LEGO®
Named "Toy of the Century" in 2000 by both Fortune magazine and the British Association of Toy Retailers, LEGO has delighted generations of kids and their parents. In 1949, Ole Christiansen, a Danish carpenter, created a set of interlocking red-and-white Automatic Building Blocks - LEGO. In Danish, leg godt means "play well." Educational theorists and developmental psychologists, especially those who follow Jean Piaget, find these creative blocks an ideal toy, one that proves how children are not simply passive sponges soaking up impressions. Rather, say the experts, children "construct," organize, and reconfigure experience into "knowledge structures" - portable theories that explain, provisionally, how the world works. In 1958, the LEGO company patented bricks with small interlocking studs and tubes that permitted two blocks to join in 24 different ways. Just six blocks could combine in 102,981,500 ways! Eventually, the original blocks evolved into 28 different "play systems" allowing children to incorporate small cars, street maps, trains, and more into their constructive play. Purists charged that these more specific LEGO toys left less creative room. Yet, LEGO sales increased. Over the last sixty years, the company has made more than 320 billion individual bricks. That equates to 52 for every person on the planet.
Lincoln Logs®
The idea for Lincoln Logs struck John Lloyd Wright as he watched workers build one of his father's designs - an earthquake-proof building in Japan. The construction toy he created came with logs notched at both ends so kids could build structures sturdy enough to stand up to rough play. Good timing and a good "hook" made for success. Lincoln Logs appeared in 1916, just as parents were discovering the value of construction toys. Wright used the storied past of the American frontier to sell his creation, naming the toy after President Abraham Lincoln's fabled childhood cabin. Kids could be as resourceful and self-reliant as their pioneer forerunners who rose from humble origins to become, well, President, in at least one case. Bucking advertisers' requests to picture the toy on the box, Wright's packaging featured a simple drawing of a log cabin, a small portrait of President Lincoln, and the slogan, "Interesting playthings typifying the spirit of America." Television shows like Pioneer Playhouse and Davy Crockett featured Lincoln Logs advertisements, boosting sales enormously in the early 1950s. Lincoln Logs are still sold today, three-quarters of a century after they first appeared.
Mr. Potato Head®
Kids play with the food they don't want to eat. George Lerner, an inventor who figured that vegetables with a little personality might have a better chance, created a set of silly face parts as bonuses for cereal box promotions. Hassenfeld Brothers (later Hasbro, Inc.) acquired his creation in 1952. The original package included eyes, nose, mouth, ears - 28 different plastic facial features in all - along with a Styrofoam head for kids to practice making wacky expressions. The Mr. Potato Head television commercial, the first ever for a toy, helped Hasbro earn more than $4 million in sales in just the first few months. A Mrs. Potato Head appeared in 1953, followed by brother Spud, sister Yam, various pets, and a car and trailer. Hasbro promoted the happy family in LIFE magazine. A plastic potato appeared in 1964. Already a celebrity, Mr. Potato Head starred in Toy Story in 1995 and Toy Story 2 in 1998. The only licensed toy among the main characters, he spoke with the voice of comedian Don Rickles. This exposure gave the big spud a new life on key chains, mugs, ball caps, Christmas ornaments, and boxer shorts.
