I've got three suitcases of 1981 toys, well, 1981 part 1, January to July, and I looked through
some of them; I hadn't seen these for a long time, and most of them needed some attention,
some repairing. So let's see how we get on. This first one is a charming thing for small kids
to practice their skill with pushing the buttons and making that piece of cheese
roll in different places, all over the place. So, it's quite cheaply made, it's just got a cardboard
backing which I had to take off the other day to see what had happened to the cheese -
he got lost! - but this is what it does. I'll just see if I can operate it from the other side;
you've got to push these buttons with a certain amount of push like that, in order to get it up the hill
and into the next person's [level]. There we are, about there; and there's a little bell which goes
with that, which is rather sweet; the only one that has a bell actually. So we've got to find
the lion, and I'm going to do a bit of a... no... now we get up to the bird, it's up there yes, and
then we've got... the bird has to go...no, wrong one... where is the bird [button] ? Here we go...
yep, and finally it's up to that one there, and I've got to do... yes, that's right, and it
comes out [at the bottom] and it's turned around the other way, the cheese is now upside down.
Let's do it one more time, shall we? Getting back again... then the lion, oh yes,
sometimes you can do it first time; then the bird, you've got to go like that, no it's gone back
again, oh not too hard, the kids [have] got to learn to do a certain amount of push,
and not too much push, otherwise it hits the roof or something like that;
and then one to there, oh we've done it wrong again; one more time, the lion...
let's do the bird a bit more carefully this time, there we are,
and finally we've got whatever that thing at the top is;
and there it's come down. Wonderful! What a nice thing for kids to learn to do, pushing but not
too much, and not too little either. You have got to exactly learn to judge and balance between the two.
That's good training for the muscles. A much simpler little toy is just this simple little egg,
it's quite a funny one this; it's quite quite sweet inside, it's a little opening one [toy]
So what does it do? Well, you've just got to lift the lid with your finger like that,
up comes the chicken; but it squeaks, and it squeaks when it opens, and sometimes it squeaks
when it closes too. Both ways - it makes two sorts of noises, one of those and one that way.
That's just the sort of thing that kids love playing,
more like 'eee' or 'eeyore' isn't it actually? But they're a fun thing for kids for Easter time. It
doesn't produce a sweet, but he does that, so a good one! The last one is the most bizarre
I think, although it looks like an ordinary - well ordinary pink elephant! It's normally pink,
well this one is. It's a wind-up one, so I'm going to wind it up and see what he does. He's probably
going to walk this way to that way, or that way or sometimes they go backwards these things,
but we'll see. He's got nice big flappy ears too; the tail spins around fast as it's going,
as it's doing its little antics. So let's see how far it walks or whatever else it's going to do;
here we go, watch the tail wiggling around; whoof... what's he gonna do? He's not walking, oh
he's fallen over; oh yes - he's doing a handstand, that's what it is! And now he's going to walk? No,
I'm going to push him into the middle of the field again. Let's have another go. Oh! Down he goes!
He's balancing and doing a handstand on the front two legs. How about that? Oh,
and he's gonna fall into my lap too! [laughs] That's all it does, it doesn't actually walk.
Those legs are not used for walking, they're used for doing handstands! What an extraordinary idea.
Unique amongst my collection of funny animals, that is. So that's very bizarre. 1981.
Good year. Do you like it? He likes you!! [laughs]