Product Details

• Format: Color, DVD, NTSC
• Language: English
• Region: Region 1 (U.S. and Canada only. Read more about DVD formats.)
  
• Aspect Ratio: 1.33:1
• Number of discs: 1
• Rated: NR (Not Rated)
• Studio: A&E Home Video
• DVD Release Date: June 27, 2006
• Run Time: 100 minutes
• Average Customer Review: 3.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• ASIN: B000FBFYT6
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #120,181 in Movies & TV (See Top 100 in Movies & TV)

Editorial Reviews

Actor John Ritter ("Three’s Company") hosts this fun look at America’s favorite playthings. From the humble, hand-crafted objects that occupied Colonial children to the complex video games of the ‘90s, toys and games hold a special place in the nation’s collective heart. Archaeological digs have turned up little wooden tops, whistles and corn-husk dolls that once gave children a way to cope with harsh everyday realities. Today children still love their now mass-produced delights. The History of Toys and Games follows the progress of fun pastimes and introduces the fascinating inventors who’ve created and marketed this century’s most popular toys – including Barbie, Lionel Trains, Crayola Crayons, Erector Sets, Hot Wheels, Play Doh, PEZ and Mr. Potato Head.

The History of Toys and Games

This unique two-hour special explores the history of the world's playthings. Universal in occurrence and appeal, toys and games are found in every culture and era. But more than just devices to amuse the young, toys can be a window in which to study and learn the history of any given period or area. Toys reflect the economic, social, technological, gender, and political trends and events of a society, and the plaything of today can become the valuable collector's item of tomorrow. The History of Toys and Games would be useful for classes on World History, American History, American Culture, Gender History, the History of Science and Technology and Psychology. It is appropriate for middle school and high school.

Part 1

Vocabulary

• albeit
• artisans
• authenticity
• bauble
• beleaguered
• belies
• exquisite
• genteel
• infancy
• integral
• intrinsic
• melee
• napoleonic
• optimism
• pillory
• predecessor
• sociologist
• testosterone
• trifle
• trinket

Discussion Questions

1. Toys are universal and found in every part of the world. Discuss how each culture has its own distinct types of toys. Compare different toys from different regions. How are they similar? How are they different?

2. Discuss how toys are both stimulants for imagination and the product of the imagination.

3. Toys can tell much about their society. How do toys reflect their culture?

4. Discuss how toys “tell” the history of humankind.

5. What are the origins of the word “toy?”

6. We all know that toys provide entertainment and delight for children, but they also serve other purposes. What do toys do for children? How do they aid in the process of maturation? How do toys teach children the skills they need as adults? How can toys also teach children what is acceptable in their culture or society and what is not?

7. How do toys serve as vehicles for our fantasies?

8. Girls' toys and boys' toys can be very different and gender specific. Discuss how a society's accepted gender roles are evident in the ways in which toys are assigned to girls or boys. How do advertisers contribute to this segregation?

9. Why do war games seem to appeal to male children?

10. Archeologists have found dolls among the oldest ruins and artifacts. Why do think dolls are among the earliest toys?

11. How do dolls reflect the image of the members of their society?

12. What were the origins of the Teddy bear?

Extended Activities

1. Create a simple toy and explain how your toy can be used and what benefit it would be to a growing child.

2. Use some of the toys popular today to discuss our culture and society.

3. Write an essay on your favorite toy and what that toy has done for your benefit.

Part 2

Vocabulary

• avocation
• commodity
• disgruntled
• enumerated
• evocative
• imposing
• laboriously
• lexicon
• lithograph
• meticulous
• perseverance
• prototype
• simulation
• tangible
• terrain
• thwart
• touted
• ultimately

Discussion Questions

1. Some of the most popular toys have been trains, planes and automobiles. Why are transportation toys so popular?

2. What was the Industrial Revolution? How did it change America? How did the Industrial Revolution influence toy manufacture?

3. Lionel trains are famous throughout the world. How did this company get its start?

4. Model airplanes are staples of the toy industry. But these models were not originally intended to be used as toys. What were the original uses for model airplanes?

5. Discuss what the term state-of-the-art means. How does state-of-the-art differ from era to era? What are some examples of this?

6. Discuss and provide examples of how world events have influenced the toy industry.

7. How have movies and television influenced the toy industry?

8. What were the effects of World War II on the toy industry and America's toys, both during the war and in the post-war period?

9. How did toy manufacturers contribute to the war effort during World War II?

10. Why have Hot Wheels been so successful?

11. How do federal regulations test for toys to ensure their safety?

12. What is the future of toys and games?

Extended Activities

1. Design a car model for Hot Wheels.

2. Discuss your favorite toys with your classmates. Why are these your favorite toys? What are some of the favorite toys of your classmates? Why do some toys seem to be more popular than others? Ask your parents and grandparents what their favorite toys were and compare their favorites with the favorites of your classmates and yourself.