The Slinky!

"It walks down stairs, alone or in pairs, it makes a slinkity sound". Now that your humming the rest of the song, I will say that it was the best toy ever made. Although 'made' is probably reaching a bit. I'm pretty sure a truck filled with springs lost it's load and the company made it a game to get the civilians to help clean up! Or maybe a spring-factory made a whole bunch that were too loose and the springs started going haywire on the conveyer belts. So instead of wasting a shipment, they pitched it to us un-suspecting folks as a new toy! "Look!" they said, "they walk down stairs!"
I mean, could you even imagine the slinky being marketed in 2005 for the first time? They'd ban the steel ones right away, and everybody who ever played with the plastic ones knows that although they were much cooler to look at, they just didn't slink right. And they didn't make that slinkity noise! Of course, the new 'improved' 2005 slinkies would have to- I don't know, light up, or make some cooler animated noise. Just to keep up. I saw an animated dog- made from the shape of a cell phone- that lit up, and barked and sang music!! Who knew dogs could sing? I was looking at it rather terrified, trying to figure out what it does...and this kid zinged past me yellin' about how "cool" it was. I must be getting old- I had to read the box to see how it works!
The slinky was virtually indestructable. I mean, even when your mean friend/uncle/cousin stretched it out...all it took was some patience while an adult tightened the spring up again. Who can fix a new toy that fast? Parents today almost have to buy 2 of the child's favourite toy, so they can make a quick switch-a-roo when the first one breaks!
The added bonus of the slinky being that it doesn't require batteries, it has no small moving parts, and the kids will occupy themselves! Even if you don't have a set of stairs (who??!) all your child needs is their own 2 hands...or one hand and a counter top, or chair bottom! I used to go all over the house trying to find what it would walk down from. I'll bet that cell-phone-shaped-music-singing-dog can't do that! Or occupy your child's time like a slinky!
It could be suggested that the slinky was an educational toy as well, since it relied on gravity to walk. So when your child put it on a level surface all it did was sit there and wait. Making your child use their deductive reasoning skills to find an un-even surface for it to move from. Hmm.. I wonder how many 'brilliant' minds had a slinky when they were kids?
So, I might be streching it a bit with that last one, but all the toys made today are going to do for your child is make them blind (too many lights you know!) and deaf (way too loud!). So what harm could it do? Pick up a slinky! Have fun with the greatest toy ever made!!