|
|
Post by PJ on Feb 15, 2014 12:34:33 GMT -5
So with all this snow over the last few days (2 feet) here has had me reminiscing about my childhood. Our back yard was 250 yards long and maybe 30-35 yards wide. (it sucked when I was old enough to cut the grass because it was a walk behind mower) But I spent plenty a day in the right corner of our back yard where the driveway ended and the yard started.
We had a 3 foot drop from the driveway to the yard and in this corner it was just a big dirt pile with a rock wall drop. There was also a huge tree in that area in the yard along with a big square fountain about 2 feet into where the lawn started. So it doubled as mountains, canyons, jungles, oceans, swamps and in the winter it became Antarctica or an ice planet.
I would just set up in that corner the building forts and cabins out of stones and sticks for GI Joe, Megos or Army Men and then play for hours. The rock wall was a mountain or canyon. The lawn was a jungle and the fountain was a river, ocean, swamp for whatever I was playing that day. I would sit out there from morning until night on weekends or summers. And I was hyst as content either with my friends or by myself.
Many times Kirk led a landing party to that planet where they would fight Klingons, Universal Monsters or PotA. Batman and the rest of the World's Greatest Super Heroes would save the world there. And it was the Ape village and Forbidden zone for the Planet of the Apes. Or a Lost city and Jungle for Action Jackson and Adventure Team GI Joe. But it was also numerous battle grounds for Army Men as they would fight wars in the desert, jungle or mountains. The Lone Ranger fought Butch Cavendish in that canyon many times. It was also "Snake Canyon" a few times while playing with Evel Knievel.
I loved that little corner of the yard. But 23 years ago after my father passed my mother sold the property passed to a developer who turned our back yard into a bunch of town houses. And my little spot is now a road to get to them.
So does anyone else have the one spot that served for so many locations when you were playing as a kid?
|
|
|
|
Post by Suckasays on Feb 15, 2014 16:04:24 GMT -5
We had a tree stump next to a grassy hill in our yard and it was a perfect area to make things happen.
|
|
Deleted
Joined on: Nov 16, 2024 15:10:57 GMT -5
Posts: 0
|
Post by Deleted on Feb 15, 2014 16:14:06 GMT -5
We had a giant tree next to a brick grill that was perfect for a Cobra lair. I had my GI Joes, Transformers and Star Wars figures set up in the tree and all of my villians on that old grill. When I was eight we put a jungle gym set up next to the old tree and put up a tire swing so I had some pretty epic play times.
However my bedroom was my LEGO city where my Marvel, DC, Ninja Turtles, Westling and Power Rangers would wage all out war.
|
|
|
|
Post by punksnotdead on Feb 15, 2014 17:37:55 GMT -5
We had a big yard so I kind of went all over, but my go-to was the sandbox. I say this now with a bit of sadness because I destroyed a ton of my GI Joe figures. I collected Star Wars, even at a young age, so I never really played outside with those, but my GI Joes were firecracker and "desert storm" fodder. When I got a little older my parents laid down a slab of concrete and put up a basketball hoop, so that area kind of became the new outside play area because it had a slight hill next to it where I could be on the pavement or the grass.
I was into making "playsets" inside thought too. I used to color backgrounds and glue sand to cardboard and try to make cool figure environments with the hot glue gun. So some of that stuff in my basement is just as memorable to me as being outside.
|
|
Deleted
Joined on: Nov 16, 2024 15:10:57 GMT -5
Posts: 0
|
Post by Deleted on Feb 15, 2014 17:50:56 GMT -5
I lived in apartments all my life. Never had a backyard. Went to the woods sometimes but one cannot leave their figures there. So I finally bought a house of my own as it also doubles as my restaurant, Monster Cafe Saltillo....However, no backyard. I am forever cursed.
|
|
|
|
Post by JC Motors on Feb 15, 2014 17:55:27 GMT -5
I never took my action figures in the snow. I would play with the sticks that were in the yard
|
|
|
|
Post by PJ on Feb 15, 2014 18:07:19 GMT -5
When I played inside it was always on the steps. My father hated that. lol But I would make elevators out of string and old baby whips containers for GI Joes or the Mego/LJN figures. or just use string as their ropes and have the 12" Joes or my LJN SWAT and Emergency figures repelling over the banister. That or the stairs would be waterfalls.
|
|
|
|
Post by King Richius on Feb 15, 2014 19:02:19 GMT -5
Growing up we had a small backyard and a big dog so outside play was treacherous to say the least. I had my own room and I set up a multi-level play area in the lower half of my closet using whatever was handy: old boxes, plastic bricks, lincoln logs, hot wheels racing tracks, etc. The big upside is that when I was done all I had to do to clean up was close the closet door. I never lost any toys because I forget them somewhere outside or the dog turned them into a chew toy.
|
|
|
|
Post by JC Motors on Feb 16, 2014 18:26:59 GMT -5
I used to play with my action figures on the bed. I would play with my BCA's on the basement floor. I recall playing with my army men in the backyard once
|
|
|
|
Post by Boy Wonder on Feb 16, 2014 20:30:15 GMT -5
I never took mine outside all that often,
But inside I would use my bunk bed for a lot of imaginative things, as well as our fire place, which had a large mesh cover on it that was usually a jail or something along those lines (with my street fighters it was Vega's stage)
|
|
|
|
Post by PJ on Feb 22, 2014 22:37:33 GMT -5
Really nobody took their figures outside as a kid?
|
|
|
|
Post by Nivro™ on Feb 22, 2014 23:06:36 GMT -5
I took a couple GI Joes outside and played in a large pile of dirt but it was rare. Most figures were played with in the bath tub. I played with my 1/64th scale Dukes of Hazzard cars and other hot wheels in the dirt. I would literally carve out roads, tracks and cities (using soda cans as buildings) so Roscoe could chase the Dukes around down. Absolutely hated when we'd have those pop up summer thunderstorms. Would completely wipe every thing away.
True story, 25 years later I can still go to where the dirt pile was and start digging around a few inches into the ground and find parts/pieces of hot wheels.
|
|
|
|
Post by johnnyb on Feb 23, 2014 15:27:50 GMT -5
I lived in a great house in the country when I was a kid... we lived on a hill, and in the summers my dad would powerwash the garage floor with the hose and the water would trickle down the hill, creating basically a huge river and then a swamp for my GI Joes. We would play outside for hours having these huge wars that consisted of little 5-on-5 fights in about 10 different spots around the house and in the surrounding woods. And at the end of the day I'd take all of the Joes with me in the bath tub to wash them off.
Sometimes I wish I could be 7 or 8 forever.
|
|
|
|
Post by Grumpyoldman on Feb 23, 2014 16:00:09 GMT -5
Awesome topic!
Our old 12" GI Joes had many adventures in out tree fort & in the woods at the end of our property line. Word to the wise- Mulberries make awesome grenades/bombs, but the stains won't come out!
I once made a rancor pit from an old dirt mound, but then decided I didn't want to bring my Star Wars figures outside. I used it for my Adventure People figures instead.
We'd always throw a few figures onto ant hills & do insane commentary as the ants crawled over them.
We also had a huge flower garden/driveway wall that was perfect for army men. My brothers & I would have countless hours of wars. 3 years ago, my dad found an army man after being buried for more than 25 years. He had turned an awesome light green. If I can find him, I'll post a picture.
My friend who lived down the street had a perfect place to play with Matchbox & Hot Wheels cars. He had a patio with a 4 foot wall. We'd build a city, hide cars in holes with a piece of screen over them & it would last for weeks. If we wanted to change the scenery, we'd play "Godzilla" & wreck the city & start from scratch. No telling how many cars are still buried there.
But the greatest was the top of Flower Ave. It was a huge hill. My friend had a boatload of Mego figures. We'd take the ones he didn't like & strap them to skateboards & see how far they would make it down the hill. We lost a lot of arms & legs during the races, & a few down the storm drain. We'd laugh & laugh!
|
|
