What has disappeared since you were a kid

[RaceBoarder]

Re: What has disappeared since you were a kid

Here's another Chicagoland one: There was a time when there was something called "Chicago" Ice Cream, it referred to a three flavors like Neopolitan, only the flavors were vanilla, coffee and orange sherbet. I mean, yummmmmm.

Whisky Tango Foxtrot? I've never heard of that one That just seems.... Ewwww...

 

[The Rube]

Re: What has disappeared since you were a kid

Here's another Chicagoland one: There was a time when there was something called "Chicago" Ice Cream, it referred to a three flavors like Neopolitan, only the flavors were vanilla, coffee and orange sherbet. I mean, yummmmmm.

In the old days, every big city had a TV station that showed the old Universal horror flicks, Frankenstein, The Mummy, The Invisible Man, etc. Usually on Friday or Saturday night. And usually with some weird dude introducing the flicks. In Chicago it was Shock Theatre, with "Marvin," who, come to think of it, is probably serving life in Statesville for diddling little boys. Plus, you could always count on somebody showing the Stooges and Laurel and Hardy, too. Now it's reruns of "Saved by the Bell," not exactly an improvement.

Don't be knocking "Saved By The Bell."

Although I do love me some Laurel and Hardy shorts. Wish they would sort sh* out and release all of them on a DVD box set. "Them Thar Hills" is probably my favorite short from them.

 

[MissThundercat]

Re: What has disappeared since you were a kid

My waistline...disappeared...gone.

Yours too? Not that I'm wondering where mine went...

 

[thebrain]

Re: What has disappeared since you were a kid

Here's another Chicagoland one: There was a time when there was something called "Chicago" Ice Cream, it referred to a three flavors like Neopolitan, only the flavors were vanilla, coffee and orange sherbet. I mean, yummmmmm.

In the old days, every big city had a TV station that showed the old Universal horror flicks, Frankenstein, The Mummy, The Invisible Man, etc. Usually on Friday or Saturday night. And usually with some weird dude introducing the flicks. In Chicago it was Shock Theatre, with "Marvin," who, come to think of it, is probably serving life in Statesville for diddling little boys. Plus, you could always count on somebody showing the Stooges and Laurel and Hardy, too. Now it's reruns of "Saved by the Bell," not exactly an improvement.

Speaking of Chicago, how about Bozo the Clown?

 

[Scarlet]

Re: What has disappeared since you were a kid

Bosco

Cain's potato chips

 

[HockeyBum]

Re: What has disappeared since you were a kid

Lax child safety standards. When I was a kid, I used to ride in the flatbed of my parents pickup truck all the time. They had a topper, but obviously no restraints. I even rode back there to/from our house in the Twin Cities to my grandparents farm in North Dakota (a 4+ hour drive). I'd climb back and forth through the back window between the cab and the bed while doing 60 MPH on the interstate. Parents would probably get arrested for that nowdays.

People also had those big '70's station wagons with the rear-facing seat. We never had one, but I loved riding with friends whose parents had one.

 

[FadeToBlack&Gold]

Re: What has disappeared since you were a kid

The belief that I would just be handed a $60,000/yr. job as soon as I had a Bachelor's degree.

 

[Twitch Boy]

Re: What has disappeared since you were a kid

The belief that I would just be handed a $60,000/yr. job as soon as I had a Bachelor's degree.

And I just LOVE the people who call us "entitled" if we make one peep about it.

The alternative to being "entitled" for me was staying home in one of the fastest-dying cities in the country, working at McDonald's, smoking pot, and knocking up my girlfriend, like the rest of my hometown.

Also, what happens when you have a young, educated, "entitled" populace who can't scratch out a life for themselves? Just ask Hosni Mubarak.

 

[leswp1]

Re: What has disappeared since you were a kid

And I just LOVE the people who call us "entitled" if we make one peep about it.

The alternative to being "entitled" for me was staying home in one of the fastest-dying cities in the country, working at McDonald's, smoking pot, and knocking up my girlfriend, like the rest of my hometown.

Also, what happens when you have a young, educated, "entitled" populace who can't scratch out a life for themselves? Just ask Hosni Mubarak.

Folks are coming out of school now are behind the 8 ball before they step out of the door.

When we were first starting out there was a lot less we 'needed' to move out and get started. You got your friends or family's left over dishes, kitchen stuff and furniture, a little black and white TV with rabbit ears that got 3 stations, you paid telephone- local only and extra for long distance, heat and electric. You turned the lights out early to save on electricity and you put plastic on the windows (inside) to keep the heat in. Did the laundry in the laundromat and hung everything on racks in the house so we didn't have to pay for the dryer. Dinner sometimes was was ramen noodles. You didn't need to pay extra to get TV, cable was not invented yet. There was no internet (which is how you job search now). Heck, the internet was not invented when I moved out. There were no cell phones so no one expected to reach you immediately to set up an interview. Gas cost under a dollar a gallon. Most people had no credit card debt (you couldn't get a credit card unless you were qualified and that was a struggle if you didn't have a job) and student loans were significantly less. I think I owed 8 K after I got out of grad school. Nothing after my BS. A semester cost under 500$ in the state school

Talk about things that have disappeared ...simplicity might be high on the list.

 

[The Rube]

Re: What has disappeared since you were a kid

Folks are coming out of school now are behind the 8 ball before they step out of the door.

When we were first starting out there was a lot less we 'needed' to move out and get started. You got your friends or family's left over dishes, kitchen stuff and furniture, a little black and white TV with rabbit ears that got 3 stations, you paid telephone- local only and extra for long distance, heat and electric. You turned the lights out early to save on electricity and you put plastic on the windows (inside) to keep the heat in. Did the laundry in the laundromat and hung everything on racks in the house so we didn't have to pay for the dryer. Dinner sometimes was was ramen noodles. You didn't need to pay extra to get TV, cable was not invented yet. There was no internet (which is how you job search now). Heck, the internet was not invented when I moved out. There were no cell phones so no one expected to reach you immediately to set up an interview. Gas cost under a dollar a gallon. Most people had no credit card debt (you couldn't get a credit card unless you were qualified and that was a struggle if you didn't have a job) and student loans were significantly less. I think I owed 8 K after I got out of grad school. Nothing after my BS. A semester cost under 500$ in the state school

Talk about things that have disappeared ...simplicity might be high on the list.

Yep. Moved out within 6 months of leaving college, given that I had two jobs totalling 70-80 hrs/week, and could scrape by (FT job paid the bills and a little extra, the PT job was my "fun" money). Cable was a luxury my roommate and I could afford, meals were lots of Hamburger Helper and pasta (not quite Ramen, but still inexpensive for "real" food). Nights out? Rarely, although mostly due to the jobs I had; but in hindsight that helped, since I didn't spend money: didn't have the time.

You found ways to make a dime. Generic foodstuff here, carpool there, whatever. You found a way.

Today, the only people I accuse of being "entitled" are the ones who don't actually work for their money and expect all their hopes to be delivered in a nice neat little gift-wrapped box. Heck, expect all you want. But if you don't work for it, * ya. Twitch, you moved to two desolate states for your jobs. Kudos. While there are some benefits to the places you went, I doubt they were your first choices. You had to make some sacrifices. So be it. You're earning your dough. Congrats.

/soapbox

 

[Old Pio]

Re: What has disappeared since you were a kid

Speaking of Chicago, how about Bozo the Clown?

Greatest locally produced kids show of all time. When you requested tickets to see Bozo, you got in line behind half a million people. The wait was over 7 years!

 

[Twitch Boy]

Re: What has disappeared since you were a kid

Today, the only people I accuse of being "entitled" are the ones who don't actually work for their money and expect all their hopes to be delivered in a nice neat little gift-wrapped box. Heck, expect all you want. But if you don't work for it, * ya. Twitch, you moved to two desolate states for your jobs. Kudos. While there are some benefits to the places you went, I doubt they were your first choices. You had to make some sacrifices. So be it. You're earning your dough. Congrats.

/soapbox

Ummm...dude, I work for the federal government

I knew Michigan was out of the question years ago. Cheyenne was luck of the draw, Alaska was more my choice seeing what my options were. My #1 choice was the Twin Cities because that's where all the people I knew from Tech/USCHO/etc. went, but that wasn't available.

I think a lot of the "entitlement" mentality actually comes from the parents. They're the ones who spent 18 years telling us "ZOMG YOU'RE SO SMART, YOU HAFTA GO TO COLLEGE AND YOU'LL MAKE ELEVENTY BILLION DOLLARS AND IF YOU DON'T, YOU'RE A FAILURE TO THE FAMILY NAME AND YOU'RE GONNA LIVE IN A VAN DOWN BY THE RIVER!" I admit that was the mentality I was fed going into Tech. The voices were all the same: Tech was going to be hard, but if you make it out you'll be pretty much set for life.

Wait until Gen Y starts figuring out the costs/benefits of college and stops going. Then it's going to be a ****show.

 

[thebrain]

Re: What has disappeared since you were a kid

Greatest locally produced kids show of all time. When you requested tickets to see Bozo, you got in line behind half a million people. The wait was over 7 years!

I used to watch it every morning on WGN. I remember a Bozo was coming to the Carson Pierrie Scott at the Mall down the street, you couldn't get anywhere close to it.

 

[Old Pio]

Re: What has disappeared since you were a kid

I used to watch it every morning on WGN. I remember a Bozo was coming to the Carson Pierrie Scott at the Mall down the street, you couldn't get anywhere close to it.

When it started, Bozo was on at noon (in those days kids in Chicagoland came home for lunch for the most part). When that ended, WGN moved the show to AM. Depending on when you watched, Ringmaster Ned may still have been with the show. I bumped into him in a chicken joint in Denver one time and managed not to mess myself.

Bozo creator Larry Harmon sold packages involving the cartoons, the name Bozo and the look of the clown to TV stations across the country. But only in Chicago did he become such a big deal. In fact, from time to time Ringmaster Ned would announce that WGN's BOZO never made personal appearances. And Bob Bell, who originated the role and played him for 25 years, would never permit himself to be photographed while changing. He was either Bob Bell or Bozo, no in between. What made Chicago's Bozo so special was that the show wasn't just an excuse to play cartoons. Sketches, The Grand Prize Game, live circus acts (including at least one that had appeared on the Sullivan show), and a 12 piece band. Pretty high production values for a local show 30 or 40 years ago.

Of course the FCC sounded the death knell for the show by requiring "educational" content. Guess kids aren't allowed to have a good time. Can you see Bozo ripping through the times tables? What nonsense.

 

[thebrain]

Re: What has disappeared since you were a kid

When it started, Bozo was on at noon (in those days kids in Chicagoland came home for lunch for the most part). When that ended, WGN moved the show to AM. Depending on when you watched, Ringmaster Ned may still have been with the show. I bumped into him in a chicken joint in Denver one time and managed not to mess myself.

I don't remember much about the show, I just remember the final game was like throwing ping pong balls into buckets that kept getting further away. I do remember Cookie the Clown, Bozo's sidekick.

I do remember one joke from the show"
Bozo, "How do you pronounce the capital of Missouri is it St. Louis(Lewis) or St. Louis(Louie)?"
Cookie, "Lewis"
Bozo, "No, it's Jefferson City"

 

[Old Pio]

Re: What has disappeared since you were a kid

I don't remember much about the show, I just remember the final game was like throwing ping pong balls into buckets that kept getting further away. I do remember Cookie the Clown, Bozo's sidekick.

I do remember one joke from the show"
Bozo, "How do you pronounce the capital of Missouri is it St. Louis(Lewis) or St. Louis(Louie)?"
Cookie, "Lewis"
Bozo, "No, it's Jefferson City"

The Grand Prize Game was a very big deal. You make it to bucket #6 and you get all the prizes in 1-5, plus a bike and a bag full of silver dollars. Not a bad day's work for a 9 year old.

They did a lot of adult type jokes, inside baseball, double entendres (not dirty) for the older crowd. One time I recall they were doing a version of the old gag where Bozo's sawing at the legs of a chair to get them all the same length. And when he put the chair up on a table, there was a handwritten note underneath, clearly visible on the air, that said "Bozo is a phynque." You could hear the crew cackling in the background. The idea being to see what ad lib Bozo would come up with. Ray Raynor was Bozo's first accomplice, he played Oliver O. Oliver, who was from Puffluff, Kentucky. Raynor had been a staple of local programming in Chicago for years, and not just kids shows.

 

[The Rube]

Re: What has disappeared since you were a kid

Ummm...dude, I work for the federal government

I knew Michigan was out of the question years ago. Cheyenne was luck of the draw, Alaska was more my choice seeing what my options were. My #1 choice was the Twin Cities because that's where all the people I knew from Tech/USCHO/etc. went, but that wasn't available.

I think a lot of the "entitlement" mentality actually comes from the parents. They're the ones who spent 18 years telling us "ZOMG YOU'RE SO SMART, YOU HAFTA GO TO COLLEGE AND YOU'LL MAKE ELEVENTY BILLION DOLLARS AND IF YOU DON'T, YOU'RE A FAILURE TO THE FAMILY NAME AND YOU'RE GONNA LIVE IN A VAN DOWN BY THE RIVER!" I admit that was the mentality I was fed going into Tech. The voices were all the same: Tech was going to be hard, but if you make it out you'll be pretty much set for life.

Wait until Gen Y starts figuring out the costs/benefits of college and stops going. Then it's going to be a ****show.

I was in line to be the second in my family to get a major U degree, more specifically in accounting/business (planned to be a CPA). Ooops. Kinda found myself and my soul. Hello, blue collar! Had to earn it all, instead of getting it delivered.

 

[IrishWildcat]

Anyone remember when Market Basket was DeMoulas?

The last true DeMoulas was in Salem, NH. Tore it down to re-build a (much nicer) Market Basket in its place. Still, going in there was like a trip in a time machine.

Does anybody remember Jello 1-2-3? It was this stuff that separated itself into 3 layers, and it was quite tasty.

 

[SteveP]

Re: What has disappeared since you were a kid

Interesting column today that highlights the loss of something from our childhood.

FUN!

Some people look back on their childhood and long to be able to reclaim those wonderfully free days when the sun was always shining and you didn’t have a care in the world.

Not me. I’ve been watching what’s been happening to childhood lately and frankly I’m glad I’m not a little kid right now. I’m also glad I don’t have little kids right now.

If you’re a kid, you can’t walk to school by yourself. It’s too dangerous. You can’t ride your bike to the store. You might be kidnapped. You can’t even ride in the front seat of the car. Way, way too dangerous.

You can’t have playground equipment in your schoolyard. Someone might get hurt. You can’t touch anyone. Touching, as we all know, leads to poking and poking leads to punching and punching leads to … well, we can’t have that. You can’t even play soccer during recess. Again, someone might get hurt.

There are no sandboxes anymore in parks and playgrounds. Cats pee in them. And don’t even think of picking up a snowball. I think that might call for something approaching the death penalty. Best to go home, turn on mom’s Wii Fit program and play the virtual snowball fight game. No actual exercise involved, of course, but much, much safer.

And now, the snow police.

Out in Etobicoke’s Centennial Park, where that famous hill of garbage is populated all winter long with skiers and snowboarders and sledders, the Toronto Star recently reported the city has off-duty police officers on patrol on weekends to make sure no one toboggans on the steepest slope. It’s been going on for the last five years and the reason is too many injuries.

 

[jen]

Re: What has disappeared since you were a kid

Does anybody remember Jello 1-2-3? It was this stuff that separated itself into 3 layers, and it was quite tasty.

Dr. Oetker makes a similar product called Trio Treat. I've found it in higher-end grocery stores (I wouldn't recommend Dr. Oetker for other products, but this one is OK).