GMW@psuvm.BITNET (07/02/85)
Oh, to be a kid again! The greatest toy I ever met was an Eldon
Bowl-a-Matic 300 bowling alley. What a work of art, not to mention
plastic engineering. It was a complete scaled-down alley, complete
with a working pin-setter/ball return mechanism. Just turn a crank
and any pins left standing would be lifted off the alley, the rake
would clear any fallen pins, and the remaining pins would be set back
down for your try at the spare. The ball would also be lifted up and
rolled back to you on a little track beside the alley. To bowl, there
was a little plastic guy whose arm would move when you pulled on the
pinball-style plunger. You set the ball in his cupped hand, aimed him
by twisting the plunger, pulled back on the plunger, and let it fly.
I accidently snapped the guy's neck one sorry day in a fit of
youthful exuberance. I've since contacted Eldon in an effort to find
another one, but received only a polite form letter stating that they
are no longer in stock. I would be most grateful to anyone who might
still have one in his attic and would be willing to sell it. I'd only
be half-lying if I said I wanted it for my 3 year-old son (also a bowling
fan). Thanx.
George M. Weaver
Penn State Astronomy Dept.
GMW at PSUVM.BITNET
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