The Home Alone Board Game was released in 1991 in conjunction with the well know Home Alone films by games company THQ. A board game for 2 to 4 players which consisted of a floor plan of the house, a number spinner, players pieces and pieces of ‘Value’. The idea of the game was for each player to hide the valuables around the house as well as booby traps. The idea of the game was to keep the valuables hidden and safe in the house, and trick the criminals into tripping the booby traps.
Radio Flyer Wagon were invented by a passionate 16-year-old Italian boy called Antonio Pasion, in the 1920’s he was among the millions who immigrated to America from Europe. He was a skilled carpenter and headed to Chicago. He began to construct small red wagons out of stamped pressed metal and by 1923 he had saved enough to form the Liberty Coaster Company.
Soon after he began mass-producing the radio flyer red wagons for under $3. Countless children have enjoyed playing with the Radio Flyer Wagon pulling friends or moving things and now the range has expanded to small-large wagons, tricycle and even wheelbarrow with prices from $20 upwards.
Water Balloons were created by a English inventor Edgar Ellington in 1950 who was creating a waterproof sock using latex and cotton. After filling his creation with water to test its quality, he noticed a small stream of water leaking from the side. As he threw the water-filled sock down onto the table in anger, it burst — and so a second idea was born. Not long after, Ellington’s “water grenades” were the first water balloons to hit the market.
These Balloons were always a favourite in the summer, I just wish I was better at tiring the knots in them before they went off in my hands.
The Talkboy is a toy that originated from the iconic film Home Alone 2. It was released in 1993 by Tiger Electronics after fans organised a campaign to get this item made released to the general public. It consisted of a cassette player and recorder, an extendible microphone and a handle to make it easy to be held.
The Talkboy had the ability for the user to be able record their own voice and change the speed of playback thus making the recorded voice deeper if played slower or higher if played back quicker, which caused pitch distortion so you sounded like a chipmunk or a deep slow voice.
The Talkboy was tremendously popular after its use in Home Alone 2: Lost in New York in 1992 and several versions were made. The Deluxe Talk boy with slight positional changes and a tape supplied. The Talkgirl aimed at girls and produced in pink. The Talkboy FX Plus which was a writing pen with added voice recorder also available in pink and called the Talkgirl FX Plus. Also available was the Talk boy Jnr. This was a smaller version than the original but instead of cassettes used and internal memory function.
Cabbage Patch Kids is a line of dolls which became one of the most successful toy craze of the 1980’s. Originally called “Little People” and only sold at local craft show by creator Xavier Roberts an American Art Student in 1978.
The name change to Cabbage Patch Kids was instigated by Roger Schlaifer before he secured the worldwide licensing rights to “Little People”, this formed the basis of the story co-authored in 1982 by Roger and his wife, Susanne Nance Schlaifer. An abbreviated version of the story was reproduced on every Cabbage Patch Kids product from 1983 onward.
Furby was first released in 1998 by Tiger Electronics over 1.8 Million were sold in the US within a year of launch. In fact early coverage of the toy increased demand and the initial allocation was already sold before they had even been made!
This made the Christmas of 1998 problematic if you wanted to try and buy a heavily hyped toy with the extra stock restrictions. The original ticket price was $35 in despair many turned to the Internet but at that time only around a quarter of households were online and scams and auctions far exceeding the normal $35 price occurred.
Silly Putty was invented during the second world war by Chemists who were concerned about the rubber supply began researching synthetic replacements. They stuck upon a stretchable, solid liquid material sure it was of no use at all in the war effort… but it was sold as a novelty toy inside plastic eggs. They benefited from a report in the New Yorker and as a result an order for 250,000 was asked for!
The silicone polymers used allow it to bounce and be manipulated but if you were to strike it with a hammer it will break. Its liquid silicone internal makes it act as a liquid over a long time and if you left it long enough it would form a puddle, it is a solid over a short term.
Tickle Me Elmo was a huge seller with the original Tickle Me Elmo plush doll during Christmas season of 1996.His catchphrase in Elmo speak was giggles and saying “That Tickles” when his belly was squeezed. If you squeezed three times in a row it would send him in a laughing ans shaking frenzy. Without doubt was one of the hardest to find toys of the year.
In 1997 the range extended to Tickle Me Big Bird, Ernie, and Cookie Monster none of these came close to the sales of Elmo. These were then re-released as mini version of each toy.
Wooden Lawn Mower Push Toy, it is surprising but great to see some toys keep the tradition of simple and nonflashy, no LCD screens. Wooden toys can still be found in most toy stores but that is on the decline and the amount of choice is changing. However, some toys are making a fight back with many Made in the USA and home countries promoting self-made and developed traditional style. Sure its a start but come on why give your kids the latest tech all the time let them play on there own or in groups and take turns or race… at least a tiny bit: