Time Capsule | Escape Adulthood with Kim & Jason

Why Capn’ Crunch, the Trix Rabbit and Toucan Sam All Have Adultitis

croonchy-stars
I have never once considered the sugar-laden cereals that warm my heart and gladden my belly to be laced with Adultitis. Not once.

That is, until I came across a cereal that was born in 1988 called Cröonchy Stars. Although 80s were my halcyon years of cereal eating, I’d never heard of them until my friend Lisa brought them to my attention a few weeks ago. The brainchild of Jim Henson and featuring his Muppet character The Swedish Chef, Cröonchy Stars was a cinnamon toast flavored cereal packaged in a box peppered with ridiculous, and sometimes unsolvable, games and puzzles. One time it included a contest to see how many times you could find the word “rutabaga” hidden on the box and how many times it was spelled correctly. Continue Reading →

Lincoln Log Forest

lincoln-log-forest
My favorite segments of Mr. Roger’s Neighborhood were when he would do some kind of epic behind-the-scenes factory tour. I remember the crayon factory, the marble factory, and the interview with Lou Ferrigno, aka The Incredible Hulk. Epic, I tell you.

I’ve always been fascinated with where things come from, and perhaps I have Mr. Rogers to thank for that.

This painting depicts where Lincoln Logs come from, in case you were wondering. It’s a fact, look it up.

Lincoln Log Forest by Jason Kotecki

17 Surprisingly Practical Uses for Silly Putty

There is great debate in toy history as to who really invented Silly Putty. One thing is for sure: we can thank the American rationing of rubber during Word War II for its existence. The shortage of rubber was due to the Japanese invasion of many rubber-producing countries during that time period, which led the U.S. government to fund research into synthetic rubber compounds.

James Wright, the man who was awarded the patent in 1943, discovered that reacting boric acid with silicone oil would produce a gooey, bouncy material with several unique properties. Although it never became a suitable rubber substitute, it eventually become known as Silly Putty.

Interestingly, after his discovery, Wright sent samples to scientists all over the world, and not one was able to find a practical use for it.

The fools!

Everyone knows that Silly Putty is great at lifting comic strips from the newspaper :)

And in the past sixty-odd years, we’ve amassed a number of other surprisingly practical uses for Silly Putty: Continue Reading →

Adultitis-Fighting…Furniture?

Look! It’s a picnic table! It’s a family-sized rocking chair! It’s a playpen for toddlers! It’s a…bar???

This multifunctional patio furniture designed by Lester Walker was featured in Popular Science back in 1970. I like the whimsy of it, but I can’t get past the models. In the immortal words of Heath Ledger’s Joker, “Why so serious?” I find it highly improbable that anyone could maintain such a straight face sitting in something like this.

Oh well, keep on rocking…sometimes Adultitis is hard to crack.

Mister Rogers Remixed

PBS and video mash-up artist John D. Boswell, aka melodysheep, teamed up to create this awesome tribute to Mr. Rogers. Seeing the clips of Mr. Rogers’ house made me remember how much I longed to play there, what with the sand table, the fish tank, and the sweet Land of Make Believe toys. Bonus points for the awesome fridge.

This is a great little video. And remember, “It’s good to be curious.”

Live Like the Flintstones – Buy Their House!

Actually, it’s Dick Clark’s house. But it’s real, and it’s in Malibu. The single-story Flintstones inspired home has one bedroom, two bathrooms, and views of the mountains and the Pacific Ocean. And it could be yours for a paltry $3.5 million.

According to this article, animal appliances are not included in the deal. But the home sits on a 22-acre property, so there should be plenty of room to build a garage for your foot-powered vehicle.

Which will probably be the only cars allowed in California soon.
Continue Reading →

The Cardboard Chameleon

It’s the thing that gets played with the most on Christmas morning.

It’s been inducted into the National Toy Hall of Fame.

It’s the blank canvas that can, with the cleverness of a child’s imagination, swiftly transform from a a getaway car to a medieval castle to a time machine at a moment’s notice.

It is proof, as Thomas Edison proclaimed, that the greatest invention in the world is the mind of a child.

[ Acrylic on watercolor paper, 10 x 14 inches. ]

Top 50 TV Show Themes of Childhood

They say smell is the sense that is most closely tied to memory, but I’ve got to think that the sense of hearing has to be right up there, especially when it comes in the form of themes of TV shows you used to watch as a kid. This list took a long time to put together, but it comes with a guarantee that you’ll be transported back to childhood. Great pains were taken so you’d be able to listen to each theme song right here on the page, and there was much debate on where each song should be placed on the list. Continue Reading →

The Day the Wagon Queen Family Truckster Pulled Into My Driveway

I love my job. A few years ago, Kim and I got a behind-the-scenes tour of a 27-foot-long hot dog on wheels, aka the Wienermobile. This summer, we were able to take a spin in another classic vehicle — an exact replica of the Wagon Queen Family Truckster that Chevy Chase drove in National Lampoon’s Vacation. Continue Reading →

1980′s Flashback: 22 Movies For Family Night

Fire up the ol’ time machine for a trip back to the 80′s. Here are 22 classic movies from the decade that are worth revisiting for your next movie night. They’re generally very family friendly, but some may contain some scary scenes or questionable language, so be sure to pre-screen them if you have little ones!

E.T. (1982): A group of Earth children help a stranded alien botanist return home.

The Dark Crystal (1982): On another planet in the distant past, a Gelfling embarks on a quest to find the missing shard of a magical crystal, and so restore order to his world.

Gremlins (1984): A boy inadvertently breaks 3 important rules concerning his new pet and unleashes a horde of malevolently mischievous monsters on a small town.

Neverending Story (1984): A troubled boy dives into a wonderous fantasy world through the pages of a mysterious book. Continue Reading →

What It’s Really Like Driving The Wienermobile

Last summer, we had a chance to tour a real live Oscar Mayer Wienermobile. (You can watch it here.) The fun-loving people who drive the Wienermobile are called Hotdoggers. They criss-cross the country, looking for bridges that are high enough to drive under so they don’t get their bun stuck. The guys and gals have a collective blog which features pictures of the inside of the Wienermobile and stories about what it’s like driving a giant hot dog down the highway.

Becoming an real live Hotdogger is quite the longshot, but reading the blog is a great way to escape adulthood and live vicariously through their experience.

Meanwhile, if you see the Wienermobile whistling down the highway the next time you’re driving, here are the top five ways to say “Hi” (Brought to you by actual Hotdogger Lunch Luvin’ Larisa):

1. The Standard Wave
On our way to Wyoming there was a traffic jam lining the opposite side of the highway. The traffic went on for miles and miles. To cheer everyone up we decided to slide open our windows and wave. Even though everyone was miserable while waiting in the traffic we counted 47 waves in about a 5 mile spread. Talk about spreading miles of smiles! Continue Reading →

Big Top Living Room

I love spring in Madison. The bright green grass, the confident and colorful tulips, and the light green buds on all of the trees. It takes a number of rainy days to get this glorious combination, though. Here’s a rainy day idea that will be sure to lift your spirits… and bring back from treasured memories.

Build a tent made of couch cushions and blankets. Remember when you did this as a kid? Just think about how much cooler you could make it, now that you have a little life experience on your side. Brainstorm the layout and materials. Try to identify unconventional items that may work well to secure your design. My childhood standbys were rubber bands and heavy books, to secure the blankets. Once it’s operational get out the flashlights, some good books, and enjoy the cozy (and nostalgic) comfort.

Check out this fort made for grown-ups. (Hat tip to Hillary Johnson.)

How did you make your living room forts when you were little?

Time Travel on a Budget

Be honest. When was the last time you read a children’s book…minus the audience of a child nearby? It’s been a while for me, but I can easily remember some of my favorites: The Very Hungry Caterpillar, Where the Wild Things Are, George’s Marvelous Medicine, The Twits, and Where the Sidewalk Ends. True classics. My third grade teacher read the Roald Dahl books (Medicine and Twits) to us in class, and I still remember the colorful descriptions painted in words.

Jen Robinson has a pretty cool blog promoting “the love of books by children and the continued reading of children’s books by adults.” I was particularly struck by a post entitled, “Why You Should Read Children’s Books as an Adult.” She outlines some really great points. Here’s my favorite: Continue Reading →