Inflatable of the Day 4/6

Today we feature the oldest toy in my collection by a wide margin: Lassie! She was made by Alvimar in 1959, making her 61 years old. Lassie is a swim ring who was sold through a mail order catalog. She is about 2 feet long, and her head, complete with floppy ears, reaches up just over a foot high. She’s made with red/orange vinyl on top with a two-color print process, and solid yellow vinyl on her underside. She also squeaks (‘barks’) when you squeeze her muzzle! I am at least Lassie’s third owner; the person who I bought her from told me her previous owner (before him) found her with some sort of black ink or paint-like substance covering much of her body, and two large punctures through both sides of her front. The guy I got her from was able to clean much of the substance off, and when I got her, I finished the job, and patched her punctures. I’m really fond of Lassie, and due to her age and appeal, she attracts a lot of attention in public. Despite me being a bit big for her, she holds me up in the water just fine!