When I was a kid these were made out of green plastic . . .

[SaginawIan]

. . . not lead. What were they made out of when YOU were a kid? (how old do you think this little guy is) Found in his "underground bunker" (where some kid buried him) at about 8" in a front yard.

Ian

 

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[Cynangyl]

too cool! They were green plastic when I was a kid too! I used to make corrals with nails stuck in the dirt and run wire between them and put little horses in the corrals and have the little green army men guard the pretty horses! lol A girl's rendition of army I guess :P

 

[Copperhead]

too cool! They were green plastic when I was a kid too! I used to make corrals with nails stuck in the dirt and run wire between them and put little horses in the corrals and have the little green army men guard the pretty horses! lol A girl's rendition of army I guess

too funny!

 

[BioProfessor]

Well I guess I have to show my age. When I was a kid, we had kits where we melted lead and poured it into molds to make our own soldiers. This would have been the late fifties.

 

[Cynangyl]

Well I guess I have to show my age. When I was a kid, we had kits where we melted lead and poured it into molds to make our own soldiers. This would have been the late fifties.

I think SaginawIan found one of your toys!

 

[blurr]

Green plastic when I was a kid. I had a big sandbox, and made trenches. Set up all the men around the trenches. Set up tanks. Set up fighter planes. poured some gas in the trenches. lit trenches. End of army men. Mom broke her wooden spoon on my A$%!!! Oh the memories.

John

 

[Cynangyl]

Green plastic when I was a kid. I had a big sandbox, and made trenches. Set up all the men around the trenches. Set up tanks. Set up fighter planes. poured some gas in the trenches. lit trenches. End of army men. Mom broke her wooden spoon on my A$%!!! Oh the memories.

John

ROFL my mom used to break wooden spoons too!!

 

[BioProfessor]

Better yet, we made our soldiers some shoebox boats. Floated them in the neighbors dug basement under their addition because it had water in it when it rained. Wanted a real war naval type battle so we emptied the lawn mower gas can onto the water and lit it. I wish it had been a spoon my mom had.

 

[Cynangyl]

Oh My Goodness! sounds like those lil soldiers were DANGEROUS lil guys green, lead or otherwise!

 

[warsawdaddy]

I wasn't really interested in the lead soldiers except before and during most of WW11.I would set them up and pop at them with the BB gun.But I was 10 when the war ended and was about out of that type of fun.Started school at 5yr in the 1st grade(no Kindergarten),so I was in the 5th grade and getting interested in other things (sports/girls).In the 6th grade,we were meeting the gals at the movie.You matured faster during the war.But anyway,they had lead and pot metal.Didn't see any plastic,until they came out with the 'mills'(1/10th cent)for taxes.Before that everything that wasn't metal was bakelite.How did I get into this conversation?Goodbye.

 

[kenb]

Damn blurr we used to have the same hobby LOL. And my mother was like a ninja with a wooden spoon, if see couldn't make direct contact see could throw those things around corners!!!. She once broke one whacking me in the butt and charged me for it!!! took it right out of my allowance.LOL

kenb

 

[warsawdaddy]

'Allowance'! I found a nickel the other day and told my friend that there was a time when a nickel was money to me.I never knew the meaning of allowance.My g'mother raised me and in the late 30's and early 40's,we didn't have any money.At Xmas,there was no tree or presents.But she always had a quarter for me to go to the movies.I remember one Xmas,she had a little money and she didn't know whether to buy me a toy to play with or a new pair of trousers.

 

[kenb]

Trust me, I broke my a$$ for that buck every week, I was to young to get a paper route and with my oldman gone there was lots to do. Remember I didn't break the spoon, the crazy ninja with bad aim broke her own spoon

kenb

 

[TreasureTales]

Late 1950's they were hard olive drab plastic men frozen in various positions - lobbing handgrenades, prone shooting, kneeling, etc. My brother and I would tie them to balloons filled with helium from birthday parties, then release them. We'd wave goodbye as they flew away. Wonder where they wound up? Hmmm We also made parachutes out of our father's handkerchiefs and would toss them into the air and watch the green men land on the front lawn - ever so gently due to their parachutes. Kids in those days had to have imaginations.

 

[blurr]

Damn blurr we used to have the same hobby LOL. And my mother was like a ninja with a wooden spoon, if see couldn't make direct contact see could throw those things around corners!!!. She once broke one whacking me in the butt and charged me for it!!! took it right out of my allowance.LOL

kenb

My mom finally gave that sport up after she broke one on my butt and I started laughing. She looked at me and started to crack up too. She never used the "spoon" again.

John

 

[Shortround]

Well I guess I have to show my age. When I was a kid, we had kits where we melted lead and poured it into molds to make our own soldiers. This would have been the late fifties.

I guess what comes around goes around. When I was a kid, we melted the green ones into piles of sand covers goo Magnifying glasses should not be trusted to little kids. Many a toy soldier/insect suffered because of the "death ray".

 

[Bluezman]

Wow, I had them. Brings back some pretty strong memories.
Ya see, my father worked driving a dump truck for a construction co. (when there was work) back in the early 50s'. I'm one of seven kids, so things were tight.

I only had maybe 4 or 5 of 'em, but I used to play with them all the time. I like the one that had the bazooka on his shoulder.

Anyway, I remember this one kid (Jeffery) that had a quite lot, (his father was a lawyer or something and he was an only child) he must have had 2 battalions! I was as green with envy as the OD green paint they used to paint the solders with. I played at this kids' house a couple of times.

So stupid me, being about 5 at the time, I go to my father and say: "Dad, you should go be a lawyer, 'cause they make lots of money, and can get lots of stuff." Well, you know that went over real big. He said "Maybe later, I like driving a truck, and if I left; who would do my job?"

At the time , I didn't understand why he had a tear in his eye, when he said it.
As bittersweet as the memory may be, I thank you for invoking it, with that really cool piece of yesterday!

Bluezman

 

[SaginawIan]

Great stories everyone! I used to blow them up with firecrackers and melt them with fire. My favorite was the one on one knee shooting the bazooka. I used to have a war between GI JOE and the US Army. Sometimes GI JOE would win, sometimes US. I also remember one that was kneeling talking on some type of phone, in my imagination, he was calling in an air assault. What do kids play with now? Some crazy pokemon picachu that speaks italian? When I was a kid I would have got my butt kicked if I walked around with a sponge bob squarepants doll . . . Real kids played with army men. . .and worms and snakes.

Ian

 

[wildrider]

too cool! They were green plastic when I was a kid too! I used to make corrals with nails stuck in the dirt and run wire between them and put little horses in the corrals and have the little green army men guard the pretty horses! lol A girl's rendition of army I guess :P

I think they do that to wild horses out west and then shoot them...er I mean put them up for adoption.

Burt

 

[SaginawIan]

Oh yeah!! I totally forgot about the hot wheels tracks! I used to have those. I would watch THE DUKES OF HAZZARD and whip the car as fast as I could down the track and make it do jumps, like the Dukeboys in the General Lee! One time I whipped a car through the window on the front of the oven . . . Got in big trouble for that one.

Don't even get me started on the Dukes of Hazzard now . . .

Ian