Answer: Easy-Bake Oven
The first ones to be introduced came in a turquoise colour (then the pale yellow) and with a carry handle. Within the unit was a one hundred watt light bulb that provided the heat for cooking little cakes. The toy hit the ground running and sold in excess of half a million units in its first year, at a price of just under $(US)16.00. Kenner is now a division of the mighty Hasbro organisation and their little oven has exceeded sales of over twenty million.
From Quiz: We'll Have Fun, Fun, Fun...
Answer: Beanie Babies
Created by Ty Warner, the first Beanie Babies came out in 1993 and by 1995 had become something of a fad. The company regularly stopped production of some of the animals, making them hard to acquire - and expensive. In 1999, the company decided to stop production, but reconsidered following public demand.
Question by player rossian.
From Quiz: Hella Cool 90s Toys
Answer: Mattel
Mattel originally planned to market the toys under the name "Lords of Power", however, it was decided to change the name because it might imply something of a religious nature to some people. There were really two main characters that my sons wanted at first - the good guy, He-Man, and the villain, Skeletor. It became necessary, however, to also have their many cohorts; He-Man's alter ego was Prince Adam and his sidekick, Cringer, was a favorite. Skeletor's minions, typically called The Evil Warriors, included many gruesome looking characters such as Beast Man and Mer-Man. Then, of course, we needed Snake Mountain where Skeletor lived and all of the other toys. Yikes!
From Quiz: Toys of the 1980s
Answer: G.I. Joe
G.I. (Government Issued) Joe was released by Hasbro in 1964 after the massive success of Barbie dolls, but retailers made sure to tell consumers that G.I. Joes are not dolls - they are action figures. Whether in times of war or peace, there has always been a market for G.I. Joe.
From Quiz: Back in My Day
Answer: Beanie Babies
In 1983 Ty Warner mortgaged his home, and founded Ty Inc. in Chicago, Illinois. His first toys, called Himalayan Cats, were popular. Some of the stuffing was left out to make the animals seem more lifelike. Warner still, however, wanted to find a collectable toy that was relatively inexpensive. In 1994 the "original nine" Beanie Babies were launched. It is believed the Warner earned as much as $700 million a year at the height of the Beanie Babies craze.
From Quiz: Want To Play?
Answer: Joy 1
Joy 1 was the first of the breed, even though it looks very different from the later J40. This car did, however, have similar features e.g. the horn, lights and opening bonnet etc. The car was made from pressed steel.
From Quiz: Austin J40 Trivia
Answer: Gameboy Color
The Gameboy Color (GBC) was released in 1998. One of the original colours was "Atomic Purple" - a translucent purple case which allowed the player to see the system inside. Some of the popular games were: Pokemon Red, The Legend of Zelda: The Oracle of Ages/Seasons, Croc2 and Harry Potter. I had all of those named, although some of them were released in the early 2000s. "Game and Watch" consoles were before the original Gameboy; Gameboy Advance followed the GBC in 2001, then the DS in 2004/5.
From Quiz: Fun and Games in the 90s
Answer: Mr. Potato Head
Did you know that before Mr. Potato Head morphed into the toy that we know and love today, he was merely body parts sans the head? It's true, the toy was originally invented by Mr. George Lerner, and consisted of the eyes, noses, lips, and other accessories which were intended to be pushed into fruits and vegetables. It debuted before 1950, but was not well received, due to the timing. People were still in "conserve" mode due to World War II, and were not comfortable with wasting food as a toy.
From Quiz: Toy Story: A Brief History of Toys
Answer: Major
In late 1966, Major Matt Mason debuted as "Mattel's man in space". Major Matt Mason was an astronaut who worked and lived on the moon. The action figure came with a space helmet, a white space suit, a heavier protective lunar exploration suit, and a jet propulsion space pack.
Within a year, three other astronaut characters were manufactured and assisted Major Mason on his moon mission. Lt. Jeff Long (in a blue space suit). Sgt. Storm (clad in a red space suit) and civilian astronaut Doug Davis (in a yellow space suit) all worked together on the lunar surface.
Sold separately were a wide array of accessories including a three-story moon base station, various lunar surface vehicles, and smaller flying spacecraft.
The interest in the American space race added to the popularity of the Major Matt Mason collection.
Television commercials enticing young viewers to "enter the space world of Major Matt Mason" ended with the the manufacturer's product slogan, "This world is swell .. it's made by Mattel".
From Quiz: Toys, TV Commercials, the 1960s
Answer: Mattel
The Mattel company was founded in the 1940s by Ruth and Elliot Handler. After the introduction of Barbie and Hot Wheels, Mattel became the largest toy company in the world. In fact, Larry Wood says that the Hot Wheels division of Mattel alone could be considered the fifth largest toy company in the world today.
From Quiz: Gee, I Like Those Hot Wheels!
Answer: Polly Pocket
They did come out with them again recently but they look nothing like the original.
From Quiz: Playthings past 80s style
Answer: Slip 'n' Slide
This toy was fraught with danger - after about fifteen minutes, invariably a bunch of wasps would hang out by the water that had collected at the bottom of the hill. The Slip 'n' Slide still exists, but now it has a padded safety pillow at the end of it (Wimps. :) ).
From Quiz: Being a Kid in the 1970s (Toys)
Answer: Betsy Wetsy
You could also load her up with grape juice, beer or any other liquid with knee-slapping results.
From Quiz: Toys in the Attic
Answer: Yo-yo
While the yo-yo dates back to 500 B.C., Duncan came out with the plastic version in 1955 and created a national craze. The terms "walk the dog" and "rock the cradle" took on whole new meanings as yo-yo enthusiasts invented countless tricks.
From Quiz: Remembering the '50s - American Toys
Answer: Super Nintendo Entertainment System
The Nintendo Entertainment System (NES) was Nintendo's first proper foray into home video gaming, which comfortably outsold its contemporaries. Fast forward seven years, and the highly-anticipated Super Nintendo Entertainment System (SNES) began hitting shelves across the world. With a slew of games from Nintendo's flagship series, including "Super Mario World", "Super Mario Kart" and "The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past", the SNES went on to sell nearly 50 million units in total, keeping kids of the '90s well and truly glued to their televisions.
Question written by eburge.
From Quiz: Annual Top Christmas Toys of the 90s
Answer: Shopkins
Shopkins are small-- no larger than the size of a U.S. quarter-- but there's a certain joy to collecting them all that has been perfected by a generation of "Pokemon" players and previous similar products (like I mentioned, Crazy Bones come to mind as small, plastic nic-nacs). The catch is that Shopkins, appearing in a bunch of styles, colours, and generations of their own, are all themed around items you could typically buy in a grocery store. In additions to the Shopkins themselves, the brand also has collectible cards and a movie/webseries following some of the toys.
From Quiz: Expensive Nonsense For Kids in the 2010s
Answer: Pull back car
A pullback motor works when downward pressure is applied to the toy as it is dragged backward. This winds a spring within the motor which, when released, will propel the toy forward. Cars are a fantastic use of this type of technology and have kept boys and girls entertained for years.
Tonka toys have been around since the 1940s, however it doesn't appear that they used pullback technology this early on. GI Joe didn't make an appearance until the 1960s and, although the yo-yo has been around for thousands of years, the traditional yo-yo doesn't work using any kind of motor.
From Quiz: Why is Wendy out in the wind?
Answer: Spun around
Beyblades were released in Japan in 1999 and hit international toy shops in 2002. An anime TV series was released simultaneously to promote sales of the toy. A Beyblade was a spinning top that was customisable. In a Beyblade duel, players released their spinning tops and would try to make sure their own Beyblade was the last to remain spinning on the stadium. Extra points could be scored for knocking an opponent's Beyblade right out of the ring!
From Quiz: A Millennial's Christmas List
Answer: Telling fortunes
The Magic-8 ball, another toy that became popular in the 1950s, took its idea from a vaguely similar type of device used for darker purposes a few years previously. A form of it was used by a Cincinnati clairvoyant, Mary Carter. It had been created by her son, Albert, for his mother's fortune-telling business, but it wasn't too long after that that he attempted to manufacture these in bulk to sell on a wider market. This was not at all successful - he obviously hadn't consulted his mother over the idea - but the product eventually was shown to the owner of a billiards and bowling centre business in Chicago. This company commissioned a craft shop to make a remodelled and reformed version of the ball, one that had 20 standard answers that could be applied to almost any light-hearted question - and in 1950, the famous Magic 8-Ball toy hit the market. Samples of some of its answers given when a pertinent question was asked included "Without a doubt"; "Ask again later"; "Don't count on it" and so on.
From Quiz: Toys from the 1950s
Answer: Shirley Temple
When the dolls were manufactured by the Ideal Toy and Novelty Company, Temple was only 6 years old, but she was already 3 years into her career and had made 20 movies. The success of Temple's hit film "Bright Eyes", premiered right after the holidays, definitely helped boost sales.
From Quiz: Back in My Day
Answer: Sonic Air Blaster
The Sonic Air Blaster was introduced by Whamo in the early 1960s. It shot a pulse of air that could be felt 10 feet away.
From Quiz: Toys from back in the 1960s
Answer: Play-Doh
Joseph McVicker's sister-in-law was a teacher, and asked about a safe and fun substitute for modeling clay. He sent her a non-toxic compound that was used to clean wallpaper; the use of vinyl wallpaper had caused the sales of the compound to stagnate. Joseph and his nephew, Noah, formed Rainbow Crafts of Cincinnati in 1956 to market the compound. It was available in only one color - off-white - and in a 1.5 pound can. Later that year a three pack of 7 ounce cans was added to the product line.
From Quiz: Want To Play?
Answer: Alfred Ash
Alfred Ash designed the car, and his daughter actually tested it to see how well it pedalled up slopes and down hills. Alfred wanted the car to be very realistic, so he featured an opening bonnet and engine, opening boot, working lights and horn and a realistic dashboard.
From Quiz: Austin J40 Trivia
Answer: Erector Set
The A.C. Gilbert Company manufactured Erector Set toys from 1913 until the company went bankrupt in 1967 and was bought out by The Gabriel Company, who continued to make identical sets through to the 1980s.
Erector Set consisted of metal strips or beams with regularly-spaced holes for nuts and bolts and screws, along with gears, pulleys and electrical motors to make inventions move or work with power.
From Quiz: The Island of Misfit Toys
Answer: Pogs
I've never played this game myself, though it seems fun! The pogs were stacked up and then were knocked down by a so-called slammer. The player shooting got to keep the pogs that landed face up. The remaining pogs were stacked and when the pogs were all collected, the player with the most won the game.
From Quiz: Fun and Games in the 90s
Answer: the yo-yo
In an 1962 TV advertising blitz, viewers were introduced to Barney Acres, who according to the Duncan Toy Company, was a National yo-yo champion. Acres demonstrated several of his award winning yo-yo tricks as an off camera announcer explained to viewers what he was doing. Acres, who performed his tricks while wearing a suit, tie, and fedora hat, demonstrated such tricks as "The Sleeper", "Around the World", "The Four Leaf Clover", and "Over the Waterfall".
At the conclusion of each commercial, the announcer would remind the viewers, "Remember kids, if it isn't a Duncan, it isn't a yo-yo."
The Duncan Toy Company, considered as the largest U.S. manufacturer of the yoyo, was created in 1929, when ambitious businessman Donald F. Duncan Sr., saw the great potential of the toy and purchased a small company (The Flores Yoyo Manufacturing Company) and started to mass produce the product.
Throughout the years, "The Imperial" and "The Butterfly" have remained the companies most popular and best selling lines of yoyos. Other popular models in the Duncan line included "The Bumblebee", "The Dragonfly", "The Ballistic", and "The Avenger".
From Quiz: Toys, TV Commercials, the 1960s
Answer: 1960s
The story is that Elliot and Ruth Handler were visiting one of their children, either Ken or Barbie, and noticed one of the grandkids playing with a die-cast car. Elliot thought, "I have a grandchild of mine playing with a toy that I don't even compete with!"
From Quiz: Gee, I Like Those Hot Wheels!
Answer: Water Wiggle
Introduced by Wham-O in 1962, the Water Wiggle had the dubious distinction of being one of the largest toy recalls in history when two different children took the head off of the toy and drowned in the same year.
From Quiz: American toys of the 60s
Answer: Puffalumps
There was a short-lived series of Puffalumps that were made of bright florescent colors and they had shades that had a hologram on them that said "WILD". There was also a short cartoon movie about them.
From Quiz: Playthings past 80s style
Answer: Erector Set
Made by the A.C. Gilbert Company in New Haven, Connecticut. The plant was called Erector Square and had a huge tower made out of what looked like Erector Set pieces.
From Quiz: Toys in the Attic
Answer: Cap pistol
No self-respecting young cowboy would be without Mattel's "Fanner fifty" cap pistol. They took a roll of red paper caps, and were silver metal with plastic ivory grips and a brown plastic leather holster.
From Quiz: Remembering the '50s - American Toys
Answer: Cabbage Patch
This was the "must have" doll of the 80s. There were no two the same and they came with it's own birth certificate. It even smelled like a baby. If you were lucky enough you got twins! Mine was named Sara and had a brown ponytail and pink dress. :)
From Quiz: 80s Toys & Games
Answer: Barney Doll
Barney the Dinosaur first premiered on "Barney & Friends" in the spring of 1992 on PBS in the United States. The premise of the show featured children playing and then imagining their stuffed dinosaur coming to life. Barney would then suddenly appear, engage the children and by the end of the program return back to his original form but not before saying "I Love You". Of course, when the dolls began appearing on store shelves, children couldn't resist them, seeing their own Barney as the stuffed animal on the show that could come to life. "Barney & Friends" ran for 13 seasons with over 200 episodes, inspired a multitude of specials, movies and albums and became a cultural touchstone for millions of kids during that time.
From Quiz: Annual Top Christmas Toys of the 90s
Answer: Rainbow Loom
While Rainbow Loom was created decades earlier, it wasn't heavily marketed until the 2010s when it was finally packaged and sold (poorly) in stores. As the decade wore on, however, it was found to be a hit in craft and educational stores, and by 2013 it had become a leading toy for Christmas, selling millions upon millions of units and flying from store shelves until fading away again. The Rainbow Loom is used by looping small, plastic bands around the tines on the device. Instructions guide the user to make bracelets and other accessories, but it's also possible to craft more elaborate items with it.
From Quiz: Expensive Nonsense For Kids in the 2010s
Answer: Silly putty
Silly Putty's main customers in the US during the mid-late 1950s were six to twelve year olds. It wasn't widely available in other parts of the world until the 1960s, however it was definitely popular in the 50s.
Play-Doh is a modelling clay-type product and the bane of parents with carpet. It's heaps of fun to mould and make all sorts of things, but it sticks to carpet and you can't get the stuff out, even when it dries, it's impossible to get off! It was around in the 1950s but Wendy's mum was smart enough not to get any for Wendy to play with!
Crayola crayons were definitely around in the 1950s, however they are solid (unless heated) and wouldn't really have the properties described in the question.
Slime was introduced to the toy market in the 1970s, meaning that Wendy couldn't have been playing with it on this particular windy day. It's more likely she was playing with it years later with her own children!
From Quiz: Why is Wendy out in the wind?
Answer: Mr Frosty
There have been many versions of Mr Frosty over the years, each with slightly different accessories. All of them could be used to create crushed ice drinks using the snowman-shaped ice crusher. Mr Frosty also came with moulds to make ice lollies and shaped ice cubes. A perfect toy for a hot summer day.
From Quiz: A Millennial's Christmas List
Answer: Chimp to Chimp
The name was changed when the inventors were meeting with department store executives, who loved the idea, saying that it was more fun than a barrel full of monkeys.
Human nature being what it is, there is a world record for making the longest chain. It was set in 2012, when students from a school in New Hampshire hung 5990 monkeys together!
"I Wanna Hold Your Hand" was a Beatles hit from the previous year, but has no connection to monkeys. Indulging in 'monkey business' is wasting time, or being a bit mischievous.
From Quiz: We'll Have Fun, Fun, Fun...
Answer: Spice Girls
The five Spice Girls - Mel B., Mel C., Emma Bunton, Victoria Adams (Beckham) and Geri Halliwell - were immortalised in various doll collections in the late 1990s. The first set called 'Girl Power' was a popular Christmas toy in 1997, despite the fact that demand far outstripped supply. The doll version of Geri Halliwell was depicted wearing her iconic Union Jack dress, while the Mel C (Sporty Spice) doll had a simple tracksuit.
Question by player Fifiona81.
From Quiz: Hella Cool 90s Toys
Answer: The Little People
Xavier Roberts combined the quilting skills he had learned from his mother with the art of needle molding to create hand-made dolls that he called "The Little People". These creations were not for sale, but buyers would pay an adoption fee. As with Cabbage Patch Kids, each creation had its own name and birth certificate. Do you remember standing in long lines waiting to nab one of these for each of the kids? Sometimes in short demand, adults would actually fight over who got to buy the Cabbage Patch Kids that were available!
From Quiz: Toys of the 1980s
Answer: Slinky
The Slinky may appear to be a simple toy but it functions by using Hooke's law of physics, as well as gravity. Its jingle, penned in 1962, stating "Slinky, Slinky, Everyone loves a Slinky" has become one of the longest running jingles in history. The Slinky has been immortalized on a postage stamp with the US Postal Service, as well as being inducted into multiple toy halls of fame.
From Quiz: Back in My Day
