Today is day 70 of our travel wait. I'll admit, it's been hard. I know that some people have been waiting over 100 days for theirs and I know it's hard on everyone. I really thought we would have our TA by now and be traveling in Feb. Now it looks like I will be traveling in March. I guess the plus side is that will be a little warmer. How about 70 fun facts? I found this list. It's actually a list of 100 fun facts, but since today is day 70 I thought I would only post 70.
70 Fun Toy Facts1. Twister - Hasbro, Inc.Originally called Pretzel, Twister premiered as a promotional product for a shoe polish company
2. Mr. Potato Head - Hasbro, Inc.Mr. Potato Head was the first toy product ever advertised on television.
3. Yahtzee - Hasbro GamesYahtzee was invented in 1956 by a Canadian couple aboard their yacht, hence the name Yahtzee.
4. Tonka Trucks - Hasbro, Inc.It takes 119,000 pounds of yellow paint and 5.1 million pounds of sheet metal a year to make Tonka trucks and other Tonka vehicles.
5. Trivial Pursuit - Hasbro GamesMore than 30 million Trivial Pursuit games have been sold worldwide in 18 languages and 32 countries.
6. My Own Baby - Lee Middleton Original Dolls, Inc.These dolls are so life-like that television producers have used them on shows such as ER, Touched by an Angel and The Bold and the Beautiful.
7. Clue - Hasbro, Inc.In the United Kingdom the game is called Cluedo.
8. Barbie - Mattel, Inc.Every second, three (3) Barbie dolls are sold somewhere in the world.
9. Playmobil, USA, Inc.If all the Playmobil figures in the world stood in a row, they would circle the earth more than one and a half times.
10. Silly Putty Binney & Smith produces more than 1,500 pounds of Silly Putty each day; that's more than 20,000 eggs.
11. LEGO Systems, Inc.The work "LEGO" is formed from the Danish words "leg godt" which means "play well."
12. Rubik's Cube - Hasbro GamesIn 1982 one out of every three American homes had at least one Cube, prompting the term "Rubik's Cube" to become part of the Oxford English Dictionary.
13. Lincoln Logs - K'NexLincoln Logs were designed and developed in 1916 by John Lloyd Wright, son of one of America's most famous architects, Frank Lloyd Wright. The younger Wright conceived his idea for Lincoln Logs when he was traveling with his father in Tokyo and was inspired by the construction techniques used in the foundation of the earthquake-proof Imperial Hotel, which his father designed.
14. Slinky - James IndustriesIn the early 1940's a torsion spring fell off the desk of marine engineer Richard James and tumbled end-over-end across the floor. James took the spring home to his wife Betty, who named the spring "Slinky" and the classic toy was born.
15. Scrabble - Hasbro GamesMore than 147,000 words can be used to score while playing Scrabble.
16. Monopoly - Hasbro GamesParker Brothers initially rejected Monopoly in 1933 for having "52 fundamental errors." It has now sold more than 100 million sets worldwide.
17. Crayola - Binney & SmithThe average child in the United States will wear down 730 crayons by his/her 10th birthday.
18. KitesHawaiians used kites to claim pieces of land. The kites would be released in the air and ownership would be taken wherever the kite fell.
19. DollsIn 1840, dolls began to be mass-produced in America for the first time after the first American doll maker was granted a patent.
20. Mansion of HappinessThe first board game in the United States appeared in 1843. It was developed by S.B. Ives in Salem, Massachusetts and called The Mansion of Happiness.
21. Play-Doh - Hasbro, Inc.Play-Doh first entered the market in the 1950 as wallpaper cleaner, but people soon found out that it also made an excellent toy.
22. Slinky - James Industries Inc.It takes just 10 seconds to produce one Slinky.
TopTop is a Dutch word meaning "to whirl."
23. Mr. Potato Head - Hasbro, Inc.Mr. Potato Head kicked the habit and gave up his pipe in 1987. His decision was honored with a ceremony at the White House, where he turned his pipe over to the U.S. Surgeon General.
24. Playing CardsThe traditional 52 playing cards in a deck symbolize the number of weeks in a year. The four suits represent the four seasons.
25. Silly Putty - Ohio ArtSilly Putty was originally made during World War II during an attempt to find a substitute for rubber that was in severe shortage.
26. Raggedy AnnThe very first quantity of handcrafted Raggedy Ann Dolls actually had brown yarn hair, not red.
27. GI Joe - Hasbro, Inc.The makers of the action figure considered several other names such as Skip the Navy Frogman, Rocky the Marine Paratrooper, and Ace the Fighter Pilot before agreeing on GI Joe.
28. Scramble Squares® Puzzle - b.dazzle, inc.The Scramble Squares Puzzle has more than 95 billion combinations, but only one solution. This was discovered by mathematicians at Rockhurst University in Kansas City, MO. Their research showed that there are 95,126,814,720 different arrangements of the nine pieces.
29. Parcheesi - Hasbro, Inc.Parcheesi traces its history to India during the 1570s when factory workers realized a piece of cloth with a unique pattern could be turned into a game.
30. CheckersIn ancient Egypt, when a pharaoh died he was buried with his favorite items which often included a checker set.
31. Pinball MachinesMore than 60 percent of all pinball machines manufactured in the U.S. are sent overseas.
32. Tonka Trucks - Hasbro, Inc.Tonka takes its name from a Dakota Sioux Indian word meaning "great."
33. KitesKites are named after the kite bird which is a member of the hawk family.
34. Scrabble - Hasbro GamesToday Scrabble is found in one out of every three American homes.
35. Crayola - Binney & SmithIf all of the regular size Crayola crayons made in one year were laid end to end on the Equator they would circle the earth six times.
36. Monopoly - Hasbro, Inc.Each year more than twice as much Monopoly money is produced than US currency.
37. RitvikThe name Ritvik Toys is derived from its founders, Rita and Victor Bertrand, Sr.
38. Scrabble - Hasbro, Inc.Scrabble was originally called "Criss Cross Words."
40. Slinky - James Industries, Inc.It takes 63 feet of wire to make a Slinky.
41. Erector Set - Brio Corp.A.C. Gilbert, the inventor of the Erector set, won an Olympic gold medal for the pole vault in 1908.
42. GI Joe - Hasbro, Inc.G.I. Joe was originally created as a doll for boys based on a new television show called The Lieutenant. To the surprise of many toy manufacturers, G.I. Joe's popularity surpassed the TV series.
43 Radio FlyerRadio Flyer created The World's Largest Wagon - 27 feet long, 13 feet wide, weighing 15,000 lbs!
44. Matchbox - Mattel, Inc.Jack Odell originally created the Matchbox car for his daughter. He placed the small brass model of a Road Roller into a matchbox for her to bring to school, hence the name Matchbox.
45. Hula Hoops - Wham-OIn 1959 Arthur Melin and Richard Knerr begin to market Hula Hoops, after getting the idea from a friend who saw schoolchildren in Australia twirl bamboo hoops around their waists for exercise
46. CheckersIn 2000 B.C. Egyptians begin to play a game that resembles modern-day checkers. 47. ToyToy is derived from an old English word meaning tool.
48. DiceIn ancient Egyptian tombs, dice have been found that were made out of bone.
49. Teddy Bear - Ideal Toy CompanyIdeal Toy Company was the first company to mass-produce the Teddy Bear.
50. ChessThe largest number of people playing chess simultaneously took place in Mexico City. More than 10,000 people participated in the chess-a-thon.
51. Silly Putty - Binney & SmithThe astronauts of the Apollo 8 mission carried Silly Putty into space with them, in a specially designed sterling silver egg, to alleviate boredom and to help fasten down tools during the weightless period.
52. Barbie - Mattel, Inc.The largest Barbie Doll Collection in the World is in the United Kingdom. There a woman has collected 1,125 Barbie Dolls including several versions of Barbie's boyfriend Ken.
53. Yo-Yo - DuncanThe yo-yo was created in ancient Greece more than 3,000 years ago.
54. Teddy Bear - SteiffThe most valued Teddy Bear in the world is Steiff's "Teddy Girl." Produced in 1904, the Bear was auctioned off at Christies, London in 1994 for $170,830.
Fashion DollsFashion dolls were first used in 1391 when the French court sent the English queen a miniature female mannequin dressed in the latest French style. Aristocratic women traded the dolls to learn about the latest fashions. In the 17th and 18th centuries clothing designers used these dolls to advertise Parisian styles throughout Europe, and mothers gave the dolls to their young daughters when they no longer needed them.
55. BarneyWhile stuck in a traffic jam, a former schoolteacher in Texas envisioned a better quality home video for her two-year-old. She joined forces with another former teacher, and her idea eventually became that loveable purple dinosaur, Barney.
56. Koosh Ball - OddzOn/Hasbro Inc.Scott Stillinger named his creation after the "koosh" sound the ball made as it landed in his hand.
57. BoomerangThese curved throwing sticks were originally used by the aborigines of Australia for hunting and warfare.
58. Etch-a-Sketch - Ohio ArtThe Etch-a-Sketch was originally called "L'Ecran Magique."
Frisbee - Wham-OThe Frisbee Baking Company of Bridgeport, Connecticut made pies that were sold to many New England colleges. Hungry college students soon discovered that the empty pie tins could be tossed and caught, providing endless hours playing the game.
59. Domino"Domino" is a French word for a black and white hood worn by Catholic priests in winter.
60. PuzzlesEnglishman John Spilsbury invented the jigsaw puzzle in 1767. Spilsbury was an engraver and mapmaker. The first jigsaw puzzle was a map of the world.
61. The Super Soaker - Larami LimitedThe Super Soaker was invented in 1988 by Lonnie Johnson, an aerospace engineer, and originally called the "Power Drencher." The toy was the first water blaster to incorporate air pressure into its design.
62. Teddy BearThe Teddy Bear was named after President Theodore (Teddy) Roosevelt following a bear hunt in Mississippi. During the hunt, Roosevelt came upon a wounded young bear and ordered the mercy killing of the animal. The Washington Post printed an editorial cartoon about the hunt depicting the bear as a cuddly cub. The cartoon and story became so well known that Teddy Bears were soon being mass-produced and turned into a childhood favorite.
63. Clue - Hasbro, Inc.The game was invented by a British law clerk named Anthony Pratt while walking his beat as a wartime fire warden in Leeds. When the bombs weren't dropping, friends would gather in each others' homes for a parlor game called "Murder," where they would creep around and pretend to murder one of their own. From that game, Pratt developed the idea which turned into the classic board game Clue.
64. LEGO Systems, Inc.Two eight-stud LEGO bricks (of the same color) can be combined in 24 different ways. Four eight-stud LEGO bricks can be combined 1,060 different ways. Six eight-stud LEGO bricks can be combined in 102,981,500 different ways!
65. Ouija BoardsOuija is an Egyptian word meaning good luck
66. Pick Up SticksPick Up Sticks have been traced back to the Native Americans, who played the game with straws of wheat and passed it on to English settlers.
67. Shrinky Dinks - Spin Master ToysIn 1973 Betty Morris, a Cub Scout den leader, was trying to find a way to keep the group of 10 year olds busy. She discovered a plastic lid in a craft book that shrank in the oven, and thus got the idea for Shrinky Dinks.
68. Chutes and Ladders - Hasbro, Inc.Chutes and Ladders began, believe it or not, in ancient India, where it was used to teach Hindu children about right and wrong. The bases of the ladders stood on squares that symbolized different types of good, and then there were slippery snakes (that's right-it was snakes back then, not chutes) that sneaked out from squares representing various types of evil.
69. Tickle Me Elmo - Fisher-Price, Inc.The idea for Tickle Me Elmo came in 1996 when inventor Ron Dubren saw a couple of kids playing in the park. He watched the kids tickle each other until they erupted in giggle-fits and had the idea to create a stuffed animal that would react in a similar way when tickled by its owner.
70. Sea Monkeys - Various ManufacturersThey were thought of as mere fish food for many years, until Harold von Braunhut discovered these marvels of the sea. He saw their potential as a pet and developed a simple, three-step kit that allowed aspiring young marine biologists to raise their own brine shrimp in a container of water.
