Everything is made in factories in China these days. Cheap labor, cheap materials, to make things break so you buy another one.

I remember when Fisher Price's "Little People" had wooden bodies! Later in my childhood they switched to plastic.

On the other hand, toys today are safer - I happened to be reminiscing tonight, telling our son about lawn darts and clacker balls. Children's products are now regulated out the wazoo, so they're pretty safe.

But I do miss those trucks. And chemistry sets. And the old Matchbox cars were very fine, not like the recent crap.

My mom used to take me to the local hardware store on occasion to pick out a new English-made Matchbox car. I had quite a collection of them at one time, but I have no idea what happened to them.

When I was a little kid we had that Fisher Price telephone that you hauled around by the handset and it would blink its eyes and make noise. Ten years before my sister played with it. Twenty some years after I played with it my sister's kids played with it. Now my sister's kids are in college, and when they cleaned out their stuff to move they donated their old toys to the little kids that live across the street, and now one of those kids is playing with it, and it still works just as good as when it was new. I suspect when those kids grow up and have their own kids those kids will then be playing with it and it will still work just as good as ever.

My grandparents got a toaster when they got married. If they were still alive they'd be married almost a hundred years now. One of my brothers still has that toaster, and it's still making perfect toast though it looks a bit strange and weighs a ton. Meanwhile I've gone through two toasters in the past 10 years, and now I need to pitch out the 3rd one I have now already because it's a piece of crap.

I still miss my Tonka dumptruck that one of my brothers buried somewhere in our backyard because he let me play with and was jealous over how much fun I had with it. I still want to know where my dumptruck is and want it back, but he still doesn't recall burying it or where, and it's been someone else's house for over 20 years now. I admit I occasionally still have dreams of sneaking over there in the middle of the night and digging it up. And I admit that if I knew where it was buried I would!

assuming it has not rusted to nothing already.

I remember the commercials about how they had an elephant stand on a Tonka to show how tough it was.

I don't think they were that dangerous either.

But yeah, like other people said, we did manage to break some too. My brother's GI Joe's head coming off still cracks me up to remember it. The head kept the whole body together, so when it came off the arms and legs fell off too.

But 11 year old me was able to fix it, with a spring from dad's workshop, at least until the spring rusted three or four years later.

edit - oh, and my toaster oven may be 30 years old. I cannot remember when I got it. In 1985 maybe for my first apartment? Been through several moves too. It is so old, it says "made in USA" on it. (note, after I wrote that I had to get up and check it, because I was not sure I believed it, but there it was, stamped on the bottom.)

It's kind of like marveling at how European cathedrals are still standing.

The ones that are still standing, that is .

They are made to the exact standard as the first plastic ones made so you can have one from 40 years ago and use it with a set made yesterday. They also pay living wages to their employees.

While no one was looking lego took over the universe.

I loved that. You could set it up anyway you wanted.

And you might utterly fail.

It taught physics in a gentle way.

Is riding my big wheel.

That thing will NOT die.

I really don't know what changed - but you are correct.

I loved my Tonka trucks.

from 50 years ago. They were beautifully made.