Gund Bears: I hardly cared that they were well-made, I just knew that the SNUFFLES bear was so cute that I had to have him. And I still have him..somewhere…hmm…

Flower Fairies: Illustrated by Cicely Mary Barker, these were a big part of my childhood. My Granny actually had Flower Fairies as wallpaper in her bathroom. Needless to say, I grew up a bit obsessed.

My Little Pony Castle: You probably have to get it on eBay – we even got ours from a Garage Sale. But oh man, I LOVED playing with it. It’s so hard to pick out favorite toys from the 80′s…I even had the Barbie Camper once! But we were never rich, mostly it was gifts from relatives, garage sale stuff, or special presents for Christmas. I appreciate them all so much. Oooh…and we had the My Little Pony Dance Studio…called Baby Bonnet School of Dance. It was seafoam green and had great accessories (like leg warmers for the ponies) and three spinning built-in stands.

Doll Buggy: You have to get your kid one of these, right? I mean, if she wants one. I used to push buggies full of dolls everywhere. I still do. I mean, kidding? Doll Buggy > Doll Stoller. These are some of the best toys for girls.

Brave Little Tailor movie. I betcha thought I was gonna type “Brave Little Toaster”, huh? Minnie Mouse and Mickey Mouse movies and cartoons are something I always remember. Brave Little Tailor Wiki. Minnie was a princess in this movie with one of those cone hat things, and I wanted to be her. I was also a big fan of Mickey’s Delayed Date. Mickey’s Delayed Date Wiki. These cartoons literally captivated me. I think they used to play them on Sunday nights. And we never (evereverever) had cable so I was overjoyed when great TV was on. Oh – AND okay, one more. Mickey’s Rival. Mickey Mouse cartoons are on Youtube.

Reel Big Fish – Sell Out: From the Turn the Radio Off album. While I eventually get sick of all songs after a while, I can NEVER get sick of this song.

David the Gnome: This was one of my favorite cartoons and since we didn’t have cable, I’d only catch it occasionally at my Grandparent’s house. I later saw the book Gnomes and it totally captures my imagination from that age – it’s gorgeous with detailed illustrations. It’s not affiliated with David the Gnome, but the Gnome on the cover looks just like David. If you’re an aunt or uncle who has kids come over a lot, get this as a coffee table book. Because they’ll love coming over to look at it, even though it’s not really a kids book.

Candy necklaces: I know they’re still around but you probably don’t wear them once you’re past 20 unless you’re a playboy bunny/playmate. But I have fond memories of these as a cute accessory. Even though we all know the candy isn’t the best candy ever. Still, they’re colorful and fun. If you work in an office (like Pam or Jim from The Office) you could get a jar of these and put them on your desk. Suddenly your popularity will RISE!

Angelina Ballerina: The ORIGINAL one, and just the books. I cannot believe they redesigned Angelina Ballerina to look all modern. I fondly remember reading Angelina Ballerina books like “Angelina’s Ballet Class” with my Mom. Once I had grown out of it, my sister would later get an Angelina Ballerina doll and I would be very jealous of it. It was THIS Angelina Ballerina doll, I think. She was later a casualty of the dog…oops!

Skip It: Using the Skip It was the very best way to get some exercise while feeling totally ‘cool’. We’d have competitions to see who could skip it the most without stopping. I probably never won. But I still had all kinds of fun.

Tasha Tudor books: Something my Granny raised me on was Tasha Tudor. I am going to need to do a post all about my favorite Tasha Tudor books. But hands down my favorite is A is for Annabelle. My Granny actually gave me a doll and told me it was Annabelle. Best doll ever.

Clueless soundtrack. As if?! I would get this just for the Jill Sobule song Supermodel. It actually has a lot of fun songs on it though, and I listened to it a lot as a teen. Noteable songs: Shake Some Action – David Lowery, All the Young Dudes – World Party, and Fake Plastic Trees (acoustic) – Radiohead. Somehow I thought that listening to it I was going to become as rich and happy as Cher in the movie. It didn’t happen. I did once have one of those pens she had in the movie – the kind with the feathers on it. What-ever.

Center Stage movie: It’s the cheesiest movie ever, but there’s just something about it. I can’t get enough of it. They dance and I smile.

Beatrix Potter: Her world stands the test of time. Even though I didn’t see that movie they made a few years ago with Renee Zellweger, I have great

Renee, your movie looked boring!

love for the stories and illustrations of Beatrix Potter. They’re just so imaginative. Let your kids have Sponge Bob (Cheese Bob is what I call him) and whatever else – but try to get them to watch or read Beatrix Potter. We have collectible figurines now and they’re precious. My favorite story is probably The Tale of Two Bad Mice since I always loved Dollhouses. Collect all of the Beatrix Potter books!