Classic American Toys . . . Yesterday And Today
The Boomerang is actually an ancient weapon invented by Australian Aborigines that is thought to be about 10,000 years old. Today, the returning boomerang is sold as a toy all over the world.
The first half of the 20th century was a golden time for toy making. Some of the most popular toys in history were invented then, and are still going strong today.
Lionel Trains started in 1901, after Joshua Lionel Cowen made a battery-powered train for a store window display. Customers just wanted the trains; they didn't care about the rest of the window. Lionel has sold over 50 million train sets since then.
In 1902, Rose Michtom made stuffed bears to sell in a store she ran with her husband in Brooklyn. She named them after President Teddy (Theodore) Roosevelt, and started a big trend. Stieff (1903) and Gund (1906) are the oldest Teddy Bear makers in business today.
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World Almanac for Kids
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Crayons
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Edwin Binney and C. Harold Smith made their first box of Crayola crayons in 1903. There were 8 colors--compared to 120 today. The Crayola factory in Easton, Pennsylvania, now produces nearly 3 billion crayons each year (12 million per day!).
Britney Spears says her favorite color crayon is robin's egg blue. Tiger Woods likes wild strawberry, and President George W. Bush goes for magenta.
The Erector Set was invented in 1913 by Dr. A.C. Gilbert. The nut-and-bolt metal construction sets were an American version of the British "Mechanics Made Easy" (later Meccano) sets from 1901. Erector Sets are now made by Meccano (in France).
The next year, 1914, Charles Pajeau developed wooden Tinker Toys for children too young for the Erector Set. Today they are made by OddzOn (a division of Hasbro).
Lincoln Logs were invented in 1916, by John Wright, son of architect Frank Lloyd Wright. He got the idea while watching his father design an earthquake-proof building in Japan. More than 100 million Lincoln Log sets have been sold since then.
Plastic LEGO bricks were invented in Denmark by Ole Kirk Christiansen in 1949. The company, whose name comes from the Danish words "LEg GOdt" (play well) has since made more than 206 billion of them! Imagine if you had to clean up that many in your room.
Silly Putty® bounced into stores in 1949. It used to be called "Nutty Putty" and was designed by an engineer who mixed silicone oil with boric acid to create the rubbery substance.
Matchbox® Cars, invented in 1952, were first designed for a girl to play with! Jack Odell created a brass miniature of a Road Roller car and put it in a matchbox-size container so that his daughter could take it to school.
Mr. Potato Head, invented in 1952, was the first toy ever advertised on TV. This toy, with detachable nose, ears, and glasses, was designed to be used with a real potato.
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Mattel
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Racecar driver Richard Petty holds his Hot Wheels car
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In 2003, the Hot Wheels Hall of Fame opened in Los Angeles to celebrate the 35th anniversary of Hot Wheels brand cars. Emphasizing speed and racetrack building made this brand the hottest selling toy car ever.
One of the most popular toys in history, the Barbie Doll was "born" in 1959. Created by Mattel, Inc., founders Ruth and Elliot Handler, the doll was named after their daughter Barbie. Ken, named after their son, came out in 1961.
Play-Doh started out as a wallpaper cleaner! It was first sold as a toy in 1956 at a department store in Washington, D.C. It only came in off-white. Red, yellow, and blue were added in 1957. The original formula is still a secret!
Its inventor, Arthur Granjean, called it "L' Ecran Magique" (the magic screen), but it hit the toy stores in 1960 as Etch A Sketch®. When you turn the knobs, a stylus scrapes aluminum powder off the inside of the screen to draw a line.
Made of polyurethane foam, the first Nerf ball hit the scene (and didn't break any lamps!) in 1969. This indoor/outdoor ball sold 4 million in its first year. In 1972, the king of all Nerf toys -- the Nerf football -- was introduced.
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Did You Know?
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The first diecast metal toy car was a replica of the Ford Model T, made by the Dowst Brothers Co. (later Tootsie Toys) of Chicago in 1910.
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- Raggedy Ann doll (1915)
- Yo-Yos (1929)
- Tonka Trucks (1947)
- Wiffle Ball (1953)
- Easy-Bake Oven (1963)
- G.I. Joe (1963)
- Twister (1966)
- Battleship (1967)
- Rubik's Cube (1979)
- Cabbage Patch Kids (1983)