cherished memories

One wonderful year I was given a gift I actually asked for.  I had asked, and asked and kept my mind locked on this one toy.  The Micronauts mobile exploration lab.

I didn't know that Mom & Dad would not only get me the expensive toy, but also three wonderful little Micronauts to man the expeditions!  I had the clear plastic one at the right of the photo above. The other was green painted metal with spring-action pop-out wings, which I pretended was the clear guy's best friend!  I can't remember their names, if they even had them.  However, their enemy was Acroyear (or at least I figured he was their enemy): 

Of course, looking back, Acroyear was probably a hero based on the architypical Japanese designs.  My Acroyear was more of a minty blue color than this green version.  Ah how I loved these little guys.  These were my first action figures.

When Star Wars came out I was getting an allowance for doing chores around the house and helping to take care of my little sister.  It amounted to only a couple of dollars every two weeks, so I had to really save up in order to buy the action figures of R2D2 and C3PO.  My mother, for some reason, was furious.  To her I had wasted my money on two tiny chunks of plastic.  She had no idea what they meant to me; how much the movie itself had affected my brain.  She made a dramatic show of throwing them into the trashcan in back of the garage, and forbade me to dig them out.  Of course as soon as possible I retrieved them.  They are still a treasured possession.

The next year my parents gave in and bought me the huge Millennium Falcon.  It would take quite a few years though for me to get all the figures to go inside of it.  

In 1977, the same year StarWars debuted, our family went to Disneyland for the first time.  I was 12, my sister Ginger was 4.  I was able to buy a Darth Vader helmet with my savings, along with a large map of the theme park (I've always loved maps, especially ones that feature buildings so prominently).  My sister bought a large stuffed Al from the Country Bear Jamboree along with a small Mickey & Minnie.

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