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100 years of toys
Celebrate the 100th anniversary of the Toy Industry Association by looking back at some of the most iconic toys of past decades.

1910- Erector Set
In 1911, A.C. Gilbert invented the Erector Set -- a motorized toy made of steel parts. The Erector Set was the first toy to run a national advertising campaign, which was geared specifically towards boys. The line was discontinued in 1960, but the concept of toys that introduce engineering and structural principles still exists. In fact, kids can now even build and program their own robots, using a similar building concept as the original toy.

1910- Lincoln Logs
Despite the name, Lincoln Logs were not used or invented by President Abraham Lincoln. They were, in fact, invented by John Lloyd Wright, the son of internationally famed architect Frank Lloyd Wright in 1918. The idea struck John as he watched one of his father's designs, an earthquake-proof building in Japan, being built.


1920- Duncan's Yo-Yo
The first yo-yo appeared in California in 1928. A Filipino man named Pedro Flores often played outside with a homemade yo-yo, which means "come-come" in a native Philippine language. His small yo-yo business caught the attention of Donald F. Duncan (father of the Good Humor ice cream bar), who later bought the business and staged yo-yo contests, generating millions of customers.


1930- Monopoly
Monopoly is the most popular board game in history, but it wasn't always named Monopoly. The game was first called "The Landlord's Game," and introduced in 1904. According to The Strong National Museum of Play, the game was originally designed to point out the social pitfalls of unequal wealth among people. The game instead saw players greedily collect huge piles of money and property, delighting in opponents' financial troubles. The game gained popularity when Charles Darrow produced the first commercial version, named Monopoly, in 1934.

1930 - Scrabble
In the 1930s, architect Alfred M. Butts invented a game of 100 lettered tiles used to form words on a square grid that looked like a crossword puzzle. The game, first called Lexiko and then Criss Cross Words, was the first version of what today is known as Scrabble.



1930- View-Master
The first View-Master debuted at the 1939 New York World's Fair, and was invented by Harold Groves and William Gruber. The first reels offered views of scenic attractions around the U.S. Fast-forward to 2016, and the View-Master is compatible with a smartphone and designed to blend augmented reality and virtual reality.




1940- Silly Putty
Originally invented as a wartime synthetic rubber substitute, Silly Putty hit the market in the 1940s. After its introduction, a toy marketer named Peter Hodgson decided to list the putty, dubbed "Silly Putty," as a novelty in his catalog. By 1950, Silly Putty's popularity (and sales) were picking up, and it has since sold millions of units every year.

1940- Slinky
The Slinky, which was invented in 1943, was not at first intended to be a toy. Richard James, a mechanical engineer, was working to devise springs that could keep sensitive ship equipment steady at sea, when he knocked into his shelf of samples, causing his invention to gracefully "walk down." Slinky saw sales soar through the next few decades, thanks to a catchy advertising jingle.


1950 - Barbie
The first Barbie doll debuted in 1959 at Toy Fair. Barbie was designed by Ruth Handler to be a three-dimensional fashion doll that inspired little girls to be anything they wanted to be. Over the years, Barbie has held more than just a fashion model career; in fact, she has had over 150 careers including dentist, World Cup soccer competitor and even presidential candidate. See more photos of Barbie through the ages.




1950 - Hula Hoop
According to The Strong (Museum of Play), in 1957, Wham-O toy company founders Richard Knerr and Arthur "Spud" Melin learned that kids in Australia twirled bamboo hoops around their waists in gym class. Within a year, Wham-O had created a hollow hoop out of Phillips Petroleum's newly developed plastic Marlex. They named their creation "Hula Hoop" after the swivel-hipped Hawaiian dance its users seemed to imitate. Wham-O sold 25 million hoops in just two months, and sales reached $45 million in the first year.


1950 - Mr. Potato Head
Originally designed as silly face parts for inclusion in cereal box promotions, the idea for Mr. Potato Head came about around 1952. The first Mr. Potato Head included eyes, nose, mouth, ears and 28 facial features along with a Styrofoam head. Mr. Potato Head was the first toy to have a television commercial -- and was later joined by his counterpart Mrs. Potato Head in 1953. Together, the pair has appeared in commercials, movies and playrooms across America for generations.






1960 - NERF
Parker Brothers originally developed NERF, beginning with a 4-inch polyurethane foam ball, in 1969. The NERF ball was introduced as the "world's first official indoor ball." It was marketed as a ball that one can "throw it indoors; you can't damage lamps or break windows. You can't hurt babies or old people."



1970 - Star Wars Figures
It wasn't long after "Star Wars" debuted in 1977 that the line of 3.75-inch "Star Wars" figures followed, igniting generations of figure and "Star Wars" collections. Originally released from 1978-1985, and again from the mid-1990s until present day, the figures have generated millions of sales. With the release of "The Force Awakens" last year, the industry saw nearly 4,000 tie-in toys, including an app-controlled droid. It's safe to say that "Star Wars" products have come a long way over the past four decades -- but despite the rise of technology, figures continue to remain among the most popular "Star Wars" products on the market.




1980 - Nintendo NES
Since Nintendo Entertainment Systems' (NES) launched in 1983, Nintendo has sold more than 4.4 billion video games and more than 693 million hardware units globally. Nintendo originally began as a result of the coin-operated video game Donkey Kong, released in 1981. The company then turned its focus to providing in-home video games. When Nintendo's first home video game system, named NES, launched in the U.S. in the mid-1980s, its titles -- including Super Mario Bros. and The Legend of Zelda -- became instant hits.




1990 - Beanie Babies
In 1993, a Beanie Baby craze struck the world. The small, partially-stuffed bean bag animals were the perfect marriage of cute, affordable, and collectible. Each style had a name and included a catchy rhyme. What started as a collection of nine animals quickly grew into hundreds, and suddenly Beanie Babies were making their way into everything -- including McDonald's Happy Meals.




2000 - Webkinz
With the rise of the digital age, it is no surprise that toys and technology were bound to eventually merge. The popular Webkinz toys, which launched in 2005, were among the first to offer children online/offline play patterns. This revolutionary play pattern has been adopted by many larger toy companies (such as Mattel, Hasbro, and many more), and continues to shape the toy industry today.


2010 - Rainbow Loom
Rainbow Loom was created by inventor Choon Ng as a family project for his two daughters. Since its launch, millions of kits have been sold-- a real feat in the arts-and-crafts industry. Rainbow Loom fever swept the globe when royalty was spotted with the trendy accessories on their wrist.