This little guy has had quite a history. My Mom made this toy for me when I was pretty young (I'm not sure how old...probably around four or five). It was hand carved out of balsa wood and hand painted. She modeled it after me. It used to have blond hair (it's rubbed off now) and yes...my skin was probably that white. She made it for me one Christmas when we were struggling financially as a family. My Dad was working to get his t-shirt printing business off the ground and we just didn't have very much money to get Christmas gifts for each other. If I remember correctly, this same year, my Mom made me a hand-sown Mickey Mouse doll. Anyway, as I grew up, I played with this toy off and on. Sometimes I'd see it and play with it. Sometimes it would be hidden on the bottom of my toy chest. But, it would always pop up for me to find. As I grew older and moved on to more technical toys, this poor guy fell by the wayside. When I was 13, my parents divorced. I decided to live with my Dad for a season, which released my Mom to move to Torrance and marry a man named David Vincent. Somehow, she ended up with this "Little Wooden Me". It was displayed prominently in her doll collection for a number of years. When I was 16, my Mom and Dave gave birth to my half-sister, Sarah. "Little Wooden Me" got a new life as a toy for a little girl. I don't know how often she played with it. I don't have any memories of Sarah playing with it, but I know she had this toy at her disposal. When I was in my early adult years, I moved to Torrance and got a job working at a preschool in Manhattan Beach as a teacher. My sister, who was now four, went to this preschool and was even in my class. Every child was required to have an earthquake kit at the preschool that consisted of some food, medicine, and some familiar toys and photos to help comfort the kids in an emergency. I knew Sarah had an earthquake kit, but I didn't know what was in it. When Sarah turned five, my Mom and Step-Dad decided to relocate to Indiana due to a job transfer. I missed my little sister very much. It was a very difficult time for me, knowing that I wouldn't get to be a very big part of her life as she grew up halfway across the country. A few months later, while I still worked at the preschool, Ms. Susan, the Head of the Preschool, found Sarah's earthquake kit when she was cleaning up. She brought it to me. I opened it up and wouldn't you know it..."Little Wooden Me" was nestled inside (along with a photo, a juice-box, and some snacks). I think I ate the snacks and the juice box (Hey...I was only making $900 a month and my rent was $650...times were hard). I took "Little Wooden Me" home and held on to him for sentimental reasons. Now, skip forward a few more years. I got married in 1999 and "Little Wooden Me" joined the new home that Joi and I made with each other. He was lovingly tucked away in a memories drawer. In 2002, we welcomed Garrison to the family and I came across "Little Wooden me" while going through that drawer. I decided that he needed to be shared with a new generation...so I gave it to him. "Little Wooden Me" was passed down from Garrison to Gage...and then to Gavin. They all played with him from time to time. Whenever I would come across it in their room, I would tell them the story of how "Little Wooden Me" was given to me when we were very poor and how it doesn't matter what a gift costs and that it's the thought that counts. Yesterday, I went upstairs to get ready for bed and "Little Wooden Me" was sitting on my side of the bed. I don't know if Joi put it there because she was cleaning out the boys' toys and wanted to see what I wanted to do with it...or if the boys were playing with it and left it on my bed. As I sat there looking at him, I noticed how worn he was. The paint is coming off. It's dented and scratched. It's over 30 years old...so it's starting to show it's age. I realized that this little toy was played with by five children over the course of 30 years. I might clean it up, repaint it, and give it to my Grandchildren to play with...so that I can share the story about that Christmas back in the mid 70's when we were poor and struggling. I wonder how many more generations can enjoy this little toy.
3 comments:
Yes, your skin was that white when you were little. I remember a lot of stuff but i don't remember him, he is pretty cool and kind of looks like you. What i remember most out of the toys was that giant blue stuffed ant eater and all of the star wars toys. Little wooden you is a very cool keepsake to have fix him up for when you are Grandpa toys with stories are the ones they will remember.
Even in the seventies, hand made toys were rare. If you were 4, that would have been 1976? Even Mom and Pop were pretty broke then. I don't remember Little Wooden Me, but I remember giving Dye fabric for her to make the giant blue anteater. I think a little new paint for Wooden Me would be a really good idea.
I remember making that toy very well. That year, we were so broke and I knew we couldn't get you much. I went to the thrift store and got you a little pair of brown jeans with a matching jacket and a few small toys, but it didn't really seem like very much. In my closet at home, I had an old worn black sweater, so I got the idea to make a Mickey Mouse doll. I still have that doll in my collection. It's sealed into a dust proof doll case.
One day I was sitting at work answering the phone [although no one ever called] and I was really bored. I found a short piece of 1x2 wood laying on the table and decided to start carving it into something. I actually got this idea from watching "The Waltons" and seeing Grandpa Walton carve things while talking to the kids. I had intended to make a wooden soldier, but as I carved at it, it started looking like you, Chris. I remember putting it into your stocking on Christmas Eve and hoping you would be okay with it as a gift.
Over the years, I could have thrown it away while cleaning yours or Sarah's rooms, but I had worked so hard on it that I didn't have the heart to get rid of it.
It really makes me long for having more time in my life to do more creative things like that.
Funny over the years how we never actually named the toy. Little Wooden Me seems like a good name.
That anteater stands out, because he was too big to just have in your room and he took up all your bed, so we hung him from a lamp hook in the ceiling above your drum kit. It was pretty hard not to notice it. LOL
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