(photos, left to right):

JABBER JOCKEY When she was a child, Carmel Mayor Sue McCloud used to do her homework while talking on a homemade telephone with next-door neighbor Gil Neill (now a Carmel engineer). Unlike what most of us rubes would have concocted, theirs had old-time earpieces and a wire extending 200 feet between their houses.

CHAIRMAN OF THE BOARD MIIS Professor Bill Monning with his Christian Hosoi skateboard. Before world peace beat out half-pipes for his attention, Monning joined Hobie''s SoCal exhibition team.

ANOTHER HORSE-CRAZY GIRL When she was but a wee thing, Pacific Grove Mayor Sandy Koffman used to love riding the spring-suspended Pete the Wonder Horse. Now an old coin-operated pony from the 1950s sits in her back yard.

EARTH MOVER AND SHAKER As a tot, land-use attorney Tony Lombardo dreamed of pushing around piles of dirt with a real John Deere. Now he does it with the legal code.

I have come to call the game Survivalist Barbie, though at nine I just thought of it as "Barbie." In my favorite make-believe doll world, a family of tippy-toed Valkyries roamed acres of green and gold shag carpet astride toy horses that they couldn''t quite sit on.

Capable and thrifty, they lived off the land, hunting deer--only what they could eat, naturally--picking berries, baking crude cornmeal cakes from wild "maize," and even building their own Lincoln Log mansion. They embodied, for me, the frontier spirit. I never saw a Barbie in a pinch she couldn''t get out of.

The legacy of these resourceful gals has remained with me, sort of. I make pancakes from scratch--although, unlike the Tremaine family (that was my Barbies'' name), I don''t grow and grind the wheat myself.

I suppose eschewing pancake mix is the most important thing that my grown-up real life shares with my childhood fantasy life, but there are other, subtler commonalities as well: a love of nature (and horses), a drive to be self-sufficient, and a weird and troublesome ascetic streak.

Toys and games help mold who we become. Sega and iPods prepare kids for a lifetime of working in the Information Age. Team sports teach socialization.The toys we love speak volumes about what we valued and dreamed of before we learned to compromise.

Which is what prompted the Weekly to pester some of the most accomplished people in Monterey County about their favorite childhood toys. Some ignored our questionnaire, some spent five seconds on the response and others poured forth tales that seem to have been forgotten about for years. We thank everyone who participated. These are troubled times, and this may seem like a frivolous endeavor, but if we can''t ever have any fun, what''s the point?

Leon Panetta

Director of the Panetta Institute for Public Policy; former Chief of Staff to President Clinton

Your favorite toy?

Little trucks. Basically, I loved to play with little trucks. I made highway systems and loved to drive them over these highways I made.

Why did you like it so much?

I think it was the sense that I could basically replicate life and the world around me and be able to do it in a setting that I could do right in front of me. Living on a ranch in Carmel Valley, I had a lot of room. I actually built a small little water dam--it was part of the system, and the highways and little houses.

Still own it?

Oh, yes, I''ve got these little trucks around. The one thing about little trucks in those days is they were all made of steel. So yeah, these are Tonka Toy-type trucks. My grandchildren are enjoying them now.

Gary Patton

Executive Director, LandWatch Monterey County

Your favorite toy?

A special kite that my dad brought me from a business trip that had a "parachute jumper" that you could send up the line, and then release, high above the ground.

Why did you like it so much?

It was a beautiful kite, and it was wonderful to be able to use it as the launching place for the parachute man, who drifted down to much acclaim from all the kids in the neighborhood.

Favorite games you played with it?

I flew it many times from the local school grounds, and attracted great attention from all the kids around. It was pretty spectacular.

Still own it?

Nope. It''s gone the way of the kites of Charlie Brown!

Barbara Bass Evans

Retired dean of Monterey College of Law; community activist

There were three things that I treasured in my childhood: My bicycle, my baseball bat, and my roller skates. I received my bicycle at age 6 (it took me one day to learn to ride it--I was a bit bloody by dinner, though). I rode that bike for miles and miles until I was a teenager and could drive a car. It gave me freedom, mobility, and the opportunity to observe what was going on in town (Chula Vista, Calif.). I also liked being a daredevil on my bike, which resulted in several trips to the doctor. If I wasn''t on my bicycle I was playing softball, mostly pick-up games, boys and girls together. When my dad gave me my own personal bat, I was thrilled. In sixth grade we had such a good girls'' team that I organized challenge games with all the other 5th and 6th grade boys'' teams. We won all games but one--that against the boys'' team from our class. Of course in the "olden days" girls'' sports was non-existent. Roller skates had a special tactile feeling, and I liked the clackety clack sound on the sidewalks. Skating as fast as you can down a hill was my favorite activity. Sometimes I couldn''t decide which to do--bike or skate--so I wore my skates while biking and would do a flying dismount near the bottom of a hill for extra thrills.

Al Shugart

President of Al Shugart International; former CEO of Seagate Technologies

Your favorite toy?

A pedal operated car.

Why did you like it so much?

It gave me a feeling of being grown up, while also just being fun to drive. It was a game just driving it.

Still own it?

I wish I still owned it; it would be worth a mint now.

Greatest accomplishment?

My greatest accomplishment was winning a settlement from the California Trial Lawyers Association in 1997.

John Laird

Cabrillo College Trustee; 27th Assembly District candidate

Your favorite toy?

A Lionel train set. I consulted my mom on this one, as she''s the informational backup about events in my childhood. She said that while I really loved presents relating to books and stamp- and coin-collecting, she remembered my love of the train system I got one Christmas--which may have presaged my nine years on the County Transportation Commission, and my long-time activism on transportation issues--as well as some train adventures around the world.

Why did you like it so much?

I loved the train set because it was a complete world by itself--I could set it up a number of different ways, and it was something I could handle either by myself or with my brothers. There was always a sense of adventure--I didn''t easily get tired of it.

Do you still own it?

My mom still has it in her garage.

Your greatest accomplishment?

Learning Spanish and exploring 40 countries--including train trips across the Australian continent, through the Peruvian Andes, and along the Norwegian fjords.

Bill Monning

Lawyer and professor of Negotiation and Conflict Resolution at the Monterey Institute of International Studies

Your favorite toy?

Skateboard.

Why did you like it so much?

It gave me mobility and a chance to pretend I was surfing!

Favorite games you played with it?

We tied a rope to our bicycles and pulled each other on skateboards up hills and at excessive speeds along neighborhood sidewalks. We built a ramp with plywood sheets and bricks so we could catch air--this was well before the advent of skateboard parks. We rode down storm drain pipes in summer and the walls of the storm channel in the Arroyo Seco. I joined a Hobie exhibition team in Pasadena.

Still own it?

Not the same one, but a newer model. I made my first skateboard from old metal roller skates and a piece of wood; then a Hobie board with a redwood stringer and wide hard wheels. Now, I have a Christian Hosoi model skateboard given to me as a gift by Dr. Charlie Clements and Christian Hosoi. The gift was presented in the L.A. Airport on return from a delegation to El Salvador after the earthquake in 1986. I carried the new skateboard off the plane to a press conference in the San Jose airport!

Your greatest accomplishment?

A handstand stunt on the skateboard! Marrying Dana Kent and raising two great daughters, Laura and Alex. Securing the release of political prisoners in Central America and helping to build the International Physicians for the Prevention of Nuclear War. (Not necessarily in that order.)

Sue McCloud

Mayor of the Village of Carmel; retired CIA agent

Your favorite toy?

There was no one toy, it was walking down Ocean Ave. and back to the Carmel Beach, the Betty Greene and Pebble Beach stables, playing airplane in the oak tree in our back yard. Probably the real toy was the rudimentary phone between my bedroom and that of Gilbert Neill, who lived behind us. We did our homework by that phone and thus did not tie up the party line the family had--I can still remember the number, 1392-J. This was not a toy--but a necessity! Gil is Neill Engineers in Carmel--we went on to Stanford and it was, as I recall, a wooden box with two bells on top and a funny old-fashioned hand set. I''m sure it was bought and assembled and wires strung between our houses, which backed up to each other.

Why did you like it so much?

The independence it gave and the sense that we had accomplished something by setting it up and having it in the first place.

Your greatest accomplishment?

From my previous life before retirement, it was being on the winning team in the Cold War.

Joe Livernois

Monterey County Herald reporter and columnist

Your favorite toy?

A used left-handed Smokey Burgess catcher''s mitt.

Why did you like it so much?

"Smokey Burgess" was a cool name and it came in handy when fending off feral dogs.

Favorite games you played with it?

Catching dirt clods.

Do you still own it?

Sure wish I did.

Your greatest accomplishment?

Exposing the corruption and the monkeyshines that fester in the small town of Santa Lechuga.

Sandy Koffman

Mayor of Pacific Grove

Your favorite toy?

A rocking horse (the kind on springs that bounced in place) that I named Pete the Wonder Horse. I loved horses--still do!--and Pete was the next best thing to a real horse. I got him when I was three or four and had him for years. He was a beautiful palomino and I played for hours, dreaming I was galloping over hills, through meadows and forests. I loved him because he gave me a sense of freedom, of believing I could be anything, go anywhere. I would be a cowgirl racing against a flood to save the herd. Or a knight fighting a dragon. Or National Velvet, jumping six-foot fences. Or a settler, exploring the Old West. Or a jockey at the Kentucky Derby, racing so fast I was almost flying. Pete helped me believe in myself. I don''t have Pete anymore; he got lost in the shuffle of growing up and real horses. But I''ve never forgotten the feeling of freedom, of confidence, of dreams coming true that I felt when I was on his back. For my fortieth birthday, my husband gave me a wonderful gift--a coin-operated horse from the 1950s named, believe it or not, Sandy. I call him Sandy the Wonder Horse. He''s a beautiful palomino, complete with leather saddle and bridle, and he''s brought back all the wonderful memories and feelings I shared with Pete. I guess one of my greatest accomplishments is that I''ve not lost the ability to dream, to believe that I can go anywhere, do anything. I''m no longer a starry-eyed child; I know that achieving dreams means commitment and hard work. But I believe--for myself, my family, my friends, my city--that dreams can and do come true. I wish everyone could have a Wonder Horse to help them believe in dreams--and in themselves.

Anna Caballero

Mayor of the City of Salinas; Executive Director of Partners for Peace

Your favorite toy?

It depends on the age and the season. Probably would be a bicycle (although I also love the jump-rope, hula-hoop and jacks).

Why did you like it so much?

I liked my bike because I could go fast and could go all over the neighborhood and run errands for the family.

Your greatest accomplishment?

Passing the bar exam.

Ted Balestreri

Restaurateur; President of Cannery Row Company

Your favorite toy?

A brand-new Schwinn bicycle with lots of chrome and shocks.

Why did you like it so much?

It was my first bicycle, and gave me the opportunity to have my first job, delivering newspapers.

Favorite games you played with it?

No games, I was a working lad making a living. I was probably in the newspaper business before [Weekly executive publisher] Bradley Zeve.

Your greatest accomplishment?

My greatest accomplishment is marrying Velma and having two wonderful boys.

Michael Stamp

Environmental and civil rights attorney

Your favorite toy?

Whiffle ball and bat.

Why did you like it so much?

It was a plastic ball and a plastic bat, and you could throw fantastic curve balls, catch the ball with bare hands, and hit the ball so hard it would crush it. It magnified the game into a drama of epic proportions, at least for 10-year-olds.

Favorite games you played with it?

We would get all the neighborhood kids together and have a game that went on for the entire weekend. They''d go on for days.

Fred Keeley

27th District Assemblymember

Your favorite toy?

A used (paper boy) bicycle that was given to me by my cousin.

Why did you like it so much?

Because my cousin was three years older and anything he did was fantastic as far as I was concerned. He lived in Long Beach and had a paper route for the Los Angeles Times.

Favorite games you played with it?

When my cousin outgrew the bicycle he gave it to me. I would roll up old copies of the Modesto Bee (where we lived at the time) and deliver them around the neighborhood. Fortunately the neighbors found this amusing.

Simon Salinas

28th District Assemblymember

Favorite toy?

Tonka trunk.

Why did you like it so much?

I helped save the S&H green stamps so my mom could get it for me.

Favorite games you played with it?

I used it to haul dirt in our back yard.

Still own it?

No.

Your greatest accomplishment?

Doing my best to raise my 11-year-old son.

Tony Lombardo

Land use attorney and rancher (as relayed by his assistant, Nancy)

Your favorite toy?

Tonka Toy tractors.

Why did you like it so much?

Tony loved to play in the dirt.

Do you still own it?

Yes, except now it''s a John Deere and weighs 25,000 pounds.

Your greatest accomplishment?

Helping hundreds of people across the state of California over the past 20 years through land use permitting processes which frequently inflict tremendous emotional and financial hardships on applicants as a result of a system which is often indifferent to the hardships faced by these individuals or worse, designed to create those hardships.