Time Magazine has come out with a list of the most influential toys, by decade, dating back to the 1920's. I'm not sure what they mean by "influential," but the list is fun to look at.
It does say that fake vomit was one of the most influential toys of the 1950's. I can't say I was influenced by this item, but do remember admiring it in the glass case next to the fake dog poop at the Moon Fun Shop in downtown Stevens Point.
Here's the list from the 1960's.
* Etch A Sketch
* Rock-a-Stack
* Ken
* Slip 'n Slide
* Chatter Telephone
* G.I. Joe
* Easy-Bake Oven
* Creepy Crawlers
* Rock'em Sock'em Robots
* Johnny Seven O.M.A.
* See 'n Say
* SuperBall
* Barrel of Monkeys
* Radio-Controlled Car
* Lite-Brite
* Hot Wheels
* Playmobil
* Flatsy Doll
* Barbie's Dream House
(See the whole list here.)
I don't think I was influenced by any of those toys, but do know I coveted many of them. While I never had an Easy-Bake oven or Creepy Crawlers, IÂ wasn't that deprived..I did have some Hot Wheels, Barrel of Monkeys, SuperBalls and Flatsy dolls.
But there is one glaring omission from that list. If you are girl who was a kid in the 1960's...you've probably spent the rest of you life looking for your Mystery Date. Is he a dream, or a dud?
I always said I liked the duds better..just to be edgy.
An Apollo 12 astronaut is in need of some cash..so he's selling an item that illegally made a space flight. It's a picture of a Playboy playmate that was tacked inside a locker and crew member Richard Gordon has held onto it all these years, and is now putting it on the auction block.
Some other items that made it onto space craft illegally include a corned beef sandwich and a harmonica.
So that got me to thinking--what would I smuggle onto a spaceship if I had the chance. Here are a few of my ideas.
1) Mork from Ork. It's time to get my vintage doll from the 70s show Mork & Mindy a little closer to his home planet. Nanu Nanu!
2)Pop Rocks. What this fizzin' poppin' candy might do at zero gravity boggles the mind!
3)Woody from Toy Story. He'd be a "Space Cowboy."
4)Pigs in a blanket. Then it would be "Pigs in a blanket in space!!!!!" (Muppet show reference.)
5)Diet Mountain Dew. Because I'm no good if I don't get my caffeine in the morning. Besides, Tang sucks.
It suddenly occurred to me. I must have slept through 2010. An entire year has gone by and I missed it?
It may have appeared that I was awake....I know the alarm went off really early most days and I managed to make it into work and talk on the radio.
But there's some pretty convincing evidence that leads me to believe otherwise, especially as I look at some of the end of the year lists that have been coming out in recent days.
EVIDENCE THAT KITTY IS REALLY RIP VAN WINKLE and slept through 2010.
1. She can not name a single Justin Bieber song.
2. She did not see Avatar, and when she thinks of blue creatures, she pictures the Smurfs.
3. She thinks that Gilligan was somehow involved in the series finale of Lost.
4. Want to buy a vuvuzela? Kitty sends to you Red Letter News.
5. She still thinks Barack Obama is popular.
She does have a vague memory of something really bad happening in the Gulf of Mexico and some elections with confounding results, but is pretty sure those were just really bad dreams. They were just bad dreams...weren't they?
Barbara Walters may have already come out with her list of the year's Most Fascinating People, but for some reason her list and my list don't really match.
Or maybe Barbara just couldn't land interviews with these particular people.
Kitty's Top 3 Most Fascinating People of 2010
#1: Double Rainbow Guy: aka Yosemite Bear Mountain Giant. Double Rainbow! What does it mean??? Haven't watched the video for a while. Catch it again here. Maybe we can get the number of views up to 30 million!
#2: Steven Slater: Yeah, the JetBlue flight attendant who flipped out, grabbed a couple of beers and escaped on the inflatable slide. I'm not sure he would have made the list if he didn't grab those beers. That added a lot of class.
#3: Unnamed Naked Mailman: The Whitefish Bay mailman thought he'd cheer up a woman's day by delivering mail to her office while wearing nothing but a smile. What is intriguing to me is that most people were just freaked out by the fact that he decided to do it in in cold weather..not that he thought of the idea in the first place.
As 2009 draws to a close, we're all wondering..what's ahead for 2010? Lucky for you, I have a clairvoyant streak. And a crystal ball.
Here are some of my predictions for the New Year:-Madison Mayor Dave Cieslewicz makes up for snow plowing mistakes by agreeing to mow every one's lawn this summer. Outlying neighborhoods first.
-After the statewide smoking ban goes into effect in July, all bars cease to exist. Business flourishes however at lemonade stands.
-Octo-mom, tired of taking care of so many children, sets several of them aloft in an experimental weather balloon, but doesn't tell anybody.
-Coldplay releases a new album, and is sued by Flock of Seagulls for ripping off one of their songs. The songs sound nothing alike..they just wanted their name mentioned in the same breath as Coldplay.
-The president and first lady are embarassed when they show up uninvited to a soiree at the home of Tareq and Michaele Salahi. The Obamas insist they had an invitation.
-Hoping for more international publicity, Chelsey "Sully" Sullenberger lands a part time job at Denny's.
-NBC announces Jay Leno will be getting an even earlier timeslot, anchoring the 5th hour of the Today Show.
-Taylor Swift turns 21, cuts off her hair and gets married in Vegas. For some reason, Britney Spears is really jealous.
-For the first time,Ticketmaster fees surpass the price of concert tickets. The company does not feel your outrage.
-Scientists find cures for swine flu, the common cold, and premature hair loss. But since the health care bill was never passed, no one can afford them.
Yesterday I told you about my 5 favorite Madison concerts of the decade. This new list includes shows that involved a bit of a road trip.
1. Crosby, Stills, Nash, and Young at the Bradley Center in Milwaukee, April 2000. I believe this was the first show in their"Y2K" tour. All four of them were in high spirits..and genuinely seemed to enjoy being around each other! At one point, Graham Nash put on a Cheesehead..and Neil called him shameless. The show ended with a rip it up version of "Rockin' in the Free World." Neil broke ALL the strings on his guitar!
2. Jeff Beck at the Eagles Ballroom in Milwaukee, March 2001. This was the second time I saw Jeff Beck, and was of course accompanied by my guitar player boyfriend, Mike, who was watching with binoculars to make sure he didn't miss anything. We were in the 6th row. This is the first time I saw Jeff play his version of the Beatles "A Day in the Life," which is nominated for a Grammy this year!
3)Paul McCartney at the United Center in Chicago, April 2002. Yeah, he's cheesy, yeah, he's over the top cute, but HE'S A BEATLE! Some idiot behind me was trying to ruin everything by talking through the whole thing, but I eventually got over that and let the music take over. I saw the same show a few months later in Milwaukee and it seemd kinda lame the second time...but I was in full-on Beatlemania in Chicago.
4)Sonny Landreth at the Monroe Blues Festival in Monroe, WI, September, 2007. I've seen Sonny a bunch of times, but this was by far the best.  I was standing right up front for a great view of his slide guitar wizardry.
5)Bruce Springsteen and the E-Street Band, at the Bradley Center in Milwaukee, November 2009. Now I know what all the hype is about! When he was body-passed through the crowd to the stage on the 3rd song, I knew something special was about to happen. And he played "Kitty's Back," especially for me. This might be the best show I've ever seen.
Here's Jeff Beck playing "A Day in the Life" at the Crossroads Guitar Festival in 2007...a concert I should have attended.
It's only natural that we take time to reflect, as we reach the end of the decade. In the last ten years, we pretty much said goodbye to the cathode ray tube TV, the cassette tape, lickable stamps, and the Rolodex. Those were a few of the items on a list compiled by New York Magazine.
That got me thinking about what's disappeared in Madison since the year 2000.
O'Cayz Corral: Every one from Nirvana to the White Stripes played this bar on East Wilson Street. It burned down New Year's Day, 2001. There's still an empty lot where the bar, and its neighbor, The Comic Strip once stood. I'm kinda bummed that I never saw a show there.
Luther's Blues: I saw a lot of bands at this bar that closed a couple of years ago, on University Avenue. The loudest show I ever saw in my life was at Luther's. It was Los Lonely Boys, opening for John Eddie. Great show, but really, really LOUD.
The Madison Blues Festival: It was a great chance to see legendary artists, from B.B. King to Buddy Guy, Jeff Beck to Little Richard. Some excellent performers graced the Triple M Stage too--including Sue Foley, and Jackie Greene, among others. So what if all the artists weren't technically blues artists. I really miss this event.
The Oscar Mayer Theatre at the Madison Civic Center: I know part of the theatre survives inside the Overture Center, but it's just not the same. Some of the artists I've seen at the Oscar Mayer Theatre included the Indigo Girls, Dave Brubeck, the Bodeans, John Prine, Melissa Etheridge, and Hootie and the Blowfish. (Yeah....I saw Hootie. I'm not ashamed).
Also disappearing in the last decade from Madison--the daily print edition of the Capital Times, Madison K-Marts, and smoky bars. I can't really say I miss the last two items on that list.
I'm not sure why Pete Yorn decided to name his new music project after a European cave dwelling aquatic salamander, but if he stops by to play us some songs in Studio M, we'll have to ask him.
The Olms is a collaboration between Pete Yorn and...
Today's song was written by Peter Yarrow of Peter, Paul and Mary. It was inspired by the 1957 novel Doctor Zhivago. No one was inspired by the song this morning. It was rejected by almost all the listeners.
Today is World Goth Day, a day to celebrate the post-punk, anti-establishment, dark clothes-wearing subculture.
I'm pretty sure I was a Goth for at least for little while, for two reasons.
1) I almost hardly ever wear pastels.
2) I used to...
Hello to all from Nfusion. Another round of challenges has moved beyond us all. Congrats to those of us lucky enough to have survived to this point. Sad to see the others eliminated as they were all very creative and talented. Good Bye to our new friends...
This morning it seemed like just about everyone was in the mood for some Funky Cold Medina...except Kitty. This ridiculous song made it all the way to number 3 in 1989. Jonathan says any song that references advertising dogs from the 80's has got...
Madison's summer music festival season kicks off this weekend with Brat Fest at Willow Island, where there are more bands than you can shake a bratwurst at! Check out the Brat Fest website to plan your itinerary.
Next up is the Marquette...
John Fogerty is making the talk show rounds this week, stopping in to see David Letterman Tuesday and Wednesday, and the ladies of "The View" on Thursday.
He's promoting his new album, "Wrote a Song For Everyone" which comes out next Tuesday...
It's a miracle that both Jonathan and KItty wanted to hear Barry Manilow this morning. They were not alone. Plenty of Fanilow's called in to vote yes. One caller claimed to have seen Manilow in concert 25 times!
I'm not sure why Pete Yorn decided to name his new music project after a European cave dwelling aquatic salamander, but if he stops by to play us some songs in Studio M, we'll have to ask him.
The Olms is a collaboration between Pete Yorn and...
Today's song was written by Peter Yarrow of Peter, Paul and Mary. It was inspired by the 1957 novel Doctor Zhivago. No one was inspired by the song this morning. It was rejected by almost all the listeners.
Today is World Goth Day, a day to celebrate the post-punk, anti-establishment, dark clothes-wearing subculture.
I'm pretty sure I was a Goth for at least for little while, for two reasons.
1) I almost hardly ever wear pastels.
2) I used to...
Hello to all from Nfusion. Another round of challenges has moved beyond us all. Congrats to those of us lucky enough to have survived to this point. Sad to see the others eliminated as they were all very creative and talented. Good Bye to our new friends...
This morning it seemed like just about everyone was in the mood for some Funky Cold Medina...except Kitty. This ridiculous song made it all the way to number 3 in 1989. Jonathan says any song that references advertising dogs from the 80's has got...
Madison's summer music festival season kicks off this weekend with Brat Fest at Willow Island, where there are more bands than you can shake a bratwurst at! Check out the Brat Fest website to plan your itinerary.
Next up is the Marquette...
John Fogerty is making the talk show rounds this week, stopping in to see David Letterman Tuesday and Wednesday, and the ladies of "The View" on Thursday.
He's promoting his new album, "Wrote a Song For Everyone" which comes out next Tuesday...
It's a miracle that both Jonathan and KItty wanted to hear Barry Manilow this morning. They were not alone. Plenty of Fanilow's called in to vote yes. One caller claimed to have seen Manilow in concert 25 times!
As 2009 draws to a close, we're all wondering..what's ahead for 2010? Lucky for you, I have a clairvoyant streak. And a crystal ball.
Here are some of my predictions for the New Year:
-Madison Mayor Dave Cieslewicz makes up for snow plowing mistakes by agreeing to mow every one's lawn this summer. Outlying neighborhoods first.
-After the statewide smoking ban goes into effect in July, all bars cease to exist. Business flourishes however at lemonade stands.
-Octo-mom, tired of taking care of so many children, sets several of them aloft in an experimental weather balloon, but doesn't tell anybody.
-Coldplay releases a new album, and is sued by Flock of Seagulls for ripping off one of their songs. The songs sound nothing alike..they just wanted their name mentioned in the same breath as Coldplay.
-The president and first lady are embarassed when they show up uninvited to a soiree at the home of Tareq and Michaele Salahi. The Obamas insist they had an invitation.
-Hoping for more international publicity, Chelsey "Sully" Sullenberger lands a part time job at Denny's.
-NBC announces Jay Leno will be getting an even earlier timeslot, anchoring the 5th hour of the Today Show.
-Taylor Swift turns 21, cuts off her hair and gets married in Vegas. For some reason, Britney Spears is really jealous.
-For the first time,Ticketmaster fees surpass the price of concert tickets. The company does not feel your outrage.
-Scientists find cures for swine flu, the common cold, and premature hair loss. But since the health care bill was never passed, no one can afford them.
Yesterday I told you about my 5 favorite Madison concerts of the decade. This new list includes shows that involved a bit of a road trip.
1. Crosby, Stills, Nash, and Young at the Bradley Center in Milwaukee, April 2000. I believe this was the first show in their"Y2K" tour. All four of them were in high spirits..and genuinely seemed to enjoy being around each other! At one point, Graham Nash put on a Cheesehead..and Neil called him shameless. The show ended with a rip it up version of "Rockin' in the Free World." Neil broke ALL the strings on his guitar!
2. Jeff Beck at the Eagles Ballroom in Milwaukee, March 2001. This was the second time I saw Jeff Beck, and was of course accompanied by my guitar player boyfriend, Mike, who was watching with binoculars to make sure he didn't miss anything. We were in the 6th row. This is the first time I saw Jeff play his version of the Beatles "A Day in the Life," which is nominated for a Grammy this year!
3)Paul McCartney at the United Center in Chicago, April 2002. Yeah, he's cheesy, yeah, he's over the top cute, but HE'S A BEATLE! Some idiot behind me was trying to ruin everything by talking through the whole thing, but I eventually got over that and let the music take over. I saw the same show a few months later in Milwaukee and it seemd kinda lame the second time...but I was in full-on Beatlemania in Chicago.
4)Sonny Landreth at the Monroe Blues Festival in Monroe, WI, September, 2007. I've seen Sonny a bunch of times, but this was by far the best.  I was standing right up front for a great view of his slide guitar wizardry.
5)Bruce Springsteen and the E-Street Band, at the Bradley Center in Milwaukee, November 2009. Now I know what all the hype is about! When he was body-passed through the crowd to the stage on the 3rd song, I knew something special was about to happen. And he played "Kitty's Back," especially for me. This might be the best show I've ever seen.
Here's Jeff Beck playing "A Day in the Life" at the Crossroads Guitar Festival in 2007...a concert I should have attended.
It's only natural that we take time to reflect, as we reach the end of the decade. In the last ten years, we pretty much said goodbye to the cathode ray tube TV, the cassette tape, lickable stamps, and the Rolodex. Those were a few of the items on a list compiled by 
