Museum Musings:My Bingo Buddy

Over the years, I have accumulated so much junk. A good portion of it including most of my Starting Lineups and any figures were traded off. I also had a bunch of autographed items I was just looking to downsize with and traded half of those off as well. I still have some to go in that area.

Most of the items I acquired over the years were from purchases in online catalogs, local outlets, department stores, gifts from family, and from a few contests I won. I originally really wanted these items, but as time has gone on and I have gotten older and what feels as my house getting smaller, I decided it was time just to collect cards now. No more adding those markdown McFarlane figures just for the fun of it.

There were some pieces however, I plan on keeping forever. These pieces I will showcase on here.

Back in the late 90's, I spent a lot of time at my grandmother's house on the weekends. Part of the excitement other than playing those games I created and showcased on here awhile back or beating my grandmother in Monopoly, was Saturday night Bingo!

My grandmother lived in a senior living center and the office building held Saturday Night Bingo games. Every Saturday, my grandmother would pull together enough money for both of us to go over and join in on the fun. We would meet up with my great aunt-who was great outside of the Bingo center-while she was there however, don't mess with her.

She would buy 20 cards-yes, they used cards and magnetic chips then-and would do all she could to win. Unlike my grandmother and I who played for fun and could barely scrap together enough change for us to be able to play three cards each.

Other than bringing money to play and snacks for intermission, we also brought a good luck charm....

 

Yes. A troll. Other than Beanie Babies, these things were pure heat in the 90's. Everyone had to have one and there were hundreds to choose from. I don't remember if this one ever had clothes or not or was even a special edition, but the theory for bingo was if you rubbed it's hair before a game, good luck would come your way.

And it did. Many times for my grandmother or I. My great aunt and her money suited troll, well, not so many and the rest of us knew it. She would sometimes throw her cards, throw her magnetic device that picked up the chips from the cards and her troll. Even if I won haha. Sometimes less is more the way me and my grandmother looked at it. 

So this "museum piece" is more for the memories than anything else. It also revives my memories of returning back to her apartment after bingo and watching SNICK usually with a sugary snack. Nothing was better than the time she put strawberry pie filling in a graham cracker crust. Oh my!

How many of you remember trolls from the 90's and owned or still own one?