Shrinky Dinks | 1970s & 1980s Arts & Crafts

Image from BlueBuddies.com

You weren't a true '80s kid if you didn't play with Shrinky Dinks. These cool arts and crafts kits came with colored pencils and thin flexible sheets of plastic cut-out style figures. Once cut, the figures could be filled in or designed with colored pencils and then baked. 

I remember how thrilling it was when Mom would flip on the oven light allowing us to witness the shrinking action. We'd watched the plastic melt before our eyes and take on a smaller, thicker shape. Like magic, the color would remain intact. I loved the feel of the texture of the Shrinky Dink once it was cooled.

I especially enjoyed making Shrinky Dinks Christmas tree ornaments and charms -- but it was important to make sure the whole was punctured BEFORE baking, otherwise you were screwed. It was impossible to break through the hardened plastic once baked.

Check out this vintage "Glow in the Dark" Shrinky Dinks commercial.

Five Fun Facts About Shrinky Dinks

1. Shrinky Dinks were invented in 1973 by Wisconsin moms, Betty Morris and Kathryn Bloomberg.
2. The very first Shrinky Dinks were sold at a shopping mall in Wisconsin.
3. Cashing in on the popular characters of the 1980s, kids could purchase Smurf Shrinky Dinks, Scooby Doo Shrinky Dinks, Mr. T Shrinky Dinks, Pee Wee Herman Shrinky Dinks, you name it! 
4. In the early '90s, Mark McGrath's band was originally called Shrinky Dinx, but changed the band's name to Sugar Ray avoiding a lawsuit from Hasbro.
5. Shrinky Dinks are still available and marketed by the original inventors. Click here to purchase or view today's Shrinky Dinks.

Clown Around Figurines | Best Christmas Gift Ever!

I loved the Clown Around Clown House

You may remember I once blogged about the worst-ever Christmas gift I received as a kid -- the Andy Gibb doll. Today, let's discuss one of my most favorite Christmas gifts ever received as a kid. I realize most of you will have no recollection of Clown Arounds, but they were all the rage for a short time in 1981.

Clown Arounds were clown figurines kids collected --  much like Smurfs and Monchhichi figurines. Produced by Mego Corp, each Clown Around was a different character.  Houses, cars and other toys were sold separately and could be used with the Clown Arounds. Man, oh man, I loved these goofy looking figurines.

Clown Around image from Kathysfastfoodtoys.com

One Christmas Eve, when I was about 9, I received a Clown Around Clown House -- I believe it was the exact house pictured above. I loved the Clown House so much. I remember how happy I was tearing the wrapping paper off, only to discover my Aunt Carol had actually gotten me one of the coolest gifts ever! I loved the colors of the house and setting up the Clown Arounds inside the house. I swear, I must have played with that house the entire night. I loved it so much!

What one your favorite holiday gifts from your childhood? I'm surprised I forgot to mention this gift in my Top 10 Gifts blog post last year.

Have More Fun In Bed

I've always had a thing for fun sheets and pillowcases. Right now you will find a Skurvy/Paul Frank, Hello Kitty and Pac-Man pillow atop our bed. When we first moved in together, we had a full sized bed. It was easy to find Hello Kitty sheets at Target to accommodate our bed back then. However, when we switched to a Queen, it's been boring sheets with very little character. I know I can get fun prints and polka dots, but I love my characters.

Luckily I can still spice up our bedding with fun pillowcases. I believe you're never too old to take part in youthful bed and bath items. My husband doesn't seem to mind our Hello Kitty shower curtain and Ziploc type bags.

Strawberry Shortcake
Target released newer versions of Strawberry Shortcake as she made a successful comeback over the past few years. I prefer the original pictured here.



ET
My most favorite movie and treasured bedding featured the lovable alien and Elliot in various scenes from the movie. We used the ET sleeping bag until recently - it was so badly torn, I had to trash it. I still have the flat sheet and a pillowcase though.





Smurfs
In addition to ET, I was a big-time fan of The Smurfs. I had several Smurf lunchboxes (who didn't in the '80s?) and especially adored my Smurf sheets. My aunt still has my cousin's Smurf sheets which is sure to come in handy for my cousin's child, seeing as the Smurfs have made a comeback and have an entire line of toys out for today's kids to enjoy.



Pac-Man
My husband and I are serious Pac-Man and Ms. Pac-Man fans. When we first met, we discovered we had a common bond of loving the old '80s video game. This made selecting a wedding cake topper pretty damn easy. We went with Pac-Man groom and Ms. Pac-Man bride figurines. He loves his old Pac-Man pillow case (as does our kitty, see image below) and we still have a vintage trash can we use for recyclables in the kitchen.



Our cat, Chawklit relaxing against her favorite pillow.

Our Pac-Man wedding caketopper.