The Hula Hoop began as a simple wooden ring sold in retails stores in 1957. They were such a hit that the company began manufacturing them in bright colors made of plastic.

Charles Pajeau of Illinois invented Tinker Toys. At first, no one was interested, so at Christmas time he hired several “little people” to dress as elves and play with the toy in the display window of a Chicago department store. His publicity stunt worked and we still have them some 97 years later.

Invented in Austria, the Pez candy machine was created to look like a cigarette lighter. 7 years later, the company began putting character heads on the top and marketing them toward children.

The digital game SIMON was invented as on of the first simple “computers” by a man named Ralph Bear. It was named after the popular children’s game Simon Says.