Garanimals.

So. I might be holding a grudge towards Garanimals. Yeah, 30 years later? So what? Turns out they still exist. Garanimals have come up in conversations lately and I have them on my brain, so I checked out their website.

Here is what they have to say:

Garanimals was born in 1972 out of the idea that there is a positive connection between how children dress and how they feel about themselves.

The kid-friendly Garanimals mix-and-match separates provide a simple, coordinated system that makes clothes easy to pair and fun to wear. The Garanimals pairing system brings creativity and independence to young children as they select their own clothes and dress themselves. Through these small, successful decisions, children develop early feelings of self-confidence.

Raise your hand if you wanted Garanimals with an all-encompassing passion, a lust if you will, when you were younger. That's what I thought. If you have no idea what I am talking about, I have no time for you.

Turns out some of us fuller figured kidlets were too big to fit into them by the time we knew about them. Which only served to make one want them more. And, then, I don't know, tantrums may have ensued (while in-store) tears may have been shed, mothers may have been embarrassed, it may or may not have become an...gasp....incident.

I am not saying it was me that did this, in fact, it wasn't. But I can (even today) experience the fine, fine, line between tantrum and the opposite of what Garanimals says its purpose in life is. Children develop early feelings of self-confidence.....unless they are...husky?

I had a solution to the Garanimals Debacle. I chose to find my self confidence in clothes that fit...well, fit-ish. I distinctly remember....the year was 1976, mind you....my new faves. My version of garanimals without the stupid fat hippo tags and vapid looking giraffes. Blue and white striped t-shirt---horizontal stripes, baby, I ain't hiding the pudge...forget the vertical stripes for the slimming effect. It was reminiscent of a French sailor shirt without the boat neck. And then, brown saddle shoes a la Bert from Sesame Street. And the finale, the cherry on top of a huge friggin' sundae.....white denim bell bottoms....wait for it....with two back pockets BUT ON THE FRONT of the jeans...one blue with a white star in the center and one red with a white star in the center. I was hip, I was cool, I was the "it" girl of first grade.

I wore the shit out of those pants.

With my little first grade belly poking out in some pictures. Thank you very much.

On a crisper day, I might wear my blue knitted/crocheted (I have no idea how it was made, I just know it was hand crafted by someone??)....get ready, people......poncho. Two side ponytails, worn low, a huge five head. I can still feel the pride, the self confidence.

Stickin' my tongue out at you, right now, Garanimals.