Things that were better as a kid

[Jbo]

The recent announcement of a forthcoming closure of Toys R Us got me thinking about how much better some things were when we were kids. I thought this was a bit of a different topic then the Calgary Nostalgia Thread, as it may not be specific to just Calgary.

1) I’ll start with Toy R Us. I still remember going to this magical place to get Super Nintendo and N64 games. Grabbing the ticket and taking it up was such a highlight. Walking through the rows on rows of toys was magical. Sad that my daughter won’t have an opportunity to see a place like this. Instead likely just another order on Amazon. TRU was so awesome growing up, and like most of retail, I’m sad to see it dying.

2) Pizza Hut Dine in - I remember going to the Pizza Hut in Brentwood with my friends and family, and it being the best reward you could ever have. There was a charming atmosphere to the place, always surrounded by friends after a soccer/Hockey game or celebrating a birthday. These days with delivery and skip the dishes, you just don’t have any place like this anymore.

3) Video Rental stores - obviously everyone knows this one. Netflix and onDemand is awesome for how easy it is, but not even close to the same.

4) Playgrounds - the old wood playgrounds that used to surround us in our schools and parks were the best. Did you get a million splinters? Sure, but man were they ever fun to play on. Everything has been replaced by lame metal bars and devoid of half the charms of the old one. A tire on 3 chains, a two storey drop, wooden bridges, slides so hot they burnt your legs in the sun. Replaced by safe and boring metal.

What about you CP?

[FurnaceFace]

Lawn darts

[habernac]

Overhand lawn darts.

[Locke]

Video Rental stores...while better as a kid because they were a thing that existed and were kind of like Banks in that they sort of had you by the balls and you were constantly at their mercy and their clownshoes clerks thought they owned you.

Yeah, I dont miss video rental stores one bit. Good riddance to bad rubbish.

[ken0042]

Originally Posted by Jbo

Walking through the rows on rows of toys was magical. Sad that my daughter won’t have an opportunity to see a place like this. Instead likely just another order on Amazon.

I just want to add that Mastermind Toys is a great place to be able to do that still. The one thing is their focus is more towards educational and hands on toys; however that does also include Lego. I usually get toys for my nephews there. Slightly more expensive, but great customer service.

[Cecil Terwilliger]

Toys R Us isn’t closing.

[Fuzz]

Transformers.

[transplant99]

Chef Boy R Dee Mini Ravioli.

A few years back, and after a couple pops with some fellas, we talked about this very subject and were pining for the memories of yesteryear.

Someone mentioned the pasta in a can that so many of us loved as youngsters. Next time at the big store i picked up a couple cans of it and wondered why i had ever stopped consuming its saucy greatness.

Then i tried it a couple days later. Good lord how did I ever like that stuff? It was, and i'm not kidding, un-edible for myself. Just horrifyingly bad.
So much better as a kid.

Oh...and pop rocks.....they were so much fun.

[Bunk]

Wood playgrounds are making a comeback, thankfully.

[Jbo]

Originally Posted by Cecil Terwilliger

Toys R Us isn’t closing.

The parent company is currently close to liquidation. While the news is that for the Canadian operation is business as usual, hard to imagine a scenario where it survives (or at the very least, is not completely transformed from what it was)

[troutman]

Originally Posted by Cecil Terwilliger

Toys R Us isn’t closing.

Future uncertain:
https://www.google.ca/amp/business.f...ain-future/amp

[CaptainCrunch]

Originally Posted by transplant99

Chef Boy R Dee Mini Ravioli.

A few years back, and after a couple pops with some fellas, we talked about this very subject and were pining for the memories of yesteryear.

Someone mentioned the pasta in a can that so many of us loved as youngsters. Next time at the big store i picked up a couple cans of it and wondered why i had ever stopped consuming its saucy greatness.

Then i tried it a couple days later. Good lord how did I ever like that stuff? It was, and i'm not kidding, un-edible for myself. Just horrifyingly bad.
So much better as a kid.

Oh...and pop rocks.....they were so much fun.

off topic, but I remember when they had only two products, Ravioli and Spaghetti and meatballs.

[indes]

The wood playground at Midnapore elementary was the best playground I've ever been to, the metal one they replaced it with was an embarrassment.

[TheSutterDynasty]

Social media.

All we had was MSN, chat rooms, and hotmail. It wasn't all about pictures, memes, and drive by comments, but actual online conversations. Before internet anonymity and short attention spans were as prevalent, you would wait several minutes while your dial up attempted to connect, ready to change your screen name to that wicked new linkin park song lyric you took 20 minutes loading the web page for the day prior as your mom kept making phone calls and kicking you off.

You could also approach and flirt with girls on MSN which made it a little bit easier.

[Enoch Root]

Spighetti.

Riding a bike without a helmet.

Penny candy.

[ricosuave]

Shamrock shakes

[Wormius]

Originally Posted by transplant99

Chef Boy R Dee Mini Ravioli.

A few years back, and after a couple pops with some fellas, we talked about this very subject and were pining for the memories of yesteryear.

Someone mentioned the pasta in a can that so many of us loved as youngsters. Next time at the big store i picked up a couple cans of it and wondered why i had ever stopped consuming its saucy greatness.

Then i tried it a couple days later. Good lord how did I ever like that stuff? It was, and i'm not kidding, un-edible for myself. Just horrifyingly bad.
So much better as a kid.

I feel the same way about KD now. Maybe it did taste better back then? I don’t know. It’s pretty gross now though. There is no way to eat it as-is. It would probably only take 10 more minutes to just make a little roux and add some good cheddar.

[Thor]

Jumbo Video with free popcorn, slushcats and slurpees (tasted better then), wig wagz, your mom, and arcades.

[Jbo]

Originally Posted by TheSutterDynasty

Social media.

All we had was MSN, chat rooms, and hotmail. It wasn't all about pictures, memes, and drive by comments, but actual online conversations. Before internet anonymity and short attention spans were as prevalent, you would wait several minutes while your dial up attempted to connect, ready to change your screen name to that wicked new linkin park song lyric you took 20 minutes loading the web page for the day prior as your mom kept making phone calls and kicking you off.

You could also approach and flirt with girls on MSN which made it a little bit easier.

I agree. I remember in Jr High talking on the phone (land line) for hours on end with friends. The days of *67 and *69 to get a friend to ask another friend about so and so.

Usually had MuchMusic in the background doing the weekly countdown. Parents picking up the phone and starting to dial while you yelled from the basement. Now that was social media back in the day.

[edslunch]

Originally Posted by Wormius

I feel the same way about KD now. Maybe it did taste better back then? I don’t know. It’s pretty gross now though. There is no way to eat it as-is. It would probably only take 10 more minutes to just make a little roux and add some good cheddar.

I swear it had more flavour (and was more orange) back then