A Note From Bob
The toy you never forgot
Monday morning, and something lighter to ease into the week. Think back to the toy that meant the most to you as a child: the one you begged for, the one that survived years of hard play, the one you can still picture exactly where it sat. Today's featured quiz is a walk through the toys that shaped American childhoods across the decades, from windup tin to the plastic icons that turned up in nearly every living room. See how many you remember. Grab your coffee.
Trivia Question of the Day
In 1952, one toy made history as the first ever advertised in a television commercial, and the ad spoke directly to children instead of their parents. In its original form it was just a set of plastic eyes, ears, noses, and mustaches that a child pushed into a real potato from the kitchen. Which toy was it?
The answer is at the bottom of this email.
Today's Featured Quiz
Iconic Historic Toys
Thirty questions, a few minutes, and a lifetime of memories. From the Slinky and the Erector Set to Barbie, the Rubik's Cube, and the Beanie Babies that briefly swept the whole country, this one runs through the toys that defined childhood decade by decade. See how many you can place.
The Answer
Mr. Potato Head
Hasbro brought Mr. Potato Head to market in 1952, and the television spot that introduced him quietly changed the toy business for good. Until then, toy commercials had been aimed at the parents holding the wallet. This one talked straight to the children. The original kit was only the plastic pieces; families supplied their own potato, which had a habit of rotting in the toy box. The familiar plastic potato body did not arrive until 1964. He has since sold in the tens of millions and even found a second life as a movie star.
On This Day
On this day in 2016, a free phone app called Pokémon GO arrived and sent millions of people of every age out walking their neighborhoods to catch cartoon creatures that existed only on their screens. Those characters belong to Nintendo, a company that has been in the business of play far longer than most people realize. It opened its doors in 1889 selling handmade playing cards in Kyoto, and did not find its way to video games until nearly a century later. Today's companion quiz travels that whole journey.
Stay
Curious.
Bob
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