Today's favorite thing: childhood toys and childhood memories re-discovered amongst the many, many discarded and neglected treasures of the flea market! That's a mouthful!
Yesterday while browsing a local flea market, I glanced up at a high shelf in a deserted stall and I saw a little freckled red face beaming down at me. "Jingle-apple? Is that you?". I stretched up on tippy toe and grasped in my hands a plump little body, hearing the comfortingly familiar jingle-dingle-jangle, as I pulled him from his perch. His eyes were turned up toward me as he grinned at me, and I grinned back. It was the Fisher-Price Happy Apple.
Jingle Apple was a fixture in our home for years when I was a child. I don't know to which one of us he actually belonged. Ownership was never really important in our house where hand-me-downs were de rigeur. Nothing was ever yours for long, and for the the most part, we were pretty happy to share anyway. Our happy apple had his stem chewed through by some curious teething mouth, but he remained happy despite the amputation.
Jingle Apple has been sitting beside me at my work table since he came home. I keep glancing at his happy face and giving him a wiggle to hear him laugh in his jingly cadence. Today, he is for certain my very favorite thing.
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2 comments:
eek! the happy apple - my favourite toy. *sigh* I still have mine - it's 33 years old, just like me.
mom says that she had 4 mo. old me in her arms going down the wide isle of a store, when i let out this squeal of absolute glee. i had spotted the happy apple up on a shelf 3 or 4 isles away. the closer we got to it, the more excited i got. they were relatively expensive at the time, but mom couldn't go home and leave the thing that brought me such joy. thanks, mom.
and thank you, string - your post made my tummy tickle.
Ahhhh... that is a great story! I can't believe that you have your original apple still... now that is love!
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