What unusual toys (not necessarily real toys) did you play with as a child?

The Curious Case of Benjamin Button is on here and I just watched the part with the jar of buttons and it brought back memories of playing with a huge jar of buttons my grandmother had. I could sit and look at those buttons for hours and hours. Some of them were quite old and beautiful.

I also, (I am such a freak), played with the mop and pretended it was a person. I used to dance with it.

What did you (or your children or siblings) play with as a child that wasn’t a traditional toy?