Biography of toys

Tula, year. Three-year-old Misha behind the wheel of her first car, the photo was sent to the Retro-Magia contest. Today we recall the shelves of the Children's World stars that are tired of the treasures - a real outlet for Soviet boys and girls. How shops were opened for children ... At the beginning of the X, my main entertainment began to be observed from the balcony of how the construction of the house opposite is going on.

At that time the Demidovsky shopping center was a wasteland, and my grandfather and I opened a beautiful view of bright yellow tower cranes, gently moving reinforced concrete blocks with windows of future apartments. And - the most important thing - the adults told me that on the ground floor of this house there will be a special store with toys called "Children's World"! At the same time, another child part -time was watching from another nine -story building, my future son -in -law.

He was lucky enough to become the first buyer of a vegetable store in the same place, on the ground floor of a miracle house. And when he boasted a package of sweet prunes presented to him by such an occasion in the company of friends, his acquaintance said: “Think ... Here is my little sister Katya recently became the first customer in the new“ Children's World ”!” And they gave her a brand new doll there!

.. A separate entrance, a colorful neon sign, glass doors, a wide hall and a light, passing through the entire first floor of a 4-entrance nine-story trading hall-for the unpretentious Tula children, all this splendor in the eighties was still in a wild! In the "Children's World" several departments and cash desks worked at once, in which it was necessary to pay for purchases.

A check was given to the buyer, with whom he went to the desired department and which sellers for convenience were prompted for a special knitting needle with a stand. In the "Children's World" there was a department of stationery for school, children's clothing and shoes, and most importantly - toys for children of any age, from the smallest "babies" to serious high school students.

And what a delightful, incomparable aroma reigned inside the store! The thinnest smells of “toy” plastic, cellophane and rubber were mixed with the smells of oil paints and pastes from the handles of all models and flowers! Bright color images and smells in conjunction with smiling sellers did their job - the children did not want to leave their "children's world"!

What is inside toys? What toys were sold in the "children's world" in X? And how did we, the children of the Tula working outskirts, played them? After the Soviet child played with some kind of toy for a long time, he often had a persistent desire to make it out and see what was inside. And also - use the toy as you like, if only for its intended purpose! And then with the words “she herself broke!

As my dad liked to say, "you need to buy iron dump trucks - you certainly will not break anything in them." Once, my friend and I opened one “unique” in search of “musical balls” and to understand that it is again and again that leads the toy to the vertical position. The secret turned out to be simple: inside the toy is a hollow metal cylinder, under the weight of which the “Nevalyashka” rises from any position.

There were no “musical balls” inside: a small pendulum made a melodic sound, hitting metal strings around the perimeter of the cylinder! The pistol with the pistons was in the arsenal of every male yard, a self -respecting inhabitant! When pressing the trigger, the ribbon with the pistons scrolled, exposing under the blow of the hammer the sulfur applied to a thin paper tape, it “detonated”.

All this action was accompanied by a relatively loud cotton - a “shot”. Hastily deciding whether the enemy was killed or wounded, we continued to play war or “cowboy”. And later, the older guys taught how to correctly clean the sulfur from the pistons and twist into small metal tubes brought from the ferrous metal factory! We made these "bombs" and threw them into the fire of the "eternal bonfire" in the trash at the culinary technical school.

It was dangerous but fun! The Moskvich pedal machine, this overall toy, though older than their fashionable “colleagues”, could still be found on sale on the counter of the Children's World store, and some of the regular in the court of our nine -story buildings. The second series of toys began to be released from the year, and the third - with the GO and continued the release, until the toy “Muscovite” was completely discontinued at the beginning of the X.

The reciprocating pedal mechanism, hidden under a stamped steel case of a reduced Moskvich model, was set in motion. A machine was controlled using a small steering wheel. It was an expensive VIP-toy! Once, with such a “car owner”, we went for the house-to check how his pedal “Moskvich” would cope with a steep hill ... Some vigilant grandfather, who saw us and highlighted something was wrong, intervened in our research idyll.

My friend and I also “flew” - for the company with the car owner! The toy "Snoppyshchik" was hunted by both diligent girls and hooligan guys.The plastic case with two “legs” was driven by a spring with a key with a key - it was difficult to keep up with the jump! Designed for home use, these toys were by hook or by crook in the yard, on the asphalt. And here they were used to the victorious end: they were arranged for the races at speed, and even “swims” in their puddles, of course, experienced far from all these plastic toys.

A toy stroller with a doll was a reduced copy of a real stroller. The girls dressed dolls in toy -wrapping toy and carried them to the imaginary “hospital” or “kindergarten”. The boys from the yard, looking at the unhurried girl’s game, that there is urine tried to bring a little “speakers” to it. We abducted the stroller and transported “smuggling” in it - cars, toy pistols and even a gaping courtyard cat, which often and could not have participated in our games ...

From rubles today, sellers with Avito for the universal time of the USSR in good condition. The editors thanks the "Museum of the Soviet Toy" st.

Metalists, 16 for the exhibits provided.