CNN and Mental Floss spread the true life stories behind some America’s favorite toys!
Tim Moodie’s article highlights:
1. How the Slinky got stuck between a cult and a mid-life crisis (Betty James took over the company her husband founded–the husband who left her for Bolivia–and led the Slinky into the future with Slinky Jr., Plastic Slinky, Slinky Dog, Slinky Pets, Crazy Slinky Eyes and Neon Slinky)
2. Why the guy behind the Erector Set Saved Christmas (Alfred Carlton Gilbert–the “Man Who Saved Christmas”–convinced the United States Council of National Defense to not to proceed with a ban on toy manufacturing due to the market pressures of World War I)
3. Why Lincoln Logs are the most deceptively named toys in the business (John Lloyd Wright named the logs after his father, Frank Lloyd Wright, who was born Frank Lincoln Wright)
4. Captain Kangaroo saved Play-Doh (Joe McVicker offered Captain Kangaroo–a/k/a Bob Keeshan–2% of sales if he would feature Play-Doh on his show)
5. Etch-a-Sketch used to be played like an Atari (the original Etch-A-Sketch was operated with a joystick and later replaced by the two white knobs to make the toy look like a television)
6. Why Trivial Pursuit Almost Never Happened (the game was considered too expensive to manufacture, took over an hour to play, required a vast knowledge of trivial subjects, and was directed at an adult audience)
7. How Mr. Potato Head became a political activist (the spud was featured in the American Cancer Society’s annual “Great American Smokeout” campaign–handing his pipe to Surgeon General C. Everett Koop and swearing off tobacco–promoted the President’s Council on Physical Fitness, and helped “Get out the vote” with the League of Women Voters)