Toy Story: A Brief History of Toys Quiz

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.

Answer: Hula Hoop

Apparently the Hula Hoop was used in ancient Greece for exercising, long before it was called the Hula Hoop. Centuries ago, they were made of everything from vines, to grass, and even wood. It wasn't until 1958 that the toy company Wham-O began making them out of Marlex, a fairly new form of plastic. They then trademarked the name Hula Hoop and began selling them for $1.98.

Answer: Etch A Sketch

The Etch A Sketch made it's first appearance in 1959 at the International Toy Fair in Nuremberg. It was originally named L'Ecran Magique or "the magic screen", and was invented by a Frenchman by the name of Arthur Granjean. The Ohio Art Company shelled out $25,000 for a license for the toy, and the Etch A Sketch was born.

As of 2003, the Etch A Sketch has been added to a list called "The Century of Toys" celebrating 100 of the twentieth century's most memorable toys.

Answer: Barbie

Most people probably already know that the Barbie doll was first created by a woman named Ruth Handler. What some people may not have known is that Ruth Handler along with her husband Elliot, and their partner Harold Matson actually co-founded the Mattel toy company, manufacturer of Barbie.

Another interesting fact about Mrs. Handler that deserves mention is that in 1970, Mrs. Handler fell victim to breast cancer. After undergoing a mastectomy Mrs. Handler was unhappy with the choices of prosthetic breasts and set out to create one that was more realistic, thus creating another company which she named Nearly Me.

Answer: Shrinky Dinks

Shrinky Dinks first debuted in Brookfield, WI in 1973. Through the years there have been over 250 different versions of the Shrinky Dink kits. Just like many other toys from yesteryear, Shrinky Dinks have adapted with the times and now include a kit that you can purchase which is compatible with Ink Jet printers.

The kit allows you to use your own images, for example, from a digital camera or your computer, and transfer them onto a Shrinky Dink sheet. I have to add here, that after having learned this, I feel the need to run out and buy one of these kits for myself. You have to love technology.

Answer: Hello Kitty

Sanrio is the company responsible for the creation of "Hello Kitty" and the name of the actual designer is Ikuko Shimizu. This simplest of drawings has gained enormous popularity through the years. Although the character was created in Japan, her bio (yes I said bio) states that she is actually a citizen of London, England, where she resides with her family.

She has used expressions such as "Hello Kitty says to be yourself", designed to build young girls' self esteem. She has become so popular that she was named "Special Friend of Children" by UNICEF, for aid and donations provided by the Sanrio company, to help educate young girls around the world.

Answer: Rock'em Sock'em Robots

Rock'em Sock'em Robots were first brought to us in 1964 by the Marx toy company. One child would control the "Red Rocker" and the other child controlled the "Blue Bomber", and the children would "box" using a joystick device, with the object being to knock your opponent's head off.

As with most toys through the years, they morphed into different versions to keep up with the times. In 2000, Mattel Interactive released a PlayStation game called the Rock'em Sock'em Robots Arena.

Answer: Star Wars

The Kenner toy company purchased the rights to create the Star Wars toys even before the movie was released. Unfortunately, they did not expect the movie to become the success that it did, therefore had not yet created the toys, until after the film had debuted. To make up for this, Kenner put out an "empty box" for Christmas of 1977, in which children would receive a slip of paper called the "Early Bird Certificate", which they could send into Kenner and receive four action figures for it.

The actual figures were not released until 1978, and the rest as they say, is history.

Answer: Strawberry Shortcake

Strawberry Shortcake and friends were the pinnacle of popularity among young girls in the 80s. Muriel Fahrion did the original design for Strawberry Shortcake along with her cat in 1977, while she was working for the American Greetings card company. Strawberry Shortcake had several friends, all smelling like a different delicious dessert, namely Huckleberry Pie and Apple Dumplin'. Unfortunately , even sweet little dolls must be given an enemy, and so the Peculiar Purple Pie Man was born.

Answer: The sound of a slingshot hitting its target.

The Wham-O toy company was founded in 1948 by Arthur "Spud" Melin and Richard Knerr. They began their company in Knerr's garage in California. Wham-O, has since manufactured such popular toys as the Frisbee, Hula Hoop, Superball, and the Slip-n-Slide, just to name a few.