Have you ever wondered who invented the bicycle, or who came up with kites or Silly Putty? Toys!: Amazing Stories Behind Some Great Inventions by Don Wulfson will answer those questions.
Toys! explains the strange histories and accidents behind some of our most familiar and popular playthings. Slinkys were a mistake. They were originally an invention that didn’t work. It was meant to counterbalance Navy ship instruments during rough times at sea. Slinkys didn’t work for that, but as a toy they made their inventor a millionaire. During the Vietnam War the Slinky did end up serving the military as makeshift antennas for radiomen. Silly Putty was supposed to be a substitute for rubber. Play-Doh was supposed to clean wallpaper.
Seesaws were actually used by the Romans in violent boxing matches. Ancient Egyptians played a form of checkers. And Raggedy Ann dolls have a sad history, they were a couples way of coping with the death of their little girl.
Other chapters cover Magic Rocks, Play-Doh, super balls, Pinball, Trivial Pursuit, Mr. Potato Head, Legos, Twister, and windup toys.
Each chapter explains the history of the toy and gives interesting trivia tidbits like the record for seesawing, what Puritans thought of playing cards, and how kites have been used for military surveillance and for establishing land ownership.
The book is more than a history of toys book. It also tells the story of people who saw accidents as opportunities, who thought outside the box, and who took risks to bring their toys to the world. Humorous black and white sketches by Laurie Keller illustrate the text. It’s a great book for curious kids. I think the history of toys would make for interesting history projects and papers. A list of related websites is provided at the back for further research.
The book is recommended for grades 4-8.
Also See:
Smash It! Crash It! Crunch It! – Rain Newcomb & Bobby Mercer
The Lightning Thief – Rick Riordan
Snowball Launchers, Giant-Pumpkin Growers, and Other Cool Contraptions – Tom Fox