Hi there! I’m John Green, and welcome to my fun corner on YouTube. Did you know that when the game Twister was first released in 1966, some people thought it was inappropriate? Despite the criticism, teenagers across America found it fascinating, and it became a hit! That’s just the beginning of the many cool toy facts I’m going to share with you today.
When Eleanor Abbott was 30 years old, she was recovering from polio. During her recovery, she invented a game called Candyland to help kids who were stuck in bed. Candyland is a game of pure luck, so even a four-year-old can beat you at it! That’s why I prefer playing Risk with little kids.
In 1996, the beloved Mister Rogers helped make the 100 billionth Crayola crayon. Did you know the original Hungry Hungry Hippos had names? They were called Happy, Henry, Harry, and Homer. Some say Homer was blind, but that’s just a rumor. The Rock ‘Em Sock ‘Em Robots were named Red Rocker and Blue Bomber. And if you want to be formal with G.I. Joe, you can call him Government Issue Joe, but he probably prefers just Joe.
Koosh balls got their name from the sound they make when they hit your hand. The Slinky is one of two toys to be named an “Official State Toy.” It’s the state toy of Pennsylvania, while the Teddy bear holds that title in Mississippi. The story goes that in 1902, President Teddy Roosevelt refused to shoot a bear during a hunting trip in Mississippi, and that inspired the creation of the Teddy bear. However, not all toy ideas were successful; William Taft’s “Billy Possum” didn’t catch on like the Teddy bear did.
In 1999, a man in Minnesota got into big trouble for selling fake Beanie Babies, ending up in prison and paying a hefty fine. Beanie Babies were a huge deal in the 90s! Before becoming stuffed animals, Care Bears were just drawings used to sell greeting cards. The somewhat creepy Teddy Ruxpin was created by a Disney engineer using animatronics technology similar to what you see at Disneyland.
If you want to adopt a Cabbage Patch Doll, you can visit Babyland General Hospital in Cleveland, Georgia. It’s a magical place where Mother Cabbage “gives birth” to dolls every hour. However, the “Snacktime” Cabbage Patch Kids had mechanical jaws that caused some problems, leading to refunds after they chewed on kids’ hair.
The Radio Flyer wagon got its name because its creator, Antonio Pasin, admired the achievements of radio and flight. The first toy ever advertised on TV was Mr. Potato Head, which originally used real potatoes for its body! Mr. Potato Head is also the official travel ambassador for Rhode Island, where Hasbro is based.
Play-Doh owes its success to Captain Kangaroo, who promoted it on his show. Before becoming a popular toy, Play-Doh was used as wallpaper cleaner. People would roll it on walls to remove dirt and soot. In 2000, Fisher-Price tried to modernize the Chatter Telephone toy, but fans preferred the classic rotary dial, so it made a comeback.
The Magic 8 Ball contains a 20-sided die called an icosahedron, which gives answers to your questions. If you want a “yes” answer, ask the Magic 8 Ball questions that lean that way! Nerf’s first foam ball was sold in 1970 with the slogan, “You can’t hurt anyone!” The Easy-Bake Oven was inspired by how New York City vendors kept food warm.
Silly String is used by troops in Iraq to detect tripwires in the dark. They spray it to see if it catches on any hidden wires. The View-Master was also used by the military to help identify enemy ships and planes. James Wright invented Silly Putty during World War II, but it became a toy instead of a military tool.
The Pet Rock was a huge fad in 1975, making its inventor a multimillionaire in just six months. Finally, Sea Monkeys aren’t monkeys or from the sea; they’re actually brine shrimp that can survive in salt lakes.
That’s all for this toy-filled episode of Mental Floss. If you have any mind-blowing questions, feel free to leave them in the comments, and we’ll try to answer them. Thanks for watching, and remember to stay awesome!
Research the history of a toy mentioned in the article, such as the Slinky or Mr. Potato Head. Create a timeline that highlights key events in the toy’s history, including its invention, any major changes, and its cultural impact. Present your timeline to the class and explain why you chose this toy.
Using the inspiration from toys like the Koosh ball or Play-Doh, design your own toy. Think about its purpose, how it will be used, and what makes it unique. Create a prototype using materials available to you and present your toy to the class, explaining its features and potential appeal.
Choose a toy from the article and write a short fictional story about its adventures. Consider giving the toy a personality and a mission. Share your story with the class and discuss how the toy’s history influenced your narrative.
Organize a trivia game based on the facts from the article. Prepare questions about the origins, creators, and interesting tidbits of various toys. Divide the class into teams and see who can answer the most questions correctly. This will help reinforce the fun facts you’ve learned.
Research how toys like the Magic 8 Ball or Silly Putty were invented and how they evolved over time. Create a presentation or poster that showcases the invention process and any technological innovations that were involved. Present your findings to the class and discuss how these toys have changed over the years.
Sure! Here’s a sanitized version of the transcript:
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Hi, I’m John Green. Welcome to my salon. This is Mental Floss on YouTube. Did you know that when Twister first came out in 1966, critics denounced the game as “inappropriate”? With criticism like that, it’s a wonder it ever caught on. Teenagers around America were intrigued by it! Anyway, that’s the first of many toy facts I’m going to share with you today.
While 30-year-old Eleanor Abbott was recovering from polio, she kept herself busy by inventing something that would benefit bedridden kids: Candyland. By the way, in case you don’t remember, Candyland involves absolutely no skill, which means your four-year-old can literally beat you at it. It’s completely unfair, which is why I only play Risk with four-year-olds.
In addition to everything amazing he ever did, in 1996, Mister Rogers poured the wax that made the 100 billionth Crayola crayon. A few toy box names you probably didn’t know: the original Hungry Hungry Hippos were named Happy, Henry, Harry, and Homer. It’s rumored that Homer is blind, but some people think that’s just folklore. The Rock ‘Em Sock ‘Em Robots were Red Rocker and Blue Bomber. If you want to call G.I. Joe by his full name, you should call him Government Issue Joe. But in a casual setting, I think he’d just prefer Joe.
Koosh balls were named for the sound they make when they hit your hand. The Slinky is one of two toys to receive “Official State Toy” status. It presides over Pennsylvania, while the Teddy bear is the official state toy of Mississippi. Legend has it that in 1902, Teddy Roosevelt was on a hunting expedition in Mississippi when he came across a bear and refused to shoot it, saying that it would be unsportsmanlike. The media grabbed onto that story, and a New York toy company started calling their stuffed toy bears “Teddys.” It’s a lovely story, but we all know it’s not entirely true.
Toy companies failed to duplicate the success of Roosevelt’s teddy bear with William Taft’s “Billy Possum.” And yes, that is a true story. In 1999, a man in Minnesota was sentenced to 1.5 years in prison for selling counterfeit Beanie Babies. He also had to pay $150,000 for conspiracy to commit mail fraud. I don’t know if you remember this about the nineties, but we took our Beanie Babies very seriously.
Before they took off as stuffed animals, Care Bears were merely illustrations whipped up to sell American Greeting products. The somewhat-terrifying Teddy Ruxpin was designed by a Disney engineer who used the same technology you see in animatronics at Disneyland. Have the urge to adopt a Cabbage Patch Doll? You should head to Babyland General Hospital in Cleveland, Georgia. It’s situated on about 650 acres of land where Mother Cabbage gives birth to babies every hour beneath the Magic Crystal Tree.
As a child, I was terrified of Cabbage Patch Kids, and with good reason. The “Snacktime” Cabbage Patch Kids had mechanical jaws so they could chew. Unsurprisingly, this was a disaster. Mattel offered refunds after complaints that the dolls had chewed on and pulled out kids’ hair.
Let’s move on to toys from a simpler time. The Radio Flyer wagon is a strange name for such a straightforward toy, but there’s a reason for that. Its creator, Antonio Pasin, felt that human flight and radio were two of the greatest human achievements ever. The first toy ever advertised on television was Mr. Potato Head, and he was also the first toy to feature real produce. That’s right – the original Mr. Potato Head was actually a potato. Kids jammed eyes, ears, and accessories into a real vegetable.
Mr. Potato Head is also the official travel ambassador for Rhode Island, where Hasbro is headquartered. We have Captain Kangaroo to thank for the success of Play-Doh. When it was just a fledgling company with no advertising budget, inventor Joe McVicker talked Captain Kangaroo into featuring it on the show. He offered Keeshan a portion of sales for promoting it to kids, so naturally, Captain Kangaroo started promoting it three times a week.
Before it was eaten by kids in classrooms everywhere, Play-Doh was just like wallpaper cleaner. People wishing to clean the soot and dirt from their patterned walls would just roll the ball of goop across the surface. In 2000, Fisher-Price attempted to update the classic Chatter Telephone pull toy for toddlers by adding push buttons and lights to resemble more modern phones. Nostalgic consumers were outraged, and the rotary dial was back the next year.
Onto the Magic 8 Ball. The die that holds all of the “mysterious” answers is called an icosahedron, which is basically a 20-sided die. Ten of the answers are versions of yes, five are versions of no, and five are wishy-washy. So if you learn anything from today’s Mental Floss episode, it’s that you should always ask the Magic 8 Ball questions that you want it to answer yes to.
Nerf sold their first-ever foam ball product in 1970 with the slogan: “Nerf: You can’t hurt anyone!” Ronald Howes was inspired to create the light bulb-powered Easy-Bake Oven after observing how New York City food vendors kept their pretzels and chestnuts warm. Ernie isn’t the only one who loves his rubber ducky. According to the BBC, none other than Queen Elizabeth II keeps a crown-adorned rubber ducky in her bathtub.
Troops stationed in Iraq use Silly String to find tripwires in the dark. Before entering buildings, they’ll spray the area from at least 10 feet away to see if the Silly String catches on any barely-visible wires. Another unlikely military tool is the View-Master. Slides of specific enemy ships, planes, and artillery were inserted in the View-Masters so military personnel could flip through them like flashcards to learn how to spot them.
James Wright hoped his invention would have a military use. In 1943, the GE engineer combined boric acid and silicone oil and produced a totally sci-fi substance. It could bounce and stretch, had a high melting temperature, and didn’t collect mold. The government didn’t have any use for Wright’s invention, so he slapped it in some plastic eggs because it was close to Easter and sold it as a toy. We’re still buying it today as Silly Putty.
The Pet Rock was such an intense fad in 1975 that, at $3.95 each, its inventor became a multimillionaire in about six months. Finally, I return to my salon to tell you that Sea Monkeys were not in fact monkeys, nor did they live in the sea. They’re just brine shrimp, which Harold von Braunhut became fascinated with when he learned that they could survive the salt lakes of Utah.
That happy note wraps up this toytastic episode of Mental Floss, which is brought to you with the help of these lovely people. Every week we answer one of your mind-blowing questions. This week’s question comes from Katie Douglas, who asks, “Is there a word for a person who loves music?” The answer, Katie, is no, unless you just take out the space between music and lover and just make it musiclover. Anyway, you might also want to try the French word, “mélomane.” If you have a mind-blowing question, leave it below in the comments, and we’ll try to answer as many as we can. Thanks again for watching, and don’t forget to be awesome.
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Let me know if you need any further modifications!
Toy – An object for children to play with, often designed for entertainment and learning. – In history class, we learned about ancient toys that children used to play with, like wooden animals and dolls.
Game – An activity that one engages in for amusement or fun, often involving rules and competition. – The teacher explained how traditional games like chess have been played for centuries and are still popular today.
History – The study of past events, particularly in human affairs. – Our history project this semester is about the American Revolution and its impact on the world.
Kids – Young children or young people. – In the past, kids often helped their families with chores and learned skills from a young age.
Crayon – A stick of colored wax used for drawing or coloring. – During the art lesson, we used crayons to create drawings of historical events.
Bear – A large, heavy mammal with thick fur, or a stuffed toy resembling this animal. – Teddy bears became popular toys in the early 20th century and are named after President Theodore Roosevelt.
Dolls – Small figures representing humans, used as toys by children. – In ancient Egypt, dolls were made from materials like wood and clay and were found in children’s tombs.
Play-Doh – A modeling compound used by children for arts and crafts projects. – Play-Doh was originally invented as a wallpaper cleaner before becoming a popular toy for kids.
Soldiers – Figures representing military personnel, often used as toys or in historical reenactments. – Toy soldiers have been used for centuries to teach children about historical battles and strategy.
Fads – Trends or activities that become very popular for a short period of time. – The teacher discussed how certain toys become fads, like hula hoops in the 1950s, capturing the interest of kids everywhere.
