Pet Rocks at the Pine Derby

We invited the pet rocks to our pine derby races....

Everything started out normal - they sat in their seats, watching excitedly. Well, mostly watching. Rocky started getting ideas about how he could start driving one of the cars.

The next thing we knew, Rocky and Chippy were riding the cars. Pet rocks always need to be reminded to wear their seat belts, as you can see below, they "forgot".

Of other things pet rocks enjoy, playing cards is a favorite pastime. They don't actually know how to play, they just act like they are playing. It keeps them happy, so I guess that's all that really matters.

My Godson bought these mini cards during one of his summer visits. This past summer, he made a new pet rock, Chippy. Chippy and Rocky are relaxing and playing a game they "made up". Nobody really knows who wins, or when the game is over. Chippy's smile is even bigger than his other pet rock, Skippy.


As it turns out, pet rocks also enjoy dominoes. This would be yet another situation where they don't follow (or even know) game rules, they just kind of move the dominoes around and put them on their face. Here, Rocky tried to throw his domino off the side of the table, only to realize that the it was magnetic and the table was metal, so it just kind of stuck there.

Another favorite pet rock activity: walkie-talkies.

Pet rocks enjoy secretive conversations with each other. As you can see in the picture above, Chippy is spying on his surroundings from a folding backyard chair. With his walkie-talkie tuned to channel 8, he mentions seeing beach balls, pool noodles, and forgotten badminton rackets. He is reporting his findings to Rocky. As you can see below, Rocky is camouflaging himself in a nearby plant he spotted on a very important backyard pet rock mission. Semi-hidden under the leaves, he thinks he is being really clever.

(c) 2019 photos above and story by my daughter and Godson - Light from a Pixel - all rights reserved 

P.S. While the original pet rocks didn't have eyes, sticking googly eyes on them is pretty fun. Christmas of 1975 is when many first wave Gen Xers got these as gifts. When I was a second wave Gen X tot in the early 1980's, my neighbor had one in its original pet carrier box with "breathing holes." I would look through the holes at the rock in his little nest, wondering if he needed to be taken for a walk!

Pet rocks will always be one of the favorite toys of Generation X.