Years ago we had quite a few storage units. One huge one when we had the shops, among others. We’ve had to down size over the past couple of years, and therefore had to find new places to store our film costumes/props/equipment. We’ve also decided to take our organisation to the next level. That along with buying a new home (which is being built right now, ready October, Yay!)  i’ve decided to finally clear my parents lost. We’ve attempted it over the years, only to lose steam upon realising just how big of a job it is. This time we’re sticking with it, doing a little bit at a time.

I’ve been really disciplined and trying to be less of a hoarder, so I’m limiting my small toys to one large box, and allowing myself to keep everything that is truly sentimental to me, or anything I want to pass down to my kids.

In recent years i’ve focused a lot on the bad times in my childhood, and boy were there many. But opening some of my old toys and cleaning them, donating boxes upon boxes to charity after rebuilding dollhouses I couldn’t part with my polly pockets. After the years of being almost consumed by flashbacks and shitty childhood memories, to see certain toys, it’s as if I was transported back in time. I remember the moment I first got that toy, I remember my mum and I going to argos with my birthday money that I had saved up to buy it. I still think one polly pocket in particular is as beautiful as the day I got it. Such a good nostalgic feeling and I was so pleased that I hadn’t lost the little Polly doll.

 

 

 

It’s funny to me that the main colours, lilac and aqua are the two colours my bedroom at my parent’s house is still painted. They’re also the colours of Princess Sparkle (my little pony). I’m thinking that maybe the reason I chose to paint the walls aqua and lilac was because the combination of them both reminded me of favourite things i’d forgotten about. Just like I did with my care bears I’d day dream I lived in the clouds, away from everything, surrounded by rainbows. Just like i’d pretend I was riding a unicorn when I was in junior school, clearly didn’t tell my friends that as I was prancing around the playground. I remember a recurring dream I had, it was my favourite dream.  Evil people had kidnapped me and Tender Heart bear in his cloud car saved me. As I got older it changed to Aladdin and his magic carpet. I gave my care bears to a sibling for their kid to play with, as they promised they’d return them when the kids grew up. I never got them back. I was told recently i’d get them back but it became so unimportant to me as the sibling got really poorly.  I don’t think i’ll ask again though. It’s awkward because I remember the plastic ones, the care bear cars etc… were mine. I remember unwrapping them on Christmas day. I remember the packaging. It was all caught on a home video that was lost over the years. (I’m still gutted about that as it was the video where I got my first little bike, and my My Little Pony castle). I don’t want to have to convince the person that they’re mine. It probably seems insensitive and trivial if I ever mentioned them again. I don’t know if I want my kid to have many plastic toys anyway. It’s just that they’re super nostalgic to me, and if I’d known i’d never get them back I would have been less happy to give them away.  I guess I have the memories and perhaps  I’m too sentimental for my own good.

 

I was also slightly obsessed with rainbow brite…. and Jem. She was truly outrageous! My father worked at matchbox for a time and we got some pretty awesome toys. I had a carousel that I adored with such pretty little horses, I haven’t found it yet. I’m hoping it’s hiding up in the loft somewhere. I’ve seen it on eBay, but it’s not the same if it’s not the original one I had. We also got these teddy bears with brushes for tails called ‘Brush a Loves’ and one of their paws was a little mirror.  The perks of having a parent work for a toy company.  I remember we got to go in the warehouse late at night once. I also remember that because I had seen Child’s Play (when I was 5! To be fair I wasn’t allowed to watch it, but my older siblings were watching it and i’d sneak onto the stairs as they were in the living room. I’d watch through the bannister because I could hear the film from my bedroom and it scared me more being alone in the room, I felt safer on the stairs. Perhaps that wasn’t the right choice though as I went on to have serious ‘Chucky’ related fears) I was excited being in a huge warehouse full of toys, but terrified when it got to the dolls and I remember the final scenes of Child’s Play 2.

Then there’s my Beauty and the Beast toys. Oh man did I adore that film. From a young age I wanted to be Belle at Disneyland. (up until I was in my late twenties and too old!). I was never embarrassed to talk about my career aspirations regarding filmmaking, but I kind of kept the Belle ambition on the DL. I know why I loved Belle so much. She was an outcast, as I was. Not just at school, or in my hometown but in within my own family. I liked that she liked to read. I still remember how I wanted her library more than the Beast/Prince who gifted it to her.  The Little Mermaid, another obsession. I liked Sleeping Beauty and Cinderella too, but Beauty and the Beast, The Little Mermaid and Aladdin were just so magical to me. That was until… The Lion King.

It’s an in joke with my family that as a kid I would only wear Lion King knickers. My mum must have bought over 100 pairs over the years. I got to an age where they didn’t make them for my age anymore. (although they make them now! Thanks TOPSHOP and GEORGE at ASDA).  So I had a real tough time parting with those pants and my mum struggled to get me to wear anything else. I then moved on to pants with balloons on.  I’m writing this as it is pretty funny looking back, and I still get ripped for it. I really did make a huge deal. (I wrote about how much of a struggle it was to get me to even try on a training bra, I just didn’t want to grow up. I flat out refused. My body had other ideas though).

 

So The Lion King and Casper the ghost (because, Christina Ricci) were my next obsessions. Up until I discovered the beauty of Jonathan Taylor Thomas in Home Improvement. (I didn’t even know he was the same guy that voiced a young Simba).

I remember meeting the cast from Gladiators and wearing my glow in the dark Casper tee shirt because one of the female gladiators tried to see it glow in the dark by peering through her cupped hands. I also had a lion king outfit that everyone thought was Pyjamas. They weren’t. I was just a fully dedicated fangirl of The Lion King. I still am to be fair!

 

I truly think i’m incapable of writing a blog post that’s shorter than my university essays!

So in the next few weeks my bestie, boyfriend and I will head back up there. Well, i’ll just stay on the ladder as i’m severely arachnophobic and a massive wimp.

Enthralling I know, stay tuned for the excitement of my trip down memory lane… or up the ladder to the attic. Maybe I’ll find a map to One Eyed Willie’s treasure!

or Mikey’s mum’s ‘favourite piece’.

 

yes, I just joked about finding a plaster of paris penis in my loft.

Label maker, bubble wrap and clear plastic boxes by my side, I am keen to see what is next to come down through that hatch. As long as there are no 8 legged little fuckers attached to anything!