I hadn't seen one for ages, so of course it prompted me to tell Blake fun stories from my childhood. Like how my dearest wish was (and maybe still is?) to win one of those Nickelodeon/Toys R Us shopping sprees. You know, the ones where you entered to win a five-minute, frenzied run through Toys R Us, followed by a film crew. Where you'd get to put anything you wanted in your shopping cart, and you got to keep anything in the cart at the end of the five minutes?
Oh, how I wanted to win.
My brothers and I would spend countless afternoons mapping out our plans and watching re-runs of the most current winner running gleefully through the store. Those guys were amateurs, though.
Don't go for the GI Joe aisle, you idiot! Head for the N64's and the bikes. They're worth more money. You can sell them later and then buy yourself some GI Joes. Duh. Who were these kids anyhow?
And why didn't I win?
Every time I got to make a wish --whether it was upon blowing out my birthday candles, seeing a shooting star, or making it through a long tunnel while holding my breath -- I would wish for that shopping spree. I still do it out of habit, in fact. Nevermind that I'm 24 and that the contest went the way of the world in the late 90's.
Just in case the option ever does come back or my timeless wish finally comes true (and they let in the over-21 crowd), Blake and I have a plan. We spent the rest of the drive formulating it, and although the Nintendo technology has changed and I've gained more than a few pounds, the strategy is the same: run for the bike aisle, take as many tags as you can...head for the Wii's and XBoxes...it's simple really.
Here's a little something to bring on the nostalgia:
(sigh) Those were the days. Simpler days. Wonderful days.
you are hilarious. i love that you still wish for this. i really really hope they bring it back and you win one day.
ReplyDeleteI second that you are hilarious. I love all your clever posts.
ReplyDeleteI wont this in 1992.
ReplyDeletehey there Bob, I didn't know how else to contact you, so I found this forum. I work for an internet startup called DoYouRemember.com. Feel free to check it out :) We're an editorial site where all we cover is nostalgia! Retro and vintage are also in our mission statement so I cannot express how great this would be to interview you and your experience leading all the way up to the epic toy run. We're waiting to here back from another winner from 1993, Douglas Berry. I want to do an exclusive piece on as many winners as we can get a hold of and run it on our front page. A lot of us here are in our late 20s and so EVERYONE is excited about doing this piece. We all grew up jealous of the kids, like you, who went on this epic toy run. Let me know if this is something you'd be interested in. Feel free to contact me personally at gonzalo@doyouremember.com or lico86@gmail.com. I'm really excited, I look forward to your response.
Deletehey there Bob, I didn't know how else to contact you, so I found this forum. I work for an internet startup called DoYouRemember.com. Feel free to check it out :) We're an editorial site where all we cover is nostalgia! Retro and vintage are also in our mission statement so I cannot express how great this would be to interview you and your experience leading all the way up to the epic toy run. We're waiting to here back from another winner from 1993, Douglas Berry. I want to do an exclusive piece on as many winners as we can get a hold of and run it on our front page. A lot of us here are in our late 20s and so EVERYONE is excited about doing this piece. We all grew up jealous of the kids, like you, who went on this epic toy run. Let me know if this is something you'd be interested in. Feel free to contact me personally at gonzalo@doyouremember.com or lico86@gmail.com. I'm really excited, I look forward to your response.
ReplyDeleteWin a Toys R Us Shopping Spree copun you should to complete a quick survey and you will can win!
ReplyDeleteClick here: http://goo.gl/cwsXNQ
If you have any question please contact me!
Attention you can enter to win only if you are from United States!