I hope that you are enjoying the trial run of Share Your Nostalgia, an idea suggested to me by some fellow bloggers. The topic for this feature is “The Toy of Your Life.” Was there one toy that you considered the “best?” When you think of yourself as a child, what is the toy that immediately pops into your mind? What was the toy that you brought to Show and Tell or took with you everywhere?

Today we continue with my buddy, Colin. Colin is the author of two blogs that I follow. His music blog, Once Upon a Time in the 70’s, is a great site that he writes with his pal, Paul. (https://onceuponatimeinthe70s.com/) Over at his personal site, you will find musically oriented pieces, 1970’s stories, book reviews and you can find out about the books that he has authored! You can find him here: https://ceeteejackson.com/

Since Colin is from Scotland, I wondered what toy he might pick. I’m not going to lie, it’s pretty cool. Tell us a wee little bit about it, my friend….

Finger Flickin’ Good!

What was the “Toy of Your Life?”. What was that one toy that you carried with you everywhere, brought to show and tell, and made your friends envious of you? When you think back to your childhood, what is that one toy that sticks out as a favorite? Why was it? Why did you want it? How did you get it?

First off, thanks to Keith – The Nostalgic Italian – for the invite to contribute to his

I would have to acknowledge being very fortunate as a kid in The Sixties and teenager in the early part of The Seventies. My parents didn’t kit me out in ‘brand’ clothing and were not in the habit of spoiling me with loads of toys, but as a young lad growing up in suburban Glasgow, I was easy pleased.

Give me anything to do with football (soccer) and I’d be happy. Football strips, football boots, track suits and football annuals were always top of my lists to Santa Claus.

However, the one football related ‘toy’ most lads coveted, was Subbuteo.

Invented in Tunbridge Wells, Kent, back in 1946 by Peter Adolph, the table-top game is still played and enjoyed by all ages, male and female, to this day. In fact, the most recent ‘World Cup’ event was recently staged in the game’s birthplace and involved over three hundred players from twenty-six countries.

For those unfamiliar with the game, it’s played on a green cloth, sort of felt-like, I suppose, and each player has eleven little team members, mounted on rocking plinths. The aim is to pass a disproportionately large plastic ball between the players on your team and scoring a goal. Movement of the ball is done by flicking the player to push (kick) the ball.

The plastic players came in the team colours of all the major teams in the English and Scottish football leagues. Some from the lower divisions were also available, as were the more popular international teams.

I know all sports across the world will have their rivalries, but here’s how serious things were here in the west of Scotland back in the late ‘60s / early ‘70s: growing up in a Glasgow Rangers supporting family, I naturally had a Subbuteo team in my club’s royal blue colours. While on holiday one year (Penzance, Cornwall, if memory serves correct) I noticed the town’s toy shop had a team in the colours of Glasgow Celtic for sale.

I rushed back to our holiday B&B and told my dad what I’d found. I had pocket money to burn, and I worked up ‘courage’ to plead my case.

“Dad – can I spend ten shillings on a Celtic Subbuteo team? Then I can play Rangers -v- Celtic matches … and make sure Rangers win them all!”

“Knock yourself out, kid!”

I still haven’t worked out if my dad liked my thinking or if he was just not as petty and prejudiced as other adults I knew. But I did buy that Celtic team. And they did lose every match to Rangers!

Actually, I wasn’t very good a Subbuteo. Matches where I played myself and controlled both teams proved the bulk of the ‘wins’ in my win / loss record.

I’m not really a bad loser, but on reflection, my poor results weren’t just down to an overzealous finger. Just as our British football teams would discover when playing European Cup ties on the Continent, underhand tactics were often employed in the pursuit of a Subbuteo win.

Firstly, ‘home’ advantage played a huge part in the match result. For instance, most liked to play on a flat surface – just as real, quality football players do. 😉So, I would lay my cloth pitch on the back of some hardboard. The pitch was then easily smoothed out as it attached itself to the rough side of the board.

Job done. A pitch fit for Messi, himself.

However, certain friends were practitioners of Subbuteo dark arts – they would simply lay the pitch on top of their living room carpet!

Oh, horror of horrors!  The result was a bumpy playing surface, ensuring random rolls of the ball. Trying to play a free-flowing game of Subbuteo on that was impossible. It truly was a leveller – like the Baseball Ground, home of Derby County back in the early 1970s. (That’s one for any UK readers, right there. 😉 )

And that’s not the end of it. Frequently, should a result not be going the way of the unscrupulous home team, a feeble excuse to briefly leave the room would be offered by the host. A couple of minutes later, they’d reappear but leave the door ajar – just enough for their pet dog to make an excited entry, and run amok across the pitch, scattering the teams and resulting in a game postponement.

I have lots of happy memories playing Subbuteo. My friends and I would set up leagues and spend days on end competing in our own wee tournaments.

I remember too, that I was playing Subbuteo at my pal Derek’s house when I first heard the music of Rory Gallagher. Derek shared a room with his brother and Alan put on a record of Taste, the band Rory had just left to go solo. It totally blew my twelve-year-old mind.

(I was playing Subbuteo as Chile that day, and the track played was ‘Catfish’ … funny the things you remember from fifty-four years ago when you often forget the reason for walking upstairs in your home.)

I still have my Subbuteo set and about ten different teams. My favourite (Subbuteo) team was Blackpool. They had tangerine-coloured tops, white shorts and white socks. Queens Park Rangers (blue and white hoops, white shorts and socks) ran them close. Other teams I remember having, in addition to Rangers and Celtic, were Tottenham Hotspur, Norwich City, Manchester City, Manchester United (they also lost a lot! 😉) Falkirk and Dunfermline Athletic.

I know these are all stashed away in the loft but sadly, I couldn’t find them when I searched. I reckon my wife has intentionally buried them under heaps of cushions and garden furniture, knowing that if I did find them, I’d be proudly displaying rows of brightly painted miniature figures all around my office.

It’s true – us blokes never grow up.

_____

** If you’re wondering about the relevance of the game’s name it resulted from the inventor initially calling it simply ‘Hobby.’ However, the Patent Office ruled the name not specific enough, so Adolph, being a keen birdwatcher decided to name it, after the Eurasian hobby hawk … Falco Subbuteo. **