Quest (01-11-2016)
REMEMBER Sparkle Plenty and B.O. Plenty in the Dick Tracy comic strip? And remember Dick Tracy's two-way wrist radio—how incredibly futuristic it seemed to us then, in that long-ago era before cell phones.
REMEMBER curb finders, also known as curb feelers, which helped inexpert parallel parkers to know when they were the right distance from the curb? And speaking of car equipment, remember when parents installed a "governor" on their teenager's car—or on the family car, if that was what the teen drove—to prevent him or her from exceeding a pre-set speed?
REMEMBER aluminum ice cube trays with pull handles? Fridges with ice makers didn't yet exist, and before plastic ice cube trays, which had only to be twisted to get them to release their ice, came on the scene, ice cube trays were aluminum. Sometimes, they released their ice in perfect cubes, but at other times the ice splintered and shattered when you pulled the lever up and back, and you wound up with shards of ice instead of cubes.
REMEMBER mobile rides that came around the neighborhood? You didn't have to wait till the carnival came to town, the fair was underway, or your parents took you to the nearest amusement park. You could ride at least one ride right on your block (or a neighboring street) and have all the fun and excitement of a carnival.
REMEMBER shopping at Woolworth's? At first, true to the name "five and ten," everything was priced at a nickel or a dime. Later on, prices rose, but they were still definitely affordable. Merchandise was on display on glass-partitioned tables, and you could get candy, toys, hair accessories, and lots more.
Nightsky (01-12-2016)