The MD guide to the 50 greatest christmas presents our (and our sister's) youth. In order.

Number 50

The strangely alluring and enduring shop till.
Number 49

Crossfire. Couldn't pick a knife and fork up on boxing day due to the finger blisters.
Number 48

The Magic Robot

Confiscated after 10 mins for being.... 'A OUIJA BOARD FOR KIDS!!!!'
Number 47

Stretch Armstrong
Number 46

The very un-festive coffin money box
Number 45

An ultra-realistic Batman/Superman outfit
Number 44

A big tube of Smarties
Number 43

Frustration

The pop-o-matic future had arrived.
Number 42

A pound note in a card
Number 41

The Post Office Set.

Pretty boring until we discovered the joys of tying up the Postmaster and robbing him: 'PUT THE MONEY AND THE GIROS IN THE BAG!!!'
Number 40

A WH Smiths record token
Number 39

The selection box
Number 38

The budget pocket transistor radio with leatherette case. Complete with earpiece
Number 37

A net of 'chocolate' coins.
Number 36

The Petite typewriter.

'Dear Cathy and Claire.....'
Number 35

A kaleidoscope
Number 34

A Levi jacket
Number 33

A Memorex C90 cassette pack
Number 32

A massive tin of quality street.

'That'll last you while Easter".

Toffees only by boxing day.
Number 31

Pong
Number 30

Buckaroo!
Number 29

The glorious Fisher Price Chatter Telephone. The only phone in the house until we got the party line.
Number 28

Operation.

Our Bass player's brother never lost and was convinced that a career in surgery awaited. Currently working in Lidl, Coatbridge in a non-medical capacity.
Number 27

Flight Deck.

'Permission to land from the top bunk bed - BEWARE CAT - BEWARE CAT!!!'
Number 26

Toffee with a HAMMER!

The hammer later being used as an actual DIY tool.
Number 25

Girl's World.

Our Ma borrowed the curlers
Number 24

A pair of Doc Martens
Number 23

A Slinky
Number 22

A Dymo label maker
Number 21

Monopoly

Staggering levels of family skulduggery, cheating and ill-feeling.

Highlights:

Nephew swallowing the Scottie dog when he couldn't have it.

Elderly aunt dropping the C-bomb after landing on Mayfair.

Burning of a real £5 note.
Number 20

Thunderbird 5. More niche than the ubiquitous pink Rolls Royce or brash TB2. Always had a soft spot for John Tracey. A lonely, melancholy figure drifting aimlessly in a freezing pitch black universe. Like us living an early 80s winter Airdrie
Number 19

Escape from Colditz
Number 18

Roller Skates
Number 17

Rebound
Number 16

Scales.

Our sister peed herself with excitement. Over scales.
Number 15

A stationary steam engine. Children playing with lighted meths.
Number 14

A pogo stick
Number 13

A Cabbage Patch doll
Number 12

Mouse Trap
Number 11

A John Bull printing set
Number 10

Action Man and Scout Car.

Orangeman neighbour: 'Wee laddies playing with dolls?. It's a slippery slope.'

Our Ma: 'Away an' shite yer sad old man' ✊
Number 9

Tin Can Alley
Number 8

Tiny Tears
Number 7

Johnny Seven
Number 6

The Fisher Price Garage.

Authentic smells on the stairwells.
Number 5

Action Transfers
Number 4

Battling Tops
Number 3

Scalextric.

17 people in our front room. A record. A car flew off on a bend and ended up in the fish tank. Still talked about in Airdrie to this day.
Number 2

The Cassette Player

Silence called in the living room when taping TOTP off the radio.

Then John Peel.

The gateway to a lifetime of musical pleasure
**** Number One****

The Cadburys 2p plastic chocolate vending machine.

With spare miniature pack.

Pound for pound- simply the greatest.

All hail the MD Community x
Just had Spirograph and Etch-A-Sketch on the phone. Not happy. Not happy at all.

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More from @memorialdevice

17 Nov
The MD Top 40 worst Christmas presents of our youth list. In order.

*This thread is not a sneer at people who had little. It is a glorious celebration of their love and inventiveness.
Number 40

40 Embassy. In Christmas wrapping. We were 12. We were expecting Top Trumps. Turns out we'd got them by mistake. Managed to smoked 4 before they were confiscated.
Number 39

1972 Shoot Annual. At Christmas 1974.
Read 41 tweets
21 Sep
The MD guide to the 50 greatest perfumes and aftershaves of our youth. In order.

Number 50

Giorgio - Beverly Hills.

Banned from some NYC restaurants in the 80s.
Number 49

Paco Rabanne
Number 48

Joop
Read 51 tweets
20 Sep
The MD guide to the 20 greatest tinned horrors of our youth. In order.

Number 20

Heinz Turtle Soup (genuine)
Number 19

Australian lager
Number 18

Meatballs
Read 21 tweets
14 Sep
The MD guide to the 60 greatest things found in the back of our cupboards. In order.

Number 60

A tin of Marvel. Consistency of the Great Barrier Reef. Would immediately be arrested for possession of crack cocaine in the event of a police raid today.
Number 59

A small tin of oil
Number 58

A Protect and Survive pamphlet.

'You never know'
Read 59 tweets
4 Sep
The MD guide to the 20 greatest dubiously acquired items of our youth. In order.

Number 20

The School Custard Jug
Number 19

The Cable Drum
Number 18

Mini Soaps
Read 20 tweets
23 Aug
The MD guide to the 70 greatest orange things of our youth. In order.

Number 70

The Cream Cracker tin
Number 69

The RCA record label
Number 68

The Philips record player
Read 72 tweets

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