Bob,

Do you happen to have any photos of those toys from back then?

There's so much more imagination that goes into this than ever goes into a branded piece of plastic. Makes me wonder if we in the so-called developed world realize how much we actually take away from children when we engage in seemingly benign capitalistic activities (and sometimes blatantly transparent, as with Hummers in Happy Meals). Then again, the people trying to turn a buck probably don't have either the concern or the imagination to realize that possibility.

Those were quite common in Thailand about a generation ago, before manufactured toys became plentiful. When I was a boy growing up in Thailand, they had home made tops, cars, lorrys, alas -- now it's a lost art.