Mr. Freeze Cool Pop myth

Does anybody remember in school when there was an urban myth about when you get a number 7 on your cool pop you got a free one, and took one regardless whether it was stealing or not?

Those were the days my friends…

Can’t say I remember that. But there were lollipops that were Toffee and Kola (sic) flavours and when you got a lucky number 7 on them you were able to bring them back and get a free one. I reckon you had about a 33% chance of getting a 7 it was a cracking offer, though looking back on it now I’m not sure it was advertised anywhere. Maybe we just decided that was a rule but the shop complied anyway.

Ah quality. I remember a gang of us would go down to the shop and literally take out every cool pop and examine it for the number. Then we’d find a ‘7’ and just walk out with it, giving a little nod to the person behind the counter. Super stuff.

Any other crazy stuff from when we were young? Anyone else cover their school books with wallpaper? What the fook was that all about?

Mr Rock Senior was a little scabby with the school book coverings. We used to cover ours with cornflake box cardboard.

But anyone have any idea why it was decided you should cover your school books with wallpaper/cornflake boxes?

Re-sale value maybe or to pass them down to younger siblings. I remember picking the paper off because I couldnt remember what the cover looked like and I wanted to see it, then Id get a rollicking off the teacher about how my mother had put so much effort into covering it for me.

Another thing that I’m still scarred by is the following…remember when you made your First Holy Communion. I had this gay little outfit - WHITE trousers, little white nike runners with a green stripe and a green shirt. I was made to fooking wear that outfit to mass every single fooking Sunday from the age of 7 to 9. A WHITE trousers. No wonder I’m so messed up now.

PS: I won’t mention the cardigan to put on over the shirt if it was cold.

Yeah it was to protect the book from damage so it could be retained for future years. I remember all the kids who came from clean, tidy gaffs having neat brown paper with the name of the book and author in block capitals. I had Tony the Tiger staring back at me.

I had a blue and grey velvet suit for communion - horrific.

The most cringeworthy outfit for me though was a green suit and tie that I used to wear because I wanted to. It had a Celtic tie in fairness to it, but the suit was awful and I’d come home from school and put it on. I can’t understand how I wasn’t bullied more - I wore a granddad cap into school and had my books in a red plastic briefcase and I had a big hardback copy everywhere with me that I’d write poems in. Then I’d go knocking door to door and ask people questions like “what’s your favourite food?” I’d compile the results in my book and then do a barchart.