Slinky
- Invented in 1943 by Richard and Betty James
- Released in 1945
- Known for its ability to walk down stairs
Hula Hoop
- Marketed by Wham-O in 1958
- Patented in 1963
- Inspired by a wooden hoop children played with in Australia
Mr. Potato Head
- Invented in 1949 by George Lerner
- Distributed in 1952 by Hasbro
- Claim to fame: the first toy ever advertised on TV
TONKA Trucks
- Invented in 1947 by Mound Metalcraft Company in Mound, Minnesota
- Mound is located near Lake Minnetonka, hence the name “Tonka”
- TONKA uses 119,000 pounds of yellow paint each year
Play-Doh
- Started as a wallpaper cleaner
- It was first used as modeling clay in 1955
- Became known as Play-Doh in 1956
GI Joe
- Introduced in 1964
- Called an “action soldier” or “action figure” instead of a doll
- Originally introduced as an Army soldier but a Navy sailor, Air Force pilot, Marine and NASA astronaut were later added
View-Master
- Originally called Sawyer’s View-Master
- Introduced at the World’s Fair in 1939-40
- First intended to be an adult education tool
Etch A Sketch
- Introduced at the 1959 International Toy Fair
- First called L’ecran Magique, or The Magic Screen
- Aluminum powder coats the inside of the screen, and a stylus controlled by the knobs scrapes the powder away to create lines
Lite-Brite
- Released in 1967
- Invented by Burt Meyer, Dalia Verbickas, and Joseph M. Burck
- The toy was later licensed to Hasbro
- Allows kids to create a colorful picture with multi-colored pegs
Hot Wheels
- Debuted in 1968 at the International Toy Fair
- Inspired by California hot rods
- Original batch included 16 cars, called “The Sweet 16”
