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Spool knitting, (aka French knitting, cork knitting, or punnikpopje) is one of my earliest crafty memories. My spool knitter was a simple green plastic affair – just a tube with four flimsy tines sticking up – but I loved it and spent hours patiently knitting foot after foot of acrylic peach yarn into a tube [...]
The Glo Worm was introduced by Hasbro (under Playskool) in 1982 with great success. Part plush and part flashlight, the original Glo Worm was geared toward young children who needed “safety” while they slept. Glo Worm’s green-pajamaed worm body had a zippered back. Inside was a plastic battery-powered tube with a bulb at the top [...]
Generations of children have looked up at the sky and imagined flying through space and having fantastic adventures on board their very own spaceships. Whether it’s undertaking missions in command of the USS Enterprise, the Millennium Falcon, the Jupiter 2, or even exploring distant and dangerous planets with a robot companion like Robby or B-9, [...]
There are some things we’re itching to know… and yet, the Internet has finally failed us on several fronts. So now we’re reaching out to our dear readers to tell us: Who invented Googly eyes? Googly eyes (aka jiggly eyes) are most commonly known as small plastic craft supplies used for eyeballs. They have an [...]
When marketing consultant Peter Hodgson risked $147 of borrowed money to introduce a bouncing putty to the world, his target audience was adults. As that market dwindled, it was kids lifting newsprint that made him shift gears. The once-failed product that was created in hopes to help the war effort turned into a multi-million dollar [...]
If your kids (or your friends’ or family members’ kids) are like most, the playroom is where they spend a great deal of time. Most moms agree that it’s important to create a fun environment that’s also organized and conducive to creativity. That can be a tall order, especially if money and space are issues, [...]
In honor of an ever-expanding line of foot-powered vehicles, let’s talk about collecting! Pedal cars are hot collectibles that come in countless styles, and they’ve been coveted by both kids and adults since the very beginning. Say you’ve scored a cool vintage pedal car at a yard sale, flea market, or online auction. Your first [...]
As a child of the 1970s, there were plenty of popular toys in the household. The McDonald’s Playset, a Fisher Price School Bus, and, oh yes, an Easy-Bake Oven.
From Dinosaurs and Robots comes this fantastic piece of history: a coin-operated Mobilgas Winged Pegasus ride. Reportedly only five of these were made. Had you ever seen one? Related PostsRetro Road Maps: Esso Eastern U.S. Road Map
One of my favorite memories is the day I got my little red tricycle. My grandparents bought it for me, and I remember running down our gravel driveway to their car just in time for them to take it out of the trunk. My grandfather painted my name in white, right over the front wheel [...]
Pedal cars have been around pretty much since the first real car rolled off the assembly line. And it’s no wonder – driving, or the idea of it, is the ultimate thrill for a lot of kids. I remember watching with envy while adults got into what amounted to their very own amusement park ride. [...]
When I saw this new collection of inflatable furniture, my first thought was “That is so cool!” My second thought was, “But what the heck do I DO with it?” I figured a few of you out there might share my thought process so I collected all my questions and set out on a mission [...]
Remember when our imaginations were the driving force behind our fun days? Having to hop across living room furniture to avoid the lava… Operating imaginary cash registers to run a store… Couple the “see the bigger picture” with the traditional lemonade stand and you get Caine’s Arcade, a 9-year-old Los Angeles boy’s Do-It-Yourself (DIY) business. The [...]
Tiddlywinks is a classic game from England. Joseph Assheton Fincher, of London, invented and patented the pasttime in 1888, and trademarked it under the name “Tiddledy Winks” in 1889. A popular parlor game in Victorian England, tiddlywinks was played by both adults and children. The game consists of counters, made of wood, bone or ivory, [...]
