A Walk Down Memory Lane

One of the bad things about growing old is seeing things that you enjoyed in your youth disappear.

I remember going into antique stores with my kids in tow. I would see things I had as a kid and I would be all excited telling the boys all about them.

The boys would look at me like I must have led a boring life. Little did they know some of the things we had would take us around the world.

Now another childhood memory is headed to the antique store which brings a tear to my eye as I remember all the places I was privileged to visit courtesy of this item that was introduced in 1939.

Fisher-Price Ends View-Master of Sites

Inventor William Gruber debuted the view master scenic disks with backing from a postcard company in 1939. If you remember how scenic the penny postcards were it is no surprise why the scenic reels were so good.



The iconic reels of tourist attractions, often packaged with a clunky plastic viewer and first sold to promote 3-D photography, are ending their 70-year run after years of diminishing sales.

Scenic discs are no longer a good fit for the Fisher-Price division of toy maker Mattel Inc., a spokeswoman said, and the company stopped making them in December. Fisher-Price, based in East Aurora, N.Y., will keep making better-selling reels of Shrek, Dora the Explorer and other animated characters, spokeswoman Juliette Reashor said in an e-mail to The Associated Press.

That is definitely a sad loss and unfortunate that kids will no longer be able to experience scenic pictures through a view finder.


All good things must come to an end, although Barbie just turned 50 and she is going strong.

Of course she has had breast augmentation, a tummy tuck, liposuction, botox and a tramp stamp, so the Cougar Barbie is still on top of her game.


There is a late night shift tonight so there will be no post tomorrow.