Silly Putty - Fun For Five Minutes



Silly Putty, everyone had it! But why?



Silly Putty has a very extensive history. For me, however, Silly Putty was a traditional gift my brother and I would receive in our Easter baskets or Christmas stockings. Silly Putty -- still available in most toy stores or through Amazon -- was fun for about ten minutes, tops. My favorite thing to do with Silly Putty, was to press a flattened putty on newsprint and gawk at the print remaining on the Silly Putty. Uh-duh?

Yes, I know Silly Putty has a place in our hearts and memories, but much like Slinky, it was sort of a lame toy. You gotta admit that.

View an old commercial for Silly Putty.

Rated R in 1984 - Ralph Macchio in Teachers

Ralph Macchio in Teachers in 1984.

In October, 1984 I was 12 and head-over-heels in love with Ralph Macchio. Back in June of that year I was smitten after Karate Kid. The first thing that comes to mind when I think of 1984 is Ralph Macchio. Even my name was sort of borrowed from Elizabeth Shue’s character who sweetly tells Daniel her name is, “Ali with an ‘i!’” I was, “Ally with a ‘y.’” I told all of my new friends at Girl Scout camp that summer.

Once Karate Kid was no longer in theaters, I kept my eyes glued to the teen magazines. I anxiously awaited the 411 on Ralph’s next film. Tiger Beat and 16 were all abuzz about Teachers, a movie costarring Nick Nolte and Judd Hirsch. Big deal, Ralph Macchio was the only guy I cared about.

Ralph Macchio with Nick Nolte in Teachers, 1984.

Teachers centered around a rough and tough high school filled with delinquents. The trailer was peppered with shocking, explosive classroom scenes we suburban kids never actually witnessed in our own quiet, sleepy schools. Well, at least that’s how it was for me back then. My dad taught high school on Long Island and has some wild stories of  '70s and '80s gangs and whatnot.

The point of this blog is to share with you my childhood heartache. Teachers was RATED R. I wasn’t allowed to see any RATED R films. I remember my mom (also a teacher) telling me, "You aren't even close to the appropriate age for an R-Rated movie. It just wouldn't be right for a child to see such adult content."

The tears and diary entries caused by this tragic event were unbelievably dramatic. My life was over. I was like a Justin Bieber fan without a concert ticket. It was probably the most devastating travesty during the fall of 1984. Ralph, how could you do this to your young fans? That was the end of my crush. I believe I was all about Growing Pains’ Kirk Cameron from then on.

Thanks for listening.

Reading Rainbow with LeVar Burton

Reading Rainbow with LeVar Burton

"Butterfly in the sky! I can go twice as high!" ... "Take a look! It's in a book! A reading rainbow!" We loved the song. We loved the graphics. We loved to read thanks to Reading Rainbow. Reading Rainbow, hosted by the lovable LeVar Burton, is an award-winning (26 Emmy Awards!) 30-minute PBS TV program. LeVar recently told Mashable that a Reading Rainbow app and more is coming soon for today's readers.

Five Fun Facts Behind Reading Rainbow

1. Reading Rainbow was introduced back in 1983 and continued to enlighten and educate children through 2006.   
2. Each episode focused on a different imaginative book and was narrated by a noted celebrity. 
3. Famous for its easy-to-remember theme song, Chaka Khan sang the intro in later episodes.
4. Reading Rainbow has won more than 200 awards.
5. On March 19, 2010, LeVar Burton tweeted that a Reading Rainbow 2.0 is in the works.