If you have a middle schooler, you are probably well aware that dumpling squishies are the toy trend du jour. I cannot stand squishies; I do not enjoy squishing them, not to mention they strike me as portable petri dishes. But my kid loves squishies and had some spending money in her pocket last week… just as I happened to have an errand at a business right next door to a toy store. The store only had “knock off” dumplings, according to Carla. But she did find a mini ice cube that she liked. (Needoh ice cubes are also So Hot Right Now.) Shall we take bets on how quickly a totally clear cube of goo disappears among the chaos of her bedroom or backpack?
Carla had some money left over, so we went to Five Below after school Friday, just to check out their squishy selection. (By the way, Five Below is now a wild misnomer; it seemed like most things in the store were seven dollars and up.) Carla assessed the situation and determined there were no good squishies. The store was planning a “dumpling drop” for Saturday morning, and already had signage indicating where people should line up on the sidewalk. I recall some news stories from my own childhood about parents stampeding stores on Black Friday to get the latest It Toy, but… now we are lining up for squishies? I am not judging, I am just observing with mild bafflement.
We did not leave empty handed. Carla found a (seven-dollar) hamster-in-a-ball toy that she insisted Lenny would love. He does love it.
You know what else is apparently a big thing among the seventh grade set? Hacky sacks. (Carla informed me yesterday that they are actually called footbags, and that Hacky Sack is a brand name.) (FOOTBAGS? No wonder “hacky sack” became a proprietary eponym for that kind of toy. “Footbag” sounds like an old-timey insult.) Kids in my middle school and high school played hacky sack, and that was back in the 1900s! And by the time my classmates got to them, they’d been around for decades! I suppose I shouldn’t be surprised that they are experiencing a renaissance; I saw a bunch of Lisa Frank paraphernalia in Five Below, and hoo boy did I love Lisa Frank in the 80s. I wish it had been this prevalent back when I did Carla’s rainbow leopard birthday party, but I guess we were ahead of the trend.
Anyway, hacky sacks. They’re back. Did you play hacky sack in school? I did not. There was a particular category of kids who played hacky sack, and I was not one of them. I did date one of them though. He was not a good guy, although that had nothing to do with his hacky sack appreciation or his social group.
My parents, though generous and thoughtful gift givers, were not the type to run out and buy the latest toy just because we were foaming at the mouth for it. Not that it was anywhere near as easy to access trends back in the twentieth century, especially in a small, rural town. Some kids managed it, though. One trend I really remember wanting was jelly sandals. Everyone had jelly sandals except me. I wanted them so fervidly.
One friend – one of those who seemed to always be on top of the current trends, and whose parents seemed happy to ensure that she was always on the cutting edge when it came to fashion and toys; did you have That Kid in your class? – grudgingly allowed me to borrow a pair of her jellies. They were not comfortable. My toes got stuck in the holes. The backs of the shoes pinched my heels. Pebbles and grass got trapped between my feet and the soles of the shoes. How could anyone walk around in those things?! Why were they so popular?!
I also remember longing for a Slip ‘N Slide. My friend J’s parents would set up the Slip ‘N Slide at birthday parties and sleepovers, and it was so fun. I have vivid memories of standing in a giggly line of swimsuit-clad girls, digging our toes into J’s lush green lawn, waiting for our turn to slide on the yellow runway amid a spray of cool water.
My family lived out in the country with no access to city water, and the well water was bad for the grass. (My dad literally pumped water out of the river to water our lawn and trees.) So my parents put the kibosh on a Slip ‘N Slide, dashing my childhood dreams to bits. Obviously, the instant Carla was old enough to understand how a Slip ‘N Slide works, I got one for her. I was so excited to be able to provide this childhood joy that I had been so painfully denied to my own child. She… did not like it. I tried it and also did not like it. It kind of… hurt. It wasn’t as slippery as it should have been, and the material kind of stuck to my skin. After a few experiments – more water? more speed? – the thing ripped and that was that.
This is all to say that I am not immune to the siren song of The It Thing. The desire to be part of something is powerful, even now. (So far I have resisted weighted vests and vibration plates, but I am as susceptible to the pull of viral trends as much as the next guy.) I also understand the simple need to know what all the hype is about.
On the other side of the scale sits the haunting image of my high school friend’s mom, who amassed a massive number of Beanie Babies because she was sure – sure – that their value would skyrocket. Was her plan to fund her retirement with their eventual sale? I’m not sure. But I see her Beanie Babies display in my nightmares, a soft-bodied glassy-eyed red-labeled expenditure of hundreds and hundreds of dollars.
Even though Five Below was a miss, squishy-wise, Carla is still positive. We have another toy store to visit, and in the car she was cheerfully imagining that this third establishment would have a whole selection of dumplings and ice cubes for her to choose from.
Carefully, gently, not trying to burst her happy anticipatory bubble, I asked her if she remembered how popular Stanley tumblers were a couple of years ago. Does anyone still use a Stanley? (Carla doesn’t. She uses an Owala that is spillproof, unlike the Stanley.) (I see that Stanley now makes a spillproof tumbler, but that wasn’t the trend when Carla got hers.)
What about the Lululemon belt bag that she had to have? When was the last time she used that?
“This is different, Mom,” she told me. “Everyone loves squishies.”
Oh, I remember there was a group of boys that played hacky sack every day. If I were to try to lump them into a particular clique, I would say they were at the intersection of preppy and skater. Now I want to do a Venn diagram.
That want to want…none of us are entirely immune, are we? I had (and loved) a pet rock when I was little, and a mood ring. My cousin had a Lite Brite that I coveted. I wonder why I didn’t tell my mom? She probably would have bought me one.
I wonder if the slip and slide changed in between you playing at your friend’s house, and the sticky one you bought? Maybe some chemical that made it extra slippery turned out to be dangerous?
Oh goodness, the beanie baby trend! It was HUGE for a while there. I’ve always been a sucker for stuffed animals, so I admit that I loved them and would buy them for Maya. At one point I found a little lion with a blank tag. His tag did not say ANYTHING inside, which had me convinced that he was going to be worth a lot of money. Perhaps he would have been, but Maya took him in the swimming pool. Oh well, get rich quick dreams smashed.
Hackey Sack did not make it to my rural ND town but I remember seeing kids play it on tv shows and movies. A trend had to be quite strong and accessible to make it to rural ND back in the day. I imagine that has changed w/ the advent of social media and stores like Dollar General that are easily found in rural areas. My parents were not trend endorsers, though. They were too frugal for that. We did have a “Crocodile Mile”, though! Do you remember that? “you fun, you slide, you the bump and take a dive!” – it’s a slip and slide with a bump that you transverse to get into a shallow pool. I loved it and then my brother’s friend used it wearing swimming trunks w/ a zipper and it destroyed it. Sigh.
I have not heard about these squishies from Paul but he mostly brings home language trends rather than the must have toy trends.
I never played hacky sack, but the hot grunge music loving guy did. We made out in front of the high school before school like the white trash we were (are?). What lovely memories. I hope Ron is doing well these days.
I remember hacky sacks among certain groups of usually male students at my high school. They could do some amazing things with them! I’m not at all familiar with squishies although I think my boyfriend’s granddaughters might have some. Thankfully, my grandsons haven’t yet discovered this trend or are too young for it!
Ha! This was too fun to read. OMG I remember the Beanie Baby craze. The “investment” in popular items, that has always struck me as funny. My MIL, for example, amassed SO MANY Disney VHS tapes, convinced they would be worth a fortune. Same with Harry Potter merchandise, back in 2001 or 2002. Well. I guess we all know how that turned out.
I was not a hacky sack girl. Hacky sacks were in the purview of the grunge people, of which I was vehemently not one. I was a “baby doll dress and army boots” girl, with (surprise!) loads of makeup.
Everything old is new again, I guess.
One of my childhood friends had a slip-and-slide! Of course, living in Calgary, we were probably all freezing as we played with it BUT IT’S SUMMER, DAMMIT. I guess you would never have run through the sprinkler, either? That was a huge deal in my childhood. Again, freezing.
I absolutely had jelly shoes, the time I’m thinking is around 1985-6 and I loved them but also, they were the worst to wear.
I have an Owala water bottle and I bought it just before I found out that apparently „Owala is the new Stanley“! Haha. I see Owalas EVERYWHERE.Also, I have a dupe Lululemon Belt Bag and I wear it like it’s stitched to my body. Am I „it“? LOL
Ha ha, well… I clicked on the link for the dumpling squishie an it is really cute! I have to say that I’m relieved to be past the phase where Angie wants all the trendy things.
Growing up, I definitely did NOT have trendy things. There were definitely always things that were trending, but with the (happy) lack of social media, it doesn’t seem- in retrospect- that trends really took over like they do now. Like I can remember the popular girls having this or that, me looking on vaguely with envy, and then just moving on with my life.
I remember hackey sacks! I didn’t have one, but I had friends who played with it.
I now see why my daughter laughs at me when she sees me with my Stanley Tumbler.
I love the ending quote, says it all.
Are the squishies the texture of gummy clings? Because when my kids were small, I hated how those would become filthy the instant they touched anything. They were so gross.
I remember hacky sacks but I was not coordinated enough to even try them. I think my younger sister had jelly shoes.
This post brought back so many memories! There was a group of boys at my school who played hacky sack. I remember watching all their tricks, but it never even occurred to me to try playing. I was such a girly girl! Oh yes, I DID have that friend who was up to date on every style. Lucky for me, she was kind and generous and would share her bounty of toys, clothes, and accessories.
Shhhh. Don’t tell my son, but I left his Needoh in our last apartment. It’s too big to go in our carry-on (technically a liquid); we didn’t know that when we came over, but it did get flagged and security let it through. So I figured I’d save some space and leave it behind.
Hacky sacks were a thing when I was in high school and I feel like they’re starting to make a comeback!
I have a Stanley and LOVE it. I don’t get the Owala hype. I’ve been so happy with my straw Stanley (that folds up so it’s leakproof).
My parents had very little money so I basically never got anything I wanted, but that made me want… not much. I do remember desperately wanting a Polly Pocket. (I never got one!)
Those dumplings are the ugliest things I’ve ever seen. Well, almost — there’s some little stuffed toy about six or eight inches big with big glass (plastic, probably) eyes that look like very hideous animals. I’m so glad I’m not young anymore (at least, that young!)
But I do remember the Beany Babies and even still have one or two. I didn’t ever do a collection, but a few favorites. They go on the Christmas tree every year. Because what else do you do with them?
I’m catching up (or trying to) on blog reading since life sort of interfered with any blog activity the last few weeks. So allow me to reference your last post- I have had more than my fair share of colonoscopies starting before I was married. Celiac was the culprit but the docs were looking from the wrong angle. Anyway, in my early 20s I had no option aside from go lightly. The prep drink should be banned. It was AWFUL. I’m also trying to find activities for my soon to be 14 yo. I have had some success. Still looking for more options. the classical cat photos- so cute.
I remember trends. I remember being the only – or just about thd only – 8th grader without a Walkman. Torture. I was older when jellies came out. My older sister had a pair and my feet were bigger than hers. Any attempt to wear them – also a form of torture. Self inflicted though.
my kids recall being the only ones without a DS or for a long long time, the only ones without a video game system.