Archive for August, 2009
My son’s rapt fascination with the Blue Angels inspired me to do some research on the 60-plus-year-old flying outfit. The Blues, formally known as the Navy Flight Demonstration Squadron, formed just after World War II as a means to improve troop morale and demonstrate naval flight power to the rest of the world. When the Korean War began in 1950, the Blue Angels pilots were called to active duty and the squadron was temporarily disbanded.
Today, the Blues continue to thrill audiences during airshows across the country. My son and I turn out dutifully each summer to watch as they perform barrel rolls, high-risk landings and other tricks that I wouldn’t even attempt to name. I can tell that my son is getting ideas, so I got him a pedal plane that he pilots around the backyard. Who knows, maybe one day he’ll be performing daring, airborne feats in his own right.
For the model car collector, give that special little man (or big man) in your life a little blast from the past with a hard to find diecast model muscle car. These models are such a beauty and so collectible.
How many diecast collectibles do you own? Diecast collectibles appeal to those with large collections of the real things in their garage, but they also appeal to those who perhaps will never own a real full size American Muscle car.
Diecasts allow us to put something in our hands that is just like what we have in the garage, or they can allow us to dream of what we cannot put in our garage at the present moment.
Our model cars represent the best of Detroit muscle cars from the 1960s and 1970s, including Mustangs, Chevelles, Camaros, GTS, Impalas and Cougars. These hard-to-find 1:18 scale models are beautifully detailed and finished with opening hoods, doors, trunks and detailed engines.
So, do I have a 1966 Pontiac GTO? Of course, but it’s just not as big as I wish it were. It can fit in my hand.
To Antonio Pasin, the Italian immigrant who created and marketed the first line of kids’ wagons, childhood was all about the thrill of discovery. This belief was echoed in the name of his product, the Radio Flyer. Back in the 1910s, flight and the radio were both relatively novel inventions. Pasin looked to encapsulate that same sense of whimsy and wonder in his little red wagon.
The Radio Flyer wagon achieved its status as a cultural touchstone decades ago, but it was truly immortalized in the popular holiday movie A Christmas Story. Ever since, the Radio Flyer has been a symbol for youth and innocence. To this day, the company continues to roll out red wagons, and ride-on scooters and rocking horses have also been added to the product line.
Every kid (including the kid in all of us) dreams of being a hero. Whether it is comic superheros like superman or spider-man, they should also know the value of regular every day heroes in our community like firefighters.
Aside from comic books and caped costumes, you could also introduce them to the valiant people who risk their lives in the line of service by bringing them to places like fire stations. Choosing toys like fire truck pedal cars are also a great idea.
There is nothing like a bright red pedal fire truck to get a child so excited. With a bell to ring loudly, your child will find themselves pedaling quickly to put out the fire.
We are getting a fire truck pedal car for our grandchild. It has removable ladders, a bell and a tank you pump up and he can spray water from a hose. I can’t wait!
Ahem, well, purely for the educational value to the child of course!
Man, it’s going to be cool.
Clearly the best known toy wagon around, the radio flyer wagon first appeared on the scene around 1917. The first wagons were made of wood and were manufactured in Chicago, Illinois. While wood wagons are still available, steel and plastic wagons are also options.
For the first 50 years of the company’s existence, the company was well known for its popular red Radio Flyer wagon. Today, the company produces a wide range of children’s toy vehicles, including fire engines, bicycles and tricycles, and racers.