Hobbies And Interests
Barbie
Barbie, the world's most famous doll, debuted in 1959 at the American Toy Fair in New York City. The doll was invented by the co-founder of Mattel, Ruth Handler, and was supposedly named after her daughter. The commercial success of Barbie caused Mattel to shift the focus of its production from photo frames to toy making.
Play-Doh
Play-Doh was first conceived as a non-toxic reusable wallpaper cleaner in 1955 by Noah and Joseph McVicker. Later that year, Joseph sent a sample of the substance to a relative and school teacher who had inquired about a non-toxic clay substitute. Due to the overwhelmingly positive response from children at the school, the two brothers founded the Rainbow Crafts Company to manufacture the product, which was later referred to as Play-Doh.
Tonka Trucks
The invention of Tonka trucks came out of a failed garden tool venture founded by a group of Minnesota school teachers. When their garden tool company failed, the teachers decided to use the leftover materials to make toy trucks, named after the nearby Lake Minnetonka. Since then, more than 30 million Tonka trucks have been sold in the United States alone, led by the company's signature yellow dump truck.
Mr. Potato Head
George Lerner designed a series of plastic face pieces that acted as push pins for kids to attach to fruit and vegetables. This proposal was initially rejected by toy companies as they felt parents would not be interested in wasting a piece of food as a toy. Finally, Lerner sold the rights to Hasbro in 1952, who sold the toy as Mr. Potato Head. Initially, Mr. Potato Head was sold as a collection of facial features that could be attached to real potatoes; it was only 8 years later that a plastic body was included.