Do you remember some of the toys you received on Christmas morning? 

Toys top the list of fond childhood memories for many adults. What were yours? Here are some of my favorites:

Bubble solution: When I was about 7 years old, I got my first bubble wand. You’ve got to applaud the guy who came up with this idea. “Hey, I know,” he likely said to himself. “I’ll put soapy water in a bottle and sell it to kids.” Genius. 

Hula Hoop: My favorite move was giving the Hula Hoop a cool backspin flick that made it roll right back to me. Oddly enough, I never really got into using it the traditional way. Watching friends frantically wrench their necks and backs to twirl the hoop around their spines merely convinced me these colorful rings of plastic were invented by a chiropractor.

Pogo stick: Back in the day, we didn’t need to dress like gladiators in protective gear before engaging in physical activities with outdoor toys. We were daredevils of the sidewalk, bouncing on spring-loaded metal sticks over rock-hard concrete for hours on end, blissfully unaware we might be one bounce away from a trip to the ER.

Chemistry set: I got my first chemistry set when I was 10. Little did I know, that gift would set the stage for a journey that culminated in a Ph.D. in chemistry some two decades later. I performed some incredibly dangerous experiments growing up—one even landed me in the hospital as a teenager. But I still believe burning a hole in your shoe (and subsequently, your foot) with molten zinc built character.

Gumby: While I generally took care of my toys, only one bendable green Gumby figure made it to adulthood. The others fell victim to fiendish experimentation from a curious kid armed with a chemistry set. In one ill-conceived experiment, I attempted to create a silver Gumby by dipping him in the aforementioned molten metal, only to discover that rubber toys (and shoes) did not survive at 787 degrees Fahrenheit.

Mouse Trap: This board game involved assembling some two dozen mostly plastic pieces which, when perfectly aligned, would set in motion a chain reaction to trap an opponent’s game piece. When it worked, it was pure delight, but oh, the frustration when that mechanism malfunctioned. I still have my game from the ’60s, all pieces miraculously intact. It’s pretty amazing considering how often frustrated young players, myself included, would threaten to give the unreliable contraption a good whack with a hammer.

Tin toys: First made in the mid-1800s, these colorfully painted metal relics fell out of favor after the emergence of their cheap plastic counterparts. My favorite figure, a Northwest Airlines DC-7C from the ’60s, still works! The toy always delighted my mother, who had been an air hostess on similar prop aircraft.