WICHITA, Kan. (KSNW) – When Clifford Normore was a kid, playing with toys didn’t come easy.
“When we were kids back in the 30s and 40s, we couldn’t get toys. We didn’t have toys, so we had to make our toys,” Normore said. “So we made them out of just, just anything we could find. We made everything that you can think of to have fun, play a lot of games.”
Normore and his siblings developed a skill and made their toys.
“We did a lot of drawing and stuff, and we was at school, we took clay and made different things, made cars, and made horses and all that stuff. So we had to make everything that we used back in the days and so it just stayed on my mind to start doing some of that stuff when I retired. And so I had to material in finances was able to do a lot of stuff that I couldn’t do back then.”
When Normore retired, he picked the hobby back up.
“We didn’t have the paper and cardboard and all this stuff, plywood, and so now, we are able to get a hold of that kind of stuff, and I needed a hobby,” Normore said.
Now, it’s better than ever.
“As I grew up, gave me an opportunity to do a lot of things that I couldn’t do then, and so now I’m able to do things, and I can help kids now,” Normore said. “So experience paid off. I donate them, and I enjoy seeing kids enjoy them.”
The materials he uses now are luxurious compared to those of his childhood. He uses whatever he can find, from plywood to cardboard to bottle caps for wheels.
“When we were kids, we didn’t have this kind of cardboard,” Normore said. “Wasn’t smooth like this. You have your pick nowadays.”
Making toys at 87 is relaxing and enjoyable for Normore.
“This is really the best hobby I have,” Normore said. “As long as I’m sitting down doing this, that keeps me going.”
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