http://www.didisplaypen.com Just another WordPress weblog Sat, 26 Feb 2011 12:00:33 +0000 http://backend.userland.com/rss092 en 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. http://www.didisplaypen.com/2011/02/26/toy-fact-of-the-day-222/ 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 ... http://www.didisplaypen.com/2011/02/25/toy-fact-of-the-day-221/ 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. http://www.didisplaypen.com/2011/02/24/toy-fact-of-the-day-220/ 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. http://www.didisplaypen.com/2011/02/23/toy-fact-of-the-day-219/ The Yo-yo was invented in the Philippines. There it was originally used as a weapon for hunting! http://www.didisplaypen.com/2011/02/22/toy-fact-of-the-day-218/ In the game of checkers and chess, the term "checkmate" comes from the Persian word "shah mat" which means "the king is dead". http://www.didisplaypen.com/2011/02/21/toy-fact-of-the-day-217/ The astronauts of Apollo 8 brought Silly Putty into space with them. It entertained them as well as held objects down in the anti-gravity environment! http://www.didisplaypen.com/2011/02/20/toy-fact-of-the-day-216/ And Etch-a-Sketch is filled with a mixture of aluminum powder and plastic beads. http://www.didisplaypen.com/2011/02/19/toy-fact-of-the-day-215/ The original Monopoly game, invented during the Great Depression, had tokens that modeled common 1937 style household objects. Some of these were the top hat, thimble and the shoe. But the rocking horse, lantern, and purse were retired in the 50s. http://www.didisplaypen.com/2011/02/18/toy-fact-of-the-day-214/ The Easy Bake Oven's original model was created in 1963 and was turquois in color. It had a fake stove top and a carrying handle. It did change color over the years to follow trends however. http://www.didisplaypen.com/2011/02/17/toy-fact-of-the-day-213/