22 May 2008

Thursday 13: Popular Toys Through Time

By Vicki Gaia

Toys... sure, they are more sophisticated then when I was a child--more technical--but they serve the same purpose. Toys let's us take a break from reality--to play--to let the creative side take over.

The first toys were probably sticks and stones, but board games have been discovered over 4,000 years ago. Here's a list of popular toys through-out time as listed on the History Channel website:

1. Stone marbles - played by Egyptians, 3,000 B.C.
2. Kites - appeared in China, 1,000 B.C.
3. Iron Skates - used in Scandinavia, 200 A.D.
4. Roller skates - invented by Joseph Merlin, 1759
5. Dolls - mass marketed by an American doll maker, 1840
6. The Mansion of Happiness (designed by Anne Abbot) was the first board game sold in the United States, 1843
7. B.B. Gun - made for children and descendant of the cap gun invented after the Civil War, 1886
8. Parcheesi - westernized version of the Indian game introduced in England under the name Ludo, 1896
9. Teddy Bear - in America, toy bears were renamed Teddy Bears after President Theodore Roosevelt, 1902
10. Crayola Crayons - first introduced in 1903
11. Monopoly - created during the Great Depression, the 'get rich quick' theme caught fire, 1935
12. Silly Putty - introduced at the International Toy Fair in New York, 195013. Barbie Doll - again introduced at the International Toy Fair in 1959, Barbie was named after the inventor's daughter. Barbie became one of the nation's icons of the post war years.

The Barbie posted is the exact model of my first Barbie doll, down to the black and white swimsuit! BTW, my latest toy purchased is Nintendo's Wii. So you see, I'm still playing with toys.

Happy Reading,
Vicki Gaia