I know it’s late to still be thinking about Christmas and too early to be thinking about next Christmas. Heck, we’re already past Valentine’s Day and well on our way to Easter. But I’ve had this post on my mind for a while and just haven’t gotten around to putting it on “paper” so to speak.
Since we didn’t open our Christmas gifts until December 29, after all the kids and grandkids finally arrived, our oldest son Hunter had plenty of time to do his Christmas shopping for his nieces and nephew after Christmas. Returning from a good half day trip to Target, he was quick to share his ideas for what makes the best Christmas gifts for young children. He said he looked for opportunities to annoy the parents.
I immediately thought of the Fuzzy Pumper Barber Shop that my sister Margie gave Hunter one Christmas. Made by Play-Doh, it came with bald headed plastic people that sat on barber chairs stuffed with Play-Doh. A quick turn of the crank produced strands of Play-Doh hair that could then be cut and styled.
The problem for parents was that the tiny strings of hair ended up everywhere, particularly in the carpet. This was the late '70’s when shag was still in style. I can’t imagine how many vacuum cleaner bags I must have filled with red, blue and yellow Play-Doh hair.
Now here’s where I have a confession to make. When LBeau and I learned what this little shop of horrors was all about, we immediately went out and bought another one. When Margie’s son Matt was hold enough, he too got a Fuzzy Pumper Barber Shop for Christmas.
And for any of you out there who might be interested in annoying some child’s parents, you can still find vintage Fuzzy Pumper Barber Shops on eBay. Happy vacuuming!
