Christmas Fun Facts from Stuart’s Past

heat Hey heat Hey heat Heat Hey Heat most popular toys of the 1940s Metal toys during World War II came to a screeching halt so that materials could be used towards the war effort Prior to the war they had been extremely popular and after the war they would regain their popularity Many of the toys for little boys were patterned after soldiers and guns while little girls played with dolls and pretended to be mommies Following the war a whole new era of toys was introduced Some toys were electronic which sometimes meant it was nothing more than a light bulb that would light up The Slinky was originally discovered in 1943 by a naval mechanical engineer named

Richard James He had been working on a device to keep sensitive ship equipment steady while at sea While doing so he accidentally bumped his shelf of samples and watched them slink down a set of books and land on the floor The Slinky toy hit American markets in 1945 The first 400 units sold in just under 90 minutes for $1 each During World War II Japan invaded areas that produced rubber and the Allies were cut off from this muchneeded supply The government turned a scientist for a synthetic substitute Silly Putty was one of the failed substitutes that was originally developed in 1943 A sample ended up in the hands of Ruth Falgad who was an owner

of a toy store there It sat on the shelf for almost six years until she showed an advertising consultant named Peter Hodgson He saw potential in it and placed it in a catalog It went on to outsell every item in the catalog with the exception of Crayola crayons The portable electric photograph became extremely popular in the 1940s for both children and adults alike The original photograph was invented by Thomas Edison in 1877 but it evolved in many ways to be easier and better The portable phongraph allowed anyone to transport and listen to music practically anywhere they went Eat your heart out iPod As World War II began plastic army became a popular toy for the

public These little toys were about 2 in tall and made from durable plastic They came in various colors but were typically green and featured soldiers holding different weapons and posing in different positions The Chattery Teeth toy was invented by Eddie Goldfarb who worked for the Marvin Glass and Associates Company This windup kids toy was released in 1949 and had originally been called the Yaky Yak Talking Teeth In the 1940s affordable model airplanes began to be mass- prodduced and advertised By the mid 1940s there were many models based on the popular aircraft that were used during World War II Candyland was designed in 1948 by Eleanor Abbott as she was recovering from polio in San Diego

California The game was made for children in the same wards of the hospital that she was staying at The children suggested that Abbott submit the game to the Milton Bradley Company The game was first produced in 1949 as a temporary fill-in for their then main product line of school supplies Candyland became Milton Bradley's best-selling game surpassing its previous top seller Uncle Wiggly and placed the company in the same league as its competitor Parker Brothers Shoots and Ladders was introduced in the United States in 1943 by game pioneer Milton Bradley The game originated in India as part of a family of dice board games The game made its way to England and was sold as snakes

and ladders prior to being introduced to America Paper dolls and cardboard houses were extremely popular due to the shortage of materials during World War II Manufacturers had stamped made in the USA on the houses to differentiate them from the ones that were made in Japan prior to the war Toys during the 1940s were greatly influenced by World War II and the need for raw materials Some were mistakes that were never intended to be toys at all but somehow they've remained popular ever since No matter what children still played and made do with what they had available Thanks for watching this episode on the most popular toys of the 1940s If you en Thanks again for

watching and we'll see you guys next time Heat Hey Hey Hey Heat Heat Heat Heat Heat Heat Heat Heat N Heat Heat Heat Heat Heat Hey Hey Heat Hey Heat Heat Heat Heat Heat Heat Heat Hey Heat Heat Heat Heat Hey Hey Hey