Recently I came across an activity toy which took me back to my childhood. It was the Anatex Sea Life Play Cube. During World War II I was evacuated from London to my Aunt who lived by the sea. Now whilst this sounds like a wonderland for any child I should say that because of the threat of invasion all the beaches were closed with barbed wire fencing. However it was lovely to just look at the sea in all its various moods. My favorites were the Spring and Autumn tides with their waves as high as 20 feet. It was this that gave me a love of the sea which lasts even today over 60 years later.
The toy which jogged my memory banks is really 5 toys all in one. It has a Crab Paddlewheel with colorful balls which bounce about when you twist it. There is a Sea Life pathfinder puzzle with all sorts of sea creatures to find including a seahorse and a starfish. There is also an Octopus flipper which creates all sorts of different shapes as you turn it and a Blowfish spinner with a magnetic circle. Even the Rollercoaster on the top reminds me of the sea because as a teenager I and my cousin spent many hours on the rollercoaster which was right by the sea in South sea a town on the south coast of England. I can’t wait for my granddaughter to reach her third birthday because although there are other activity toys I want to get her the Sea Life Play cube to see if she like me will grow up to love the sea.