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Gift Story

Posted by Tom on December 14, 2009 at 11:37 pm

You know how when you’re growing up and Christmas rolls around, and all of the toy ads start? And then the Christmas catalog shows up at the door and you spend hours and hours flipping through it, careful considering everything and wondering what best to ask for from Santa? And then you very carefully circle the things that you like the most, make sure that you write them out perfectly on your letter to Santa and also make sure that your parents know exactly what it is you’d like, just in case Santa can’t get something so maybe they could help.

One Christmas I really wanted this game called Crocodile Dentist. (My Mom has probably started laughing at this point.) Man-o-man I really wanted that game. It was a plastic crocodile that you had to try to pry the teeth from without it chomping on your fingers and coming after you. It looks like this. And for some reason I really wanted it for Christmas.

So Christmas rolls around and (if my memory serves me right) I was pretty sure that I wasn’t going to get it. After all the presents were open there was sadly no Crocodile Dentist. But I believe something happened along the lines of Dad finding a present that Santa hid down there that was for me and he brought it up. I tore open the wrapping and it was - *gasp* - Crocodile Dentist! Wicked-Super-Pumped!

Later that day, we took it out of the box and set it up on the dining room table. I probably managed to get one or two turns in before the crocodile slammed its mouth shut and chased after me.

And man was I terrified.

I screeched and bawled, and wanted Crocodile Dentist taken away forever. And it was. Phew.

A couple years later I remember finding it in the basement. I set it up and played once or twice, not really sure why I had made a big fuss. But… I guess weird things get to you when you’re a kid. Especially angry crocodiles with toothaches.

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