cold war - Gizmodo

posts about #coldwar more →
23 Cold War-Era Playground Rockets
Remote Controlled USS Seawolf Brings Cold War Fun to Your Hot Bath
Retromodo: East German Cold War Spy Gadgets Make Us Paranoid

Your version of Internet Explorer is not supported. Please upgrade to the most recent version in order to view comments.

Dsmvwl Admin Promote to frontpage Approve user Ban user ×

Curves
03/10/09

In reply to 23 Cold War-Era Playground Rockets
Oh the memories this brings back of the many galaxies I explored from base camp Planet Playground.
Reply

Curves was starred Curves was unstarred

Curves
03/10/09

@Curves: I have the best playground pic to post here, but I failed to get posting a pic on Giz right, so I am going to send it to SteveDave and see if I can get him to.
Reply

Curves was starred Curves was unstarred

GitEmSteveDave_HatesFriday
03/10/09

@Curves: Sorry it took me so long, I'm sorting out my iTunes Librarii. here ya go:

Reply

Epoch
03/10/09

In reply to 23 Cold War-Era Playground Rockets
this really brings back memories. one of the pictures looks almost exactly like the rocket at a playground i used to live near in the late 80's.

being a kid, i never questioned the shape, but it's interesting to hear where that came from.

thanks, giz
Reply

Epoch was starred Epoch was unstarred

OMG! Ponies!
03/10/09

In reply to 23 Cold War-Era Playground Rockets
She packed my bags last night pre-flight

Zero hour: 9:00 a.m.

And I'm gonna be high as a kite, by then

I miss the earth so much. I miss my wife.

It's lonely out in space

On such a timeless flight

And i think it's gonna be a long long time

Till touch down brings me round again to find

I'm not the man they think I am at home

Oh no no no. I'm a rocket man

Rocket man burning out his fuse up here alone

Mars ain't the kind of place to raise your kids.

In fact, it's cold as hell.

And there's no one there to raise them if you did.

And all this science... I don't understand.

It's just my job five days a week.

A rocket man, a rocket man

And I think it's gonna be a long long time...
Reply

OMG! Ponies! was starred OMG! Ponies! was unstarred

UncleArgyll
03/10/09

In reply to 23 Cold War-Era Playground Rockets
The one pictured in his gallery from OKC is at least a refurbished 40 year old piece, not from 80's. More like 60s.

I actually have a picture of it that was taken in 71 and it was already pretty run down.

The one memory that stands out most of a similiar rocket was when I was very young. I climbed to the top and then sat on the slide. Half way down I had to roll off the slide to avoid the "poop" someone had left halfway down.

I never played on a the rocket again.
Reply

UncleArgyll was starred UncleArgyll was unstarred

92BuickLeSabre
03/10/09

@UncleArgyll: I do believe this is exactly the same park I was referring to above.
Reply

92BuickLeSabre was starred 92BuickLeSabre was unstarred

UncleArgyll
03/10/09

@92BuickLeSabre: Holy crap, I didnt even see your post. That is the one! I wonder if the poo is still there... ;)
Reply

UncleArgyll was starred UncleArgyll was unstarred

92BuickLeSabre
03/10/09

@UncleArgyll: Holy crap indeed.

Cause I'm willing to bet that it is.
Reply

92BuickLeSabre was starred 92BuickLeSabre was unstarred

92BuickLeSabre
03/10/09

In reply to 23 Cold War-Era Playground Rockets
We had one of those at a playground near my house when I was a kid. This one:

But then a lot of "adults" started "riding" on the rocket ship.

So I didn't get to go anymore.
Reply

92BuickLeSabre was starred 92BuickLeSabre was unstarred

Pope John Peeps II
03/10/09

In reply to 23 Cold War-Era Playground Rockets
I always thought they were a post-moon-landing expression of optimism, not a pre-armageddon expression of doom and horror?
Reply

Pope John Peeps II was starred

EBone
03/10/09

@Pope John Peeps II: Exactly. Having been 4 when Neil Armstrong landed on the moon in 1969, I remember all the playgrounds had rockets like this from the 1960s space race. I climbed and fell off my share of them.

Technically, that was the cold war too. Anything after the Berlin Wall went up.
Reply

EBone was starred EBone was unstarred

camman68
03/10/09

@Pope John Peeps II: Glass Half Full etc...
Reply

camman68 was starred camman68 was unstarred

Gann
03/10/09

@Pope John Peeps II: I think the rocket-obsession of the 70's and 80's was equal parts post-moon-landing optimism, pre-armageddon pessimism, and Freudian phallic projection.
Reply

Gann was starred Gann was unstarred

OMG! Ponies!
03/10/09

@Gann: @camman68: @EBone: @Pope John Peeps II:

HAHAHA!

You're old!
Reply

OMG! Ponies! was starred OMG! Ponies! was unstarred

thebullfrog
03/10/09

@camman68: It's simpler and less philosophical than optimism vs. pessimism.

Rockets = piloted craft and a setting for play and imagination.

Missles = overgrown bullets.

Which is more likely to inspire playground hardware?
Reply

thebullfrog was starred thebullfrog was unstarred

Gann
03/10/09

@thebullfrog: My 'play and imagination' as a kid gravitated more towards the overgrown bullets.

Reply

Gann was starred Gann was unstarred

Pope John Peeps II
03/10/09

@OMG! Ponies!: I was born in 79. Not too old.
Reply

Pope John Peeps II was starred

EBone
03/10/09

@OMG! Ponies!: Watch it Ponies. You're not THAT much younger than me.

NOW GET OFF MY LAWN!
Reply

EBone was starred EBone was unstarred

Earlier discussions Other discussions Show all discussions Show featured discussions only Start a new discussion