Today I was unpacking a box in the new house and pulled out a spare vinyl shower curtain. I was almost overwhelmed by the smell of the vinyl (or, more likely, the vinyl's plasticizer)--but I loved it!
Anyone else like the smell of soft vinyl? It always brings back to me very early memories of beach toys, like my Donald Duck inflatable swimming ring, and also memories of inflatable toys from visits to the circus as a kid.
Now I own a couple of large inflatable Frankensteins from different promos from the '90s.
Any one else got inflatable vinyl toy memories to share? (Especially the rare monster toys!)
Aww, I thought this was gonna be a thread about vintage Halloween albums!
I love those too!
I thought it would be about kaiju or old LPs. Maybe vinyl model kits.
I am so disappointed I will probably have to take my life.
Nah, I'll get over it.
The smell of vintage toys pushes all kinds of emotional buttons in me. Especially rubbery smells. I STILL smell new toys when I first remove them from the package (which is a rare thing, since I like my toys mint-in-package).
Plasti-goop cooking in my Thingmaker........RAPTURE!!!
Quote from: Gasport on January 16, 2009, 11:58:56 PM
Plasti-goop cooking in my Thingmaker........RAPTURE!!!
Yeah, that was one of my favorite childhood aromas. I also loved Kenner stretch toys (Stretch Armstrong, Stretch Monster) and anything made by Imagineering. But my all time favorite "new toy smell" was the scent that hit you when you opened a Colorforms Alien and pulled it out of its bubble. Wow, now that was a new toy smell.
The newsprint smell of old monster magazines and comics. I smell them, then read them.
I'm with CreepysFan. You can't beat the smell of a good old fashioned monster magazine. With an odoriferous scent like that, even a blind man can lose himself in said magazine.
Well, I do remember the pool toys, I remember inflating them especially, because you would certainly get a whiff of that vinyl then. Yeah, that was fun.
I had a couple of vinyl kaiju too...had to sell them, but I'm sure they're being enjoyed.
I was just smelling a Famous Monsters #103, sorta sour but that's part of the experience now...I keep it sealed most of the time...
And the rubber masks...that smell of the Topstone shock monster mask I got in 1975...or was it 74? Well, I remember that smell. A happy Halloween sort of smell.
Quote from: neonnoodle on January 17, 2009, 12:06:35 PM
A happy Halloween sort of smell.
No fooling. For me, there's an exact potion of mask rubber, make-up, sweat and Fall weather that is a happy Halloween smell.
I suppose it's different for each person but I have to imagine mask rubber is one of the elements ('Halloween smell-ements'?) we all have in common.
Mike C.
I keep some of my Topstones in a closet. When I open the closet door, I get a blast of that old Halloween smell.
Quote from: The Drunken Severed Head on January 16, 2009, 11:30:04 PM
Any one else got inflatable vinyl toy memories to share?
No Comment ;D
Actually I prefer the smell of old books and magazines!
BK
I didn't become aware of that magazine newsprint smell until I was an adult. I'm sure I smelled it as a kid, but it didn't make an impression on me. Not like rubber, vinyl, plasti-goop, vampire blood, etc.
Our Wonderfest hotel room has a unique odor all it's own. ;D
You're talking about YOUR Wonderfest room, as in you and Jeff. Andy and I were wondering what the funky odor was next door.
What we really need next time is for Max to whip up a fruit salad in our trash can like Monster Bash 07. That will mask your suspicious odors.
I can also remember the smell of testors glue and paints on my Aurora Kits.
BK
Quote from: michblk on January 17, 2009, 09:39:07 PM
I can also remember the smell of testors glue and paints on my Aurora Kits.
BK
Yup!! That's a good one. A little off subject here, but who among us in the 40ish age range can forget the smell of the ink they used to use in schools before there were Xerox machines?? They used to use Ditto machines,and the smell of that ink was incredible!! The entire class would smell the handouts before reading them.
"Kids now-a-days don't even know what they're missing with their fancy Xerox and digital copy machines, but students of a bygone era can recall the bluish-purple print and unforgettable aroma of a freshly printed page was a hallmark of school life the Ditto machine era. (Perhaps "Ditto" wasn't the name your school used; some called it a "spirit duplicator.")
The process never involved ink, and involved elusive 'master copies' that the teacher would keep filed away, far away from the reaching hands of students. The master would be typed on, drawn on, or written upon, and the second sheet was coated with a layer of wax that was impregnated with one of a variety of colors, usually a deep purple since the pigment was cheap, durable and had contrast with the paper. As the paper moved through the printer, the pungent-smelling clear solvent was spread across each sheet by an absorbent wick. When the paper came in contact with the waxed original, it would take just enough of the pigment away to print the image on the sheet as it passed under.
The ritual of sniffing the paper after it was handed out was practice carried out in classrooms from coast-to-coast, prompting a reference in 80s movie classic Fast Times at Ridgemont High. As it turns out now, the ditto solvents and the aniline (the pigment that made the purple color) are highly toxic. Of course, kids today don't have to worry about good ol' ditto paper. After the quick efficiency of Xerox hit copy rooms and secretaries' offices everywhere, the smelly ditto machines were shown the door, leaving behind memories for the kids of yesteryear."
Ditto paper........
(http://www.retroland.com/resources/imagegen/?src=/files/retropedia/6363_retro_photo.jpg&sia=Ditto_Paper_Retroland&w=388&h=188&q=95&aoe=1)
Ditto printer.........
(http://www.retroland.com/resources/imagegen/?src=/files/userphotos/2226_photo.jpg&sia=Ditto_Paper_small&h=130&w=200&q=95&zc=1)
Scatter, I used to help my teachers make dittos on those machines; I'll never forget the purple ink, the paper that seemed 'cold' after running through the machine... and you are absolutely correct, the aroma was like nothing else! NEVER in my memory did a single ditto sheet get passed out where every kid in class didn't sniff at it at least twice, with a goofy grin, before setting down names and dates... great memories!
Mike C.
Quote from: mike c on January 18, 2009, 12:24:06 AM
Scatter, I used to help my teachers make dittos on those machines; I'll never forget the purple ink, the paper that seemed 'cold' after running through the machine... and you are absolutely correct, the aroma was like nothing else! NEVER in my memory did a single ditto sheet get passed out where every kid in class didn't sniff at it at least twice, with a goofy grin, before setting down names and dates... great memories!
Mike C.
Teacher's Pet, or simply an addict attempting to gain unlimited access to the intoxicating aroma of the Ditto ink??
"Hi......I'm Mike, and I'm a Dittoholic."
Yeah, they called the machine "the ditto machine" at my school...I remember there was a ditto transfer sheet...you would feed that into a manual typewriter with a sheet of paper and when you typed, the wax letters would transfer onto the underside of the plain paper. This would give you a "negative image" on the underside, which would print a "positive image" onto numerous sheets when fed through the ditto machine. This is old school copying, just a step removed from carbon paper...anyone remember carbon paper? Does that stuff still even exist, I wonder? For that matter, does erasable onion-skin paper still exist? Remember that stuff? You could type onto it but the ink wouldn't really absorb, and you could erase it off easily if you made a mistake.
Yes. And ditto machines were always a welcome sight, especially when the alternative was writing on one of these:
(http://tbn0.google.com/images?q=tbn:eyGUuSgAMkD02M:http://kitain.org/JAP/big%2520chief.jpg)
Quote from: Scatter on January 18, 2009, 02:13:26 AM
Teacher's Pet, or simply an addict attempting to gain unlimited access to the intoxicating aroma of the Ditto ink??
"Hi......I'm Mike, and I'm a Dittoholic."
Hehehe! A little from column A, a little from column B!
Neonnoodle, I've seen the same carbon transfer paper at better-equipped art suppliers, as well as the onion skin paper. They're used often by ceramics artists; it helps them get rough images onto tile, or a plate or cup, etc., before the painting begins.
And Bogey, I haven't seen a Big Chief tablet in 30 years. Thanks for posting that!
Mike C.
I remember having a vinyl Frankenstein punching bag.I loved that thing until my older brothers decided to use it for a target for their bow and arrows!
Oh yes, I love the smell of freshly printed dittos! Now, as Scatter said, there are only Xerox copies. But the schools never ever have enough paper! Some schools require each student to bring a ream of paper to school as part of the school supplies. That is in addition to the paper that the district provides. Some schools also have a code system on the Xerox machine so that you have to log in to print. You only get a certain amount of paper for the year and that's how it's kept track.
Special school smells - I love the smell of Crayola crayons! If I pass by them in the store I have to smell them. I won't even buy the cheaper brands because they don't have that smell!
Vinyl - I know what that aroma smells like. It's brand new trolls taken right out of the box.
Ditto on the Ditto paper smell. Ahhhh....the memories.
MMMMM, love the smell of inflatable vinyl toys. Especially if it involves a monster.
Oh yeah, and for some reason the kids in school all tried eating PASTE. You know, that stuff we would use to make construction paper designs and collages. I tried some once. This was in the 5th grade, over by the sink...they kept all the paste bottles by the sink. Every classroom had a sink with one of those tall curved faucets. The paste tasted like mint, for some reason.
Huckleberry Hound/Yogi Bear Paste tasted great. So did Milkbones for small dogs. Mmmmm...
Milkbone and paste sandwiches will served at the next UMA gathering.
On vinyl plates.
Fliers for said gathering to be copied on ditto machines.
Mike C.
And a vinyl tablecloth for each table!
Quote from: mike c on January 19, 2009, 09:44:48 AM
Fliers for said gathering to be copied on ditto machines.
Mike C.
And served cold and wet. No paste for me. Please pass the vintage Elmer's so I can make a second skin on my palm and peel it off.
While Elmer's was the product for skin casting, it tasted *blecch*. So did that clear yellow stuff in the bottle that had the flat orange slit-rubber-nipple-thing on top.
Not at all like tasty Huck/Yogi Paste (LePage's maybe?), which came in blue, red or yellow plastic 'head' shaped container, with built in spatula/applicator. And yes, I remember it being kind of minty tasting.
Again I say...Mmmmmm....... ;)
I think 'Mucelage' is the maple syrup-lookin' junk in the bottle with the angled rubber applicator. I always considered it the 'big kids glue', because we little kids were only allowed Elmer's White and those awesome purple glue sticks; all the 4th-and-uppers had LePage's Mucelage as well.
Or was it 'mucilege'? Spelling, anyone?
Mike C.
Look at all the toxic wonders the kids of today miss out on!! And they all have ADHD. I'm going to fund a study which proves that toxic Ditto paper and copious ingestion of old school glues cure ADHD in laboratory rats.
Woo hoo.............
(http://i54.photobucket.com/albums/g107/backlotcharlie/yogipaste.jpg)
Look for the familiar white poodle box...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GXnzdKKAKw4 (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GXnzdKKAKw4)
Mmmmmmmmmmmmmm...............
.
(http://i20.ebayimg.com/07/i/000/c7/88/9622_1.JPG) (http://i23.ebayimg.com/01/i/000/c7/88/98db_1.JPG)
EXCELLENT visual aids fellas!!
Great commercial Monster Bob, admittedly I used to munch on my dogs Milk-Bone snacks a few times. They really didn't taste bad at all (the worst part was the reproch I got when caught). Scooby snacks anyone?
QuoteI think 'Mucelage' is the maple syrup-lookin' junk in the bottle/quote]
We called it "rubber cement" no idea why. Funny name though -
Mucilage, I think it was spelled...weird stuff, never used it, always saw those bottles...it would crystallize into a weird brittle skin around the nozzle/applicator tip. Can you still get that stuff?
The paste photos and ads are too much! I don't recall the character head bottles, only the plain white bottles. Paste! I'm glad everyone had some paste.
Quote from: CreepysFan on January 20, 2009, 01:40:54 AM
They really didn't taste bad at all (the worst part was the reproch I got when caught). Scooby snacks anyone?
Creepy...
Yes...my grandma used to give us hell for eating Milkbones- we'd sneek 'em in the closet. "They'll give you worms!" she'd say. We never got worms. But they did seem to have ground gravel or something in them...to clean fido's teeth I guess? Regardless, we liked 'em!
And they did make Scooby snacks for dogs a few years ago. Had I been 6, I would've been eating those, too.
Quote from: Monster Bob on January 20, 2009, 08:36:40 AM
And they did make Scooby snacks for dogs a few years ago. Had I been 6, I would've been eating those, too.
They still make them. When I was a kid, we used to get my dog treats called "Doggie Donuts" that were delicious--tasted like stale donuts. My mom stopped buying them because the dog only got 3 or 4 out of the box.
That's funny. Our dog sucked back then, he bit. I just stayed away from him (a damn black poodle named Mike), and ate his Milkbones. Maybe that's why he hated me (well, all kids). My Grandma had a sweet collie called Lassie, though. Great dog.
This thread is a riot! I laugh my head off everytime I read yet another post!
QuotePlease pass the vintage Elmer's so I can make a second skin on my palm and peel it off.
I'm a music sub, but I can sub in other classrooms including art. That's one of the reasons why I don't do art. I can't stand kids picking glue off of their fingers! (Also crayons and little bit of construcion paper all over, no visible talent for that sort of thing) In music, I never find music notes laying around waiting to be swept up.
Mucilage - We always called it rubber cement, to.. It smelled horrible, I swear you could get high off of it like the old model glues. Mostly I hate it because it looks like
SNOT!
Quote from: Scatter on January 19, 2009, 05:22:11 PMLook at all the toxic wonders the kids of today miss out on!! And they all have ADHD. I'm going to fund a study which proves that toxic Ditto paper and copious ingestion of old school glues cure ADHD in laboratory rats.
What then was the result of your study?
???