Growing up with my farm animal figures

As you all probably know I am currently one of the youngest members of the forum and only two years ago I used to play with my animals, lets start with my farm animals... It was Christmas Day 2008 and I was an only child at this point, and I opened two massive (they were big to me then) boxes to discover some farm buildings and animals by ELC. My father helped me get the boxes open and we constructed the farms, (I still have these farms if you want me to provide TAI photos) Once my father had constructed the buildings I ran upstairs to get my big box of animals and then I began to play with them. The living room was quite crowded at this point in time by my collies and German Shepherd, since some of the collies were long haired collies they let me pretend their fur was like a big hay bale where the animals would be hiding, it was jolly good fun... Now as we skip many years to when I was 12. I wasn't spending much time with my farm figures and more focused of my wildlife I felt like I was leaving them out.... so 2 years later (my current age) I dug out my farm animals and got the shelves to put them on... Then my father reminded me I had some figures in the old dairy, and sure enough there they were in a box covered in dust, I think I decided not to put them in my collection aged 12 because they weren't good quality but now they obviously reside in my collection as I didn't want to leave them out

That is a great story !!!

You write very well, it is almost like being there, opening the boxes, getting the models, and using the collies as hay stacks

It is wonderful that you kept the models, - I always say to young people who want to sell their collection, that they should keep them if at all possible.
I am surely extremely happy that I still have most of my childhood animals.
My parents kept them till I was about 35 years old, still in their neatly painted wooden box and wrapped in cotton wool , - what a joy to see them again
The little money we get from played-with models can ever replace them

Adam, it would be very nice if your interesting posts were also illustrated with pictures. As Susanne mentions, you write very well but pictures are always important in this kind of boards.
Yes, if you want, we will work someday in a page on TAW dedicated to ELC Farm sets.
You represent the age of a transition from the child that plays with toys to the young man that collect figures. There isn't anything wrong that you keep playing with them even if it is in a different way.
Interestingly, English and Portuguese are completely opposite languages. We here almost have a different word to everything while in English you use the same word with several meanings.
We use the word "brincar" when it means playing with toys or with a friend.
We use the word "tocar" when playing a guitar, music or something related.
We use the word "jogar" when it is a sports or any kind of game, etc., etc.
So, with so many meanings, you will play your entire life. Actually, what we do on forum is to play.

You remind me of when I was small, and taking over the living room with my Mego (I think) cave and cliff face set that came with cavemen and various dinosaurs and prehistoric creatures. I loved that thing, I was so sad when my grandmother threw it out. If it wasn't them, it was various farm and wildlife Hong Kong creatures, I built barns and the like out of Lincoln Logs. Or my Breyer and similar (maybe Hartland? don't remember if i ever knew) horses. Other than the Breyer et al. horses, all my figures were rather ugly little Hong Kong types. I never saw nice figures back then other than the horses. My grandmother threw all of it out though except for a handful of Breyers, still have a few.

Of course here's some photos, some figures I have lost over the years but I still have 98% of them

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Ohh, what a wonderful building, and lovely models too

Thank you Susanne, Roger and Kelly

This photo is very atmospheric, as if the viewer is part of the scene. Your dogs are well behaved. When I was small, we had a dog who loved playing with my toys, but unfortunately, he'd destroy them.

Many Thanks

Very nice :)

rogerpgvg wrote:

......When I was small, we had a dog who loved playing with my toys, but unfortunately, he'd destroy them.

At one time I I was unfortunate to have two Siamese cats & a puppy !
I could usually keep my models out of the reach of the puppy, but then the darling Siamussies discovered that it was great fun to throw modes down to the puppy.
And Siamese cats can get up everywhere !!!

I have a cat currently and his name is Oliver, he doesn't care about my models and just sniffs them every so often. Most nights he spends on my bed and loves to sleep with me, purring his head off, I don't allow my puppy into my room firstly because of the figures and secondly it's Oliver's stronghold and finds comfort in my room

No better lullaby than a purring cat

Wonderful photo, and great story. I often played with toy animals when I was a child, but mine had very busy lives pretending to be people living in houses.

One photo and much more excitment around.
Very beautiful photo, I'd say.