The Personal Stereo That Rocked The World

I consider myself lucky that my lifespan happened to be sliced out of history where it is. I’ve seen so many things: The transition of film to digital, the rise of the personal computer, the connecting of the world through the internet, four different television formats and so much more. I was just discovering music when bands like Run-DMC, Van Halen, Micheal Jackson, Beastie Boys, The B-52’s and so many more were at peak popularity. And I was there for this, the Sony Walkman (and it’s many, many copycats). These days everyone in the world has every song ever recorded at their fingertips whenever they want, so it’s really hard to imagine how this simple device rocked our world. We could take our music with us, wherever we went, and blast it without disturbing others, it was awesome. Thank you Ralf Langer for a little bit of nostalgia.

Hi-Fi

When I was a kid this is what audio entertainment looked like, the Hi-Fi (short for high fidelity). If it wasn't a huge console system cranking the tunes into your house, it was one of these. Just tune to your favorite radio station, adjust the equalizer and enjoy the music. Or punch in your favorite 8-Track (let's say Meco Star Wars, maybe Brothers Johnson) and get your groove on. An excellent retro build from Sad Brick, which ironically makes me happy.

Dim The Lights

You always knew it was going to be a pretty chill day when you got to the classroom and one of these was sitting in the middle of the room. Well, this type pre-dates my school days, but you get the picture. That's right, when we wanted to see projected moving pictures back in the day we used one of these, and threaded film through it, and it was noisy, and pretty bad, and we loved it. A wonderful does of nostalgia from builder Carlmerriam.

The Simple Pleasures Of Childhood

I remember them well, out in front of the K-Mart, the rides. They were actually in front of several places here in my home town growing up. You know, those little rides that don't do much, don't cost much and don't seem to be very fun, but we all begged our moms for a quarter so we could ride. Builder LEGOMINDED takes advantage of the new rocket costume collectible minifigure to bring back a bit of nostalgia, and the results are as charming as they are clever.

Rock 'Em Sock 'Em

Here's a little dose of nostalgia, it's Rock 'Em Sock 'Em Robots by BrickNerd's own Roy of Floremheim. I can't calculate the endless hours we spent playing this as kids, it was a childhood favorite. Not only is this a fun miniature reproduction of the Marx classic game, it's even got play features. To see it in action check out this video.

Sleep Was Never Easy

I can totally relate to this autobiographical MOC by builder davekaleta. It's a serious dose of nostalgia for me, and I love all the details. My first born Austin NEVER slept voluntarily for the first five years of his life. When he was an infant the only surefire way to make him sleep was to load him into the 4Runner and circle the block endlessly (followed by a harrowing trip upstairs back to his crib). Once he graduated to his big boy bed, the only way to keep him in his room until sleep finally took him was to camp out with him. I can't calculate the endless hours I spent watching Rugrats on the floor of that boy's room. I'm happy to say I don't have to worry about his sleep habits now, then again he turned 21 last month so I should think not.

Hot Wheels

No, your eyes aren't deceiving you (and no, we haven't started covering other toys), these are LEGO. Builder Brick Flag has recreated some classic Hot Wheels, and the results are perfect. Of course they're significantly larger than their tiny rolling counterparts, but I think that's part of the fun. What's more is I had these very cars when I was a kid, the paramedic truck was one of my favorites, and the fastest in my collection.

You Knocked My Block Off!

Ah, childhood, when we weren't out beating each other senseless with our Sock'Em Boppers, we were inside beating each other's robots senseless with Rock 'Em Sock 'Em Robots. Builder jtheels is back with another solid dose of nostalgia, and has sparked a theory. As impossible as it sounds, I am absolutely convinced at this point we somehow shared a toy box from either side of the country.

Secret Of The Mummy's Tomb

The other childhood obsession of mine was GIjOE (and since I never grew up, well...) I have hundreds of Joes stored away, and a few on display here at my house. I also have a couple Peter Pan Book & Records, fun little records with a comic attached. One of them was inspired by the same toy that inspired this MOC by baronsat, Secret of the Mummy's Tomb. It had an awesome six wheeled transport with detachable crane and a cool mummy in a sarcophagus (and my personal favorite Joe, the Land Adventurer). This MOC brings back a flood of feels, thanks Eric!

Hey, You Knocked My Block Off!

Is there any more wholesome form of childhood entertainment than to watch two robots beat the crap out of each other until one is hideously disfigured? Yeah, I didn't think so. Rock 'Em Sock 'Em Robots was a go-to favorite when I was a kid, and this wonderful miniature version by Bruce Lowell makes me want to engage in robot battle even though I'm adult...I mean manchild.

Cha-ching!

I suppose today's kids learn about money handling with an app (between catching Pokemon) but when I was a kid, this was the apparatus of choice, the Fisher-Price cash register. Seeing this MOC by scottstaz brought a whole flood of nostalgia and happy coin-counting feels. It's a perfect 1:1 recreation, right down to the chute on the side.

Old School Computin'

You kids with your multi-cores, iPhones and fancy color computers, you don't know the struggle. You haven't lived until you've installed a program from 15 floppy disks, or accidentally erased your new game by putting your headphones down on the tape, and don't get me started on modems...

A lovely bit of old school computing nostalgia from Powerpig

Slot Car

The sound of the motors, the slight whiff of something burning, the crashes at the turns, the track that doesn't *quite* fit together perfectly. It's slot car racing, and it's pretty much a thing of the past. They are still available, but back in the 60s they were extremely popular. The rise of the RC car marked the beginning of the end of the hobby, but it still has a special place in a generation's heart. This MOC by Legopard captures it's essence perfectly, from the controller to the iconic track.

Best Idea Ever

What better way to spice up a summer gathering than severe food trauma? Yes, it's Jarts, or lawn darts! Oversized, weighted lawn missiles with sharpened steel tips, what could possibly go wrong? My family actually had these when I was a kid, they were fun and terrifying at the same time. Between these, my dad smoking in a closed car, no seatbelts and pop rocks and Coke, it's amazing we made it out of the 70's alive. Thanks for the nostalgia JT!

Speak & Spell

I never had a Speak & Spell as a kid, they came along just a little late for me (I already speaked and spellt) but this MOC from jtheels still gives me the uber nostalgic feels. I played with one of course, there were plenty at friend's houses and at school, but unlike the fun you could have with a calculator (58008 anyone?) we could never work out how to make Speak & Spell curse for our amusement.

Pretty Sneaky Sis

I know I played Connect Four as a kid, but I don't remember owning it, so it must have been at a friends house. I vividly remember the commercial though, and that kid's tragic haircut. Builder jtheels is on a roll with these brilliant little doses of nostalgia. Makes me want to break out my plaid pants and play with GiJoe while eating a peanut butter and relish sandwich (the 70's weren't pretty)

Childhood In The Basement

I can remember vividly when the first Atari 2600 came to my house. We played Tank and Space Invaders until we saw them in our sleep. And we pondered endlessly why PacMan looked so terrible and went "bonk bonk". This MOC by Chris McVeigh is not only a marvel of clever building, it's a bona fide time machine, capable of serious doses of nostalgia. And the best news is you can have one for yourself on March 9th from his website!