everyday is a winding road...: Flashback Friday....Johnny West is Best

My great niece Eliza's latest obsession is everything Cowgirl.

This led to a Cowgirl themed birthday party.

Hmmm, Kid.

It seems that you were born in the wrong era.

I asked around at the Bookstore for cowgirl idea books...and of course, the few modern titles that there are...we did not have.

(of course, someone will sell them tomorrow, when I'm not looking for them).

Then it dawned on me....

Jane West!

My favorite cowgirl!!

Yes! I should get her a Jane or Josie or Janice West doll!

But, again...of course the timing was too late and everything on Ebay would not get here in time.
So, I settled for Toy Story dvds and a horse book.

Johnny West!

Thinking about Johnny and the Best of the West Gang by Marx Toys...got me to thinking about my own childhood Cowgirl/boy obsession.

So much so...

that I had to go into the storage cubical in the basement on Main Street to dig out the box of toys that I saved from the shelves from the Basement of my childhood.

Oh My Cowgirlness!

I can't believe how happy these toys made me then

and how happy they still make me feel!

I suppose anyone who knows me, remembers that I was somewhat of a Tomboy growing up.

I did have a few frilly dolls,

but I loved these Marx Action figures like other girlie girls loved their Barbies.

They WERE my Barbies!

Oh sure, I had a few hand me down Barbies and a couple new Skipper dolls, but the only time I chose Barbie over Johnny was when Johnny and his family invited Barbie to leave the city and come out to the Circle X Ranch for a Bar-b-que!
(no pun intended).

I think I inherited Johnny and the Indian.

They had been passed down through several Vandercar hands....

The Original Johnny

Chief Cherokee

...but the rest of them were added over the span of my childhood and for a long time...

probably until my Honda motorcycle came along...

were my prized possessions and "playing Horses" was my preferred indoor activity.

Johnny and friends even changed the look of my bedroom.

I remember going with mom and dad to shop for carpet for the bedrooms.

Patty was re-doing and decorating her room for her Home Ec. project and chose all the cool 70's colors and picked out that green shag carpeting.

I wanted to be like Patty and picked out shag carpeting as well (I think it may have been a shocking shade of pink).

I can remember my mom taking me over to show me a giant roll of blue indoor out door type carpeting. I said no, I want my room to be like Patty's.

Mom, very wisely said..."well...just think how much easier your horses will stand up on this flat carpet!"

SOLD!

I also remember a lady visiting with mom at the dining room table.

I was in the back porch pushing my horses around.

The lady said to mom "she plays well by herself."

I remember thinking, "well, who else am I supposed to play with?"

But I didn't mind.

I had Johnny and Jane and their kids.

And the horses, don't forget the horses!

Yes, I loved Johnny West and his whole family!!!

And I STILL love Johnny West!!

I was grinning ear to ear as I pulled these old friends out of that box.

Well, that was until I saw the sad state that many of them are in...

(I never should have abandoned them to the basement...

they survived 6 Vanderkids....

but 16 Vandergrands was just too much for their fragile bodies (bend them at the knee...THEN put them on the horse)!!!

Jamie West survived intact

Josie West survived, but looks more like Linda Blair in the Exorcist

oh, poor Janice West...
so which one of you kids wants to fess up to this?

The Tack shop

But no worries, seeing the state they are in renewed my commitment to clean up, repair, regroup their accessories and replace my friends.
Yes! I will not stop until I have the entire Best of the West Collection.

Susie gave me a head start on this project when she found a minty Johnny...in the box!!! at Kane County Flea Market and gave it to me for my 40th Birthday.