The Nostalgia Tag

I was tagged by my all-time favorite primate, The Orang-utan Librarian to do the Nostalgia Tag! I’m a pretty nostalgic person, so I’m excited to do this tag and take a look back at the things I loved as a kid. Off we go!

What are some of the tv shows you remember watching?

I was a total Nickelodeon kid. My favorites were Hey Arnold and Spongebob Squarepants (the old Spongebob, like 1999-2003. None of the new crap). I also loved me some Rugrats. And departing from Nickelodeon, Saturday mornings were for Recess on ABC.

What were the classic movies? 

Though I was faithful to Nickelodeon for TV, I was am a Disney kid through-and-through. I grew up on Disney classics. But as far as non-Disney classic movies I watched as a child, I loved To Kill a Mockingbird (1962), True Grit (1969), Signin’ in the Rain (1952), Rear Window (1954), and The Little Princess (1939).

Movies you remember watching?

So non-classic this time? I also loved me some Don Bluth: Thumeblina, Balto, The Pebble and the Penguin, An American Tail, The Land Before Time, Anastasia. There was another movie (neither Disney nor Don Bluth) called “Cats Don’t Dance” that is probably my favorite non-Disney animated film from my childhood.

Best memories about being little?

My mom was a dance teacher, so my brother and I took dance. I basically grew up in a dance studio, and I wouldn’t have had it any other way. Dance was my whole life as a kid – by bedroom was entirely decorated with ballet things. I danced through college and still occasionally dance when I get the opportunity – community theater and such. It was by far the best part of my childhood.

Some of the things you did when you were little?

Watched lots of Disney movies. Read books. Danced, both at class and around the house. Played LOTS of dress up and LOTS of pretend. We had a cabinet in the basement specifically designated for dress-up clothes.

Some philosophy from your childish “Socrates.” List some things that you used to think.

In my tween-age journal, I was always very adamant about not forgetting what it felt like to be my age. I thought grown-ups didn’t understand because they had forgotten what it was like to be kids. To an extent I still believe this, and I fear I have failed my younger self in some ways, as is inevitable. But I still feel I’ll always be a child inside and will forever suffer from Peter Pan syndrome.

Favorite toys?

American Girl dolls! My bf and I were obsessed – it’s pretty much all we did. I had 4 American Girl dolls, but my favorite was Kit. Bobbed hair, a writer. Perfect. She had a typewriter and a roll-top desk that’s similar to my own beloved roll-top. (Alas, my Kit never had a desk or a typewriter, but I made plenty of makeshift accessories out of random household items for my dolls.)

Games that you played?

I didn’t really play games in the sense of board games or video games because I was all about pretend. Our favorite pretend games were “Wolves,” “Poor Girl, Rich Girl,” and lots and lots of “School” with our American Girls. We would also go out and hunt monsters called “Wickies” outside my house. They were basically big-foot-like creatures, and we never managed to catch one, though we did write and illustrate a book about catching them called “The Big Wicky Book” that may or may not still exist in some folder somewhere…

Make up your own question and answer here if you want to! (I’m stealing the Orangutan’s) What music reminds you of childhood?

Oldies and smooth jazz – in the car, my mom always played the Oldies station, so I grew up on the Temptations, the Monkees, the Supremes, the Beatles, the Beach Boys, etc. But also whenever I hear smooth jazz, I’m reminded of riding in my dad’s car on the way home from the dance studio. Instead of getting a babysitter, mom would take us to the studio while she taught classes, and dad would pick us up after he got off work. I suspect the smooth jazz was to put us to sleep on the way home. It worked, sometimes.

I tag:

Those who have recently returned to their blogs, and I’m oh so happy to see them back: Carrianne @ Carrianne’s Cuppa ‘N Critiques and Izzi @ The Ravenclaw Book Club. Welcome back!