I Was A Sweet Child of the Fifties

I came across this photo recently and it took me back to another time and place. The photo was snapped during the 1950's decade which most people associate with postwar baby-boomers and the sprawling suburbs in America. But if I had to choose one word to describe the 50's, it would have to be "innocence"! For example, I didn't have a top on in this photo because it was no big deal back then. It's a perfect example of the innocence many of us grew up with! Parents protected their children from the truths associated with the grown up world, anyway mine did, and I have lots of friends and associates who could tell you the same. We didn't have to worry about child molesters and such, no internet to poison our minds. We could play outside all day long without the watchful eyes of parents, especially in the summer. It wasn't until the street lights came on that we were supposed to finally go inside.

When I first looked at this picture it gave me so much joy, and then I asked myself, who were these beautiful children? Who was I? Floods of memories came pouring in compelling me to look at the lighter side of the culture during the infamous decade! It helped me to rediscover who we were and how the culture led us to who we are today! In order to release those buried memories for you, I have compiled photos along with a list of games, TV shows, children's books, fashion, styles and family culture of the time. I hope it reconnects you to the positive side of the era. If you didn't grow up back then, take a look anyway and open up your perspective. It was a happy time filled with hopefulness for the future.

Note: The photos below came from my husband, Joseph Mirto's, photo album growing up in the Detroit suburbs and my family's growing up in Southwestern Michigan.

A:

Airplane Kits

American Bandstand

Alfred Hitchcock

Avengers Comics

American Pie

Army Men Toys

Apple Butter

Acrobats

A&W Rootbeer

Aqua-net Hairspray

Anklets

B:

Boxcar Children

Bobbie Socks

BB Guns

Boy Scouts

Bozo

Bullwinkle

Baseball Cards

Barbie Dolls

Bottle Openers

Bicycle Spokes with Cards Clipped to them

Baseball

Black & White TV

Bicycle Baskets

Barefoot All Summer

Pat Boone

Bangs

Beatnik

Binoculars

Bingo

Bazooka Bubblegum

Bermuda Shorts

Bobbing For Apples

Buzz Cuts

Bugs Bunny

C:

Crew Cuts

Christmas Morning

Captain Kangaroo

Can Can Skirts

Checkers

Chinese Checkers

Cat in the Hat

Coloring Books

Cooties

Comic Books

Cousins

Clothes Lines

Coin Collecting

Card Games

Cool Man

Cherry Coke

Clove Gum

Cracker Jacks

Coming inside when street lights came on

Chores

Cap Guns

Croquet Set

Cat Eye Marbles

Christmas Caroling

Cowboys

Chiffon Scarves

Cruis'n

Camping overnight in backyard

Cool Cars

Crackerjacks

D:

Davy Crockett Coon Skin Caps

Dress Codes

Dinner Bell

Duck Tail

Drive In Movies

Dick & Jane

Dirty Knees

Dr. Seuss

Discipline

Daddy-o

Drag Race

Girls mostly wore Dresses

E:

Erector Set

Etcha Sketch

Ed Sullivan

Easter Egg Hunt

Easter Hats

Extended Family

Elvis

F:

Farmer In The Dell

The Little Fire Engine Book

Frisbee

Forty Fives

Flat Top Haircut

Frosty the Snowman

Fifty Seven Chevy

Fans Blowing all Summer

Five & Ten Cent Store

Father Knows Best

Frankie Avalon

Fashion

Flower Girls

Flinstones - Yaba daba doooo

G:

Go-Karts

Girdles

Good & Plenty Candy

GI Joe

Girl Scouts

Gay Meant Fancy Free

Green Coca-Cola Bottles

Greaser

Go Ape

H:

Hankies

Hula Hoops

Home Cooked Meals

Hide & Seek

Howdy Doody

Hop Scotch

Hot Rods

Hang Man

Hamburger Stands

How Much is that Doggy in the Window

Hikes

Hobbies

Hip

Hairstyles

Hair Rollers

I:

Ice Skating

I Love Lucy

I Like Ike Button Pins

Instant Oatmeal

J:

Jacks

Jump Rope

Jazz

Juke Box

Jeans

Jerry Lee Lewis

K:

Keds

Kites

Kickball

Knock Knock Game

Kool-Aid

Kick the Can

Keen

Kukla Fran & Ollie

Knowing Your Neighbors

Kindergarten

L:

Looney Tones

Little Engine That Could

Lassie

Lace Collars

Lincoln Logs

Little Lulu

Little Golden Books

Lone Ranger

Little Red Hen

Leave It To Beaver

M:

Michael Row Your Boat Ashore

Mousetrap Game

Micky Mouse

Matchbox Cars

Mr. Potato Head

Musical Chairs

Marbles

Milk Shakes

Manners

Mother Goose

Mighty Mouse

Mud Pies

Monogram Initials

Make The Scene

Marilyn Monroe

N:

Neighborhood Block Parties

Nerd

Neato

Night Before Christmas

Nancy Drew Books

Neighborliness

Neighbor Backyard Fun

Neighbor Best Friends

O:

One Potato, Two Potato . . .

Old Yeller

One Piece Bathing Suits

Off The Hook

Old Mac Donald Had A Farm

Old Spice Aftershave

P:

Portable Record Players

Patent Leather Shoes

Patty Cake

Pedal Pusher Pants

Peter Pan

$.04 Postage Stamp

Pixie Haircut

Ping Pong - PF Flyers

Play Doh - Paper Dolls

Poodle Skirts - Ponytails

Paddling at School

Peanuts Cartoon Strip

Pin Curls - Penny Loafers

Paper Airplanes - Pick Up Sticks

Pop Beads - Penpals

Party Phone Lines - Picnics

The Poky Little Puppy - Pez

Playing Outside All Day

Pinball - Pledge of Allegiance

Phone Number with word prefix GA(rden)99912; WA(lnut)33234

Q:

Quickdraw McGraw

Quarter to go to the movies

You're it, I Quit

R:

Radio Flyer Red Wagon

Red Light Green Light Game

Ring Around The Rosey

Roller Skating

Rock & Roll

Romper Room

Rootbeer Stands

Red Ryder

Roy Rogers

Route 66

Red Rover

Rough Housing

Rock n Roll

Right-o

S:

"Sorry" Boardgame

Snowsuits

Sunsuits

Slo-Pokes Candy

Seahunt

Suburbs

Sock Hops

Steelie Marbles

Saddle Shoes

Silly Puddy

Slinky

Slumber Parties

Snow Forts

It's a Bird.. It's a.. Plane.. It's Superman

Swing Sets

That's Swell

Saturday Morning Toons

Sling Shot

Sunday Church

Summertime at Grandmas

T:

Teeter-Totters

Shirley Temple

The Twist (Chubby Checkers)

Tootsie Rolls

Tom and Jerry Cartoons

Twister

Tomboys

Tree Huts

Transistor Radios

Tarzan Call

Thick Dark Rim Glasses

Tether Ball

Tinker Toys

Train Sets

Telephone Booth

Tag

Trading Cards

Three Little Kittens

Three Stooges

This Little Piggy

Tiddly Winks

Tricycles

Training Wheels

U: The Ugly Duckling

V: View Master 3D Slides

W:

Wading Barefoot in the Creek

Woody Woodpecker

Walt Disney

White T-Shirts

White Bread

Wax Candy

Wring Washers

Watusi

White Socks

Y:

Yo Yo's

Yard Games

Your It

Yogie Bear

YMCA

Yahtzee

Z:

No zipcodes

Surely, I've only skimmed the surface, if there is a saying, quote, book, game, activity, song...something someone liked from the 50's that reflects the era, write it down in the comment box and I'll add it to the list!