Kid Stuff: Great Toys from Our Childhood (Paperback)

~ (Author), Viktor Budnik (Photographer) "It was 1956 and Milton Levine, owner of a mail-order novelty company (the same on that saturated our comic books with deals for "a hundred..." (more)
Key Phrases: hot wheels, New York, Potato Head, Lincoln Logs (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Review

--San Jose Mercury News, December 1996
To most adults, Christmas is a Christian holy day, celebrated in America with touches of German tradition, Victorian style and secular good will. But to most small children -- Linus and Charlie Brown excepted -- what Christmas is really all about is Getting Stuff.

Neat stuff. Cool stuff. And, in the babyboomer days, stuff like the Play-Doh Fun Factory and Malibu Barbie, Rock 'Em, Sock 'Em Robots ("Hey -- you knocked my block off!") and the ever-popular Mystery Date.

David Hoffman collects tons of under-the-tree goodies like those in Kid Stuff, and it's like a joyful trip back to your childhood, or maybe up to your parent's attic (assuming that they were generous enough to buy you all these toys to begin with, and then canny enough to save them).

G.I. Joe, Yahtzee, Wooly Willy ("Draw Whiskers, Hair and Eyebrows With This Magic Wand") -- they're all here. But what makes this more than just a wallow in nostalgia is that along with the careful photographs of all these goodies come histories of their invention.

The pictures of the toys offer some childish thrills; the stories behind them offer adult lessons in optimism and perseverance. It's a little bit insipiring to learn that an imaginative French garage mechanic invented the Etch A Sketch, or that a Danish carpenter begat Lego. Aren't you glad to know that Colorforms were dreamed up, not by some giant corporation, but by two hungry art students named Harry and Patricia Kislevitz? The prototype was made out of a sheet of discarded vinyl they got from a friend in the handbag business.

If you don't feel in the mood for inspirational stories about people making fortunes, though, you can always page through the pictures. Here's the Magic '8' Ball (along with some trade secrets about just what's inside). The original you'll-poke-somebody's-eye-out Mr. Potato Head parts. And the great, immortal View-Master (along with a helpful source for discs and discussion in Corte Madera. If you want to subscribe to a collector's magazine, get a catalog or just talk 3D, call [phone] and ask for Dalia.)

The views those plastic binoculars provided; however, are nothing compared to the rosy visions of childhood that memories deliver. Objects and events from those days can be viewed through the foggiest and most flattering of filters.

Product Description

Ever wonder if Barbie had a last name? (It's Roberts.) Who invented Lincoln Logs? (John L. Wright, son of Frank Lloyd Wright.) Filled with a host of curious facts and little-known anecdotes about the creation of dozens of timeless toys and games, Kid Stuff is a celebration of classic playthings, mostly from the 1940s throught the 1960s, that are still popular today. 80 full-color photos.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 108 pages
• Publisher: Chronicle Books (October 1, 1996)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 081181162X
• ISBN-13: 978-0811811620
• Product Dimensions: 8.8 x 7.9 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12.8 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #225,350 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Every babyboomer should own this book!, January 14, 2001

By	Tom Williams "Marketing Maven" (Albany, NY) - See all my reviews

These guys have put together a tremendous walk down memory lane. If you want to know the secrets behind your favorite childhood toys (as well as be reminded about how much fun they were)...buy this book. Set it out on a coffee table at your next party, and you are guaranteed an evening of fun reminiscing.

This book is more than fun reading...it is childhood joy recaptured.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Terrific Book, January 24, 2006

By	Bill Bazik (Fairview Park, OH) - See all my reviews

One way in which the thinking processes of successful inventors and entrepreneurs differs from the average person is that they often see a potential masker that others fail to see. Many demonstrations of this ability may be found when reading this delightful little book, Kid Stuff. David Hoffman has assembled the histories of the most familiar toys of our childhood. From the Ant Farm to the Whiffle Ball, he details how they were conceived, perfected, and promoted.

Consider the Slinky. If Richard James, in 1945, had not been intrigued by how a spring he accidentally dropped "walked" across the floor, the story could have ended right there. But be did see a potential. He perfected it, named it, and packaged it. It then died on the vine at the local retail outlet. Again, the story could have ended right there. However, he realized this was a new item and that it had to be demonstrated. When he demonstrated it at Gimbels, he sold 400 in minutes. In the 50 years since, 250 million have been sold!

Three basics in the Slinky story form a common thread that runs through many of these classic toy histories. First, someone sees a potential market; secondly, a dynamite trade name is created; thirdly, clever marketing is utilized.

Often the opportunity is in plain sight and, in fact, may have been for some time. Hoffman points out that it is said that the Yo-Yo is actually the second-oldest known toy (after dolls). Yet it remained for Donald Duncan, in 1927, to see the possibilities. Further confirmation that some people do look at the world differently may be had by noting that Duncan also invented the parking meter and introduced the Good Humor "ice cream on a stick."

An example of a mental process utilizing analogical thinking may be seen in the history of the Erector Set. Back in 1911, A. C. Gilbert observed girders being assembled for an electric system along the railroad line he frequently traveled. Realizing kids love to assemble things (wood blocks, etc.), he put together a toy kit consisting of girders, gears, pulleys, etc.

This power of observing the obvious and seeing the not so obvious is again shown in the history of Mr. Potato Head. George Lerner noticed how children love to play with their food. Who has not? He utilized the observation to create Mr. Potato Head. Incidentally, "Mr. Potato Head was the first toy to ever be advertised on television." The story recites how the toy has been adapted to the times. His pipe was eliminated and the last pipe given to the Surgeon General at the Great American Smokeout. Responding to safety regulation they increased the size of its pasts and made them less sharp. As Hoffman notes, the current Mr. Potato Head may surprise nostalgic parents, but he is still loved by the kids.

Another example of how a toy was adapted to the times is Antonio Pasin's original wagon, "Liberty Coaster," of 1923. It was made of wood and it was followed by the classic little red wagon, "Radio Flyer," made of steel. It was called "Flyer" to emphasize motion and "Radio" to honor the Italian inventor of radio.

If for no other reason, read this book to satisfy your curiosity as to how the classic toys came to be. How Paul Guillow created the balsa wood airplane industry. How a toy store owner and a marketing consultant created Silly Putty---it floundered until a mention in the New Yorker magazine resulted in orders for a quarter-million and it's sales has since reached the 200-million mark!

This book is jammed packed with toy trivia. Largest-selling football in the world? Nerf football. Barbie Doll's last name? Roberts.

Viktor Budnik's photographs for this book are terrific. They make this little book look good enough for your coffee table. But best of all, even your kids will enjoy this book and, perhaps, pick up on the idea that behind each toy there was a real person who took an idea from the dream world and brought it into the real world.

5.0 out of 5 stars Not Just For Kids, May 3, 2005

By	Ouija (Las Vegas, NV USA) - See all my reviews

From the infamous ant farm to Wooly Willy, this book covers all the hokey and cool toys you probably had if you grew up in the 60s, 70s or even later. The author does a nice job of providing an interesting synopsis of each toy, including its invention, popularity, and success (or lack thereof). There are dozens of obscure facts and stories behind the creation and evolution of these toys, and this book culls them all for us, making it a fun and enjoyable read.

The great thing about this book is that the toys featured include those that most of us had as kids (or at least had a friend who had them): Magic 8 Ball, Slinky (my personal favorite), Mr. Potato Head, Tinkertoys....and the list goes on. This book is great for the kid who never grew up.