Lion's

This will be the 1st of many posts today. (My office is rolling out a new system. Anyone who has worked corporate knows that there are inevitable growing pains with all the Luddites. Today, I am phone support. Meaning 10 hours of suckassedness.)

I had the lions Tallen. Voltron had (officially) 3 incarnations: Lion's, Cars, and Robots. Which prompts a funny story of my whiny-assed history:

I still love toys. (Minds outta tha gutta's, ya preee-verto's!) So much so, in fact, that when I am in Target, I still wander to the toy aisle to see what's new. And also, wonder upon wonders, to see the magnificent advances in Toy-chnology. (Realistic looking lightsabres, in lieu of the flashlights with plastic tubes and gels from when I was a kid. Action figures that were laser-scanned to better resemble the character they represent- Instead of injection molded 4-points of articulation jobbies.) Seriously. I still love'em. I still own my 1st Spider-Man figure, and my "Mego" Spiderman Doll.

My toy collecting career almost met an abrupt end, circa 3rd grade...The year of Voltron. My parents were leery of buying the really 'spensive toys (Thrift stores and flea markets were usually where we'd get'em) but the year they released Voltron, I could not be denied... It was my Red Rider. A half birthday, and a Christmas went by where I would actually dream that I was unwrapping this holy Grail of toys, but to no avail. (And numerous trips to Target) It was, at $70, in a price range that meant it was unobtainable. Mom was always a pushover, but she didn't budge...so on one fateful night I tried a different tact: I'd ask my dad.

He walked me up and down the aisles as I pleaded and begged. "I'll never want another toy", I wept. "Are you sure?" he said. "You will never, ever ask for another toy? Ever again?" "Nooooooooo!!!!" We were standing in the baby clothes section. I remember it so clearly.
And then...it was placed in the cart. And then it was home. And we all sat around, putting it together, taking them apart. Repeating the TV sayings like "GO LION FORCE", creating scenes with Pidge/Hunk/Lance/Allura/and Keith...

Then two weeks later-I broke it. Stripped the Black lions arm, and broke Red Lions tail.*

3 months later, The "Car" Voltron finds its way into stores. Instead of 5 lions, you have 15 Vehicles. Retailed at $85. That trip to Target, I was reminded CONSTANTLY "Ohhh Dad, it's the only Toy I'll EVER want...I'll NEVER want another toy AGAAAAIN"

He still likes to remind me of that, 20 years later. Kiss my butt dad. I'm 30, and I can buy my own darn toys now!

*That box of toys J and I found on Sunday? Totally had Voltron bits in it.

**I should also mention that a larger Voltron that could actually fit action figures in it was released later that same year. This also prompted a big fat NO from the 'rentals.

*** Geefster, this is another reason that Wrestlemaniacs were not allowed. I exceeded my budget until I was, ohhhhh, 28 years old? And by the way, poor Jake the Snake? A crackhead alcoholic? Yeesh.