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St. Martin's Press

Toys!: Amazing Stories Behind Some Great Inventions

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Description

A fresh, intriguing look at the stories behind great toy inventions, by Don Wulffson and illustrated by Laurie Keller. "Originally, Play-Doh only came in white. There's a good reason for this. You see, Play-Doh didn't start out as a toy. It started out as a product for cleaning wallpaper." Have you ever wondered who invented Lego, Mr. Potato Head, or toy trains? In Toys! are the fascinating stories behind these toy inventions and many others. Learn why the see-saw was popular with the Romans, how the Slinky was used during the Vietnam War, and the reason Raggedy Ann has a red heart on her chest that says "I love you." From dolls and checkers to pinball and the modern video game, there's a wide selection here for boys and girls alike. With humor and wit, this intriguing book serves up slices of cultural history that will inspire young readers to start thinking up their own toy inventions. Read more

Publisher ‏ : ‎ Square Fish


Publication date ‏ : ‎ December 2, 2014


Edition ‏ : ‎ First Edition


Language ‏ : ‎ English


Print length ‏ : ‎ 208 pages


ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 1250034094


ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 90


Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 5.7 ounces


Reading age ‏ : ‎ 8 - 12 years


Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 5.15 x 0.5 x 7.6 inches


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Top Amazon Reviews

    • Facts incorrect
The first story I found was on Wind-ups/Automatons and the story of Karel Grod making one fly around a city and return to him. Further research indicated this is highly likely to be made up - also, doing that TODAY would be impossible with a wind-up item - the mechanism would be too heavy and it would not adjust to compensate for wind changes (so even if it did fly, it would get lost). Having enough wind-up power to fly for more than a minute just isn't possible - other automatons sit on the floor so the weight doesn't matter and the spring that powers them can be as strong (and long lasting) as possible That makes me doubt literally all of the stories in the entire book unfortunately ... show more
Reviewed in the United States on October 22, 2020 by arereviewer
    • Fascinating accounts of several toys' origins
Here is a book that can be read and enjoyed by "children of all ages." Although I purchased it when it first appeared (in 2000) and have since read it with grandchildren ranging in age from two to twelve, I never gave much thought to reviewing it until recently when one of the grandchildren borrowed it to read to a friend who was staying overnight. I'm told that the friend later purchased a copy and also shares it with friends. I guess Emanuel Rosen and Seth Godin (as well as countless others) would characterize this as an example of BUZZ. The concept for this book, written by Don Wulffson, is simple...and brilliant: Briefly explain the origin of several of the most popular toys. They include The Slinky, Lego, Mr. Potato Head, Silly Putty, toy soldiers, Checkers, Play-Doh, and kites. Did you already know that "Slinky's most recent accomplishment was in outer space. Bunches have gone aboard space shuttles. The purpose: to test the effects of zero gravity on springs." "Playing with a four-sided top called a dreidel is a Hanukkah tradition. Each side has a Hebrew letter, and the letter on which the dreidel falls determines of the player wins the prize." "Ironically, after becoming a popular toy, many practical uses have been found for Silly Putty. Mechanics use it to clean equipment, dry cleaners to remove lint, and zookeepers to make casts of animal footprints for purposes of identification." "Before the Christian era, the Greeks and Arabs made mechanical toys powered by air, water, or mercury." "In Europe during the Middle Ages, a `hobby' was a high-spirited, medium-sized breed of horse." "When China's first emperor, Ch'in Shih Huang Ti, died in 210 B.C., he was buried with eight thousand life-size toy soldiers." "One variation of the game [checkers] was called `losing checkers.' The first player to lose all his pieces wins the game." "The ingredient that gives Play-Doh its distinctive aroma is vanilla." "The highest recorded speed for a Ping-Pong ball is 105.6 miles per hour." "A new pinball machine costs over $1,000. That's not a lot of money when you consider that the profit from one machine is $10,000 to $15,000 a year." "Kites were named in the sixteenth century after the kite, a type of bird in the hawk family. Kites have a broad wingspan, a long, tapering tail, and can remain in one place in the air by heading into the wind." These are but a few of several dozen interesting facts about the toys that Don Wulffson includes with his brief but entertaining as well as informative accounts of the origins of several of the most popular toys. Also noteworthy are the delightful illustrations provided by Laurie Keller. During this holiday season, especially, this would be an appropriate companion to one or more of the toys discussed in this book. With or without toys, I highly recommend it. ... show more
Reviewed in the United States on November 20, 2007 by Robert Morris
    • This is a pretty good way to get kids interested in science and ...
This is a pretty good way to get kids interested in science and explain how inventions evolve, as well as just to get their interest. Each little chapter (each on a different invention or type of invention) runs through things in chronological order, then adds some trivia in a bulleted list at the end. I will say that while Amazon lists it as appropriate for grades 3-7, I would agree with the blurbs that place it starting more at the 4th grade level. Third grade students could probably understand it with some support and would really enjoy pieces of it, but a lot of the vocabulary is more appropriate for many 4th or 5th/6th grade levels. I actually read excerpts to my 2nd/3rd grade students and they really enjoyed it, but I had to change some words and skip some pieces to help them understand. ... show more
Reviewed in the United States on February 9, 2015 by Emily Bernstein
    • The story behind some classic toys
I'm a Raggedy Ann fan, so reading the story behind the doll was very interesting. Several other stories behind classic toys were also fun to read.
Reviewed in the United States on July 19, 2020 by Judith J. Bellando
    • Interesting book for the whole family
Review Image by Janine M
Review Image by Janine M
Fun book full of interesting stories about toys/games and how they were invented.
Reviewed in the United States on December 1, 2019 by Janine M
    • Great for all Ages - I read it Aloud to my Students
I am a teacher and one of our Science modules is called Ideas and Inventions. I have used this book in my classroom for read-aloud time during this unit. The stories are interesting and to-the-point. The students are as interested in the various Toy origin stories as I am. I love discussing with them the humble origins that many of the most memorable toys of the last 100 years come from. You don't have to be a genius or wealthy to have a great, original idea. ... show more
Reviewed in the United States on July 21, 2008 by G. Sims
    • Good condition
Came in as described
Reviewed in the United States on March 31, 2020 by KG
    • Decent for kids
Not as in-depth as I was hoping.
Reviewed in the United States on July 7, 2018 by Nathan Phillips

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