I can't shake how much I loved Lite-Brite, to a degree that I feel I need to own it again. I want to plug in this near-mint Lite-Brite on my kitchen counter and make colorful, rudimentary roosters, or go all rebellious on the machine and create little illuminated notes for the week. I like how it's kitschy in the best way: It harks back to everything I loved about 1978 but also has a timelessly sleek, space-age design.
January 28, 2008
LOVE the idea of looking for Lite-Brite, Weebles and other vintage toys on Ebay! My quest: Merlin. The commercial is still stuck in my head 25 years later.
Believe it or not, they still sell colorforms new. I found a little store that sells them around me.
Lightbrites...this has me thinking of an ongoing dream for my living room (right above my sofa). I want one of those "moving pictures" from the 70's and I don't mean the Asian kind that's easy to get. BUT, buying 4 lightbrites, affixing them together at the sides and adding a switch to them -- that could be a kickass living room piece.