Gallery: 32 of the Most Popular Toys From the Last 145 Years
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Zoetrope reel, 1870s — Before there was Pixar, there was the Zoetrope. The optical illusion was first demonstrated in 1836, over a hundred years before the first Saturday morning cartoons. The device was patented in 1867 by Milton Bradley, the man, not the company, and in many ways can be considered one of the first mass-market toys. *Photo: Andy Brown*
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Sindy, 1960s — While she doesn't have the name recognition of *Barbie*, this doll has friends in important places. "My favorites are the Sindy doll—I had one myself—and any of the teddy bears," says Howell who helped curate the photo subjects. "I always preferred soft toys to dolls and now I get to look after them in the Museum." *Photo: Andy Brown*
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Paper soldiers, 1890s — "This is my favorite image," says Brown. "I love how camp they look today." *Photo: Andy Brown*
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Clackers, 1970s — Paradoxically, some of the best selling toys were the hardest to track down. Clackers were a popular noise making toy in the 1970s, but was fairly cheap, disposable, and liable to crack. "Loads of people can remember them," says Brown. "But very few people thought to hang on to them." As children's playthings become more ephemeral, this lack of a cultural record will only be exacerbated. *Photo: Andy Brown*
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Doll, 1870s — "The early toys are some of the first commercially produced examples, and the late nineteenth century was a time when children were being seriously considered as consumers," says Howell. *Photo: Andy Brown*
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Noah's Ark figure, 1880s — "One of the themes that interests me the most is how some of the earliest toys are hand-made, and how rapidly that is lost over the series," says Brown. "The figure from a Noah’s Ark set, in particular, is from a beautiful set that somebody spent hours and hours carving." *Photo: Andy Brown*
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Clockwork toy, 1900s — Many of the early toys embody outdated and even alien cultural norms. A Downton Abbey-era figurine of a lady being pulled by chauffeur is a particular favorite of Brown's. "The role of the class system that fascinates me about this one," he says "The Lady being chauffeured by the smiling worker. Not the sort of toy you see today!" *Photo: Andy Brown*
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*Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle*, 1980s — "As the decades have gone on this has developed, and with the use of new and cheaper materials, such as plastic, the range and choice of toys has increased," says Howell. *Photo: Andy Brown*
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Teletubby, 1990s — "As society becomes more concerned about the safety of its children, this is reflected in the way toys are made," says Howell. "The 20th century saw a rise in the development of educational toys."*Photo: Andy Brown*
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"This is a very cleverly thought-out concept—*Ben10* is a boy who can transform in to a range of monsters," says Brown. "And they keep updating the monsters to produce more toys." *Photo: Andy Brown*
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Slinky, 1950s — The humble Slinky was invented in 1943 when a naval engineer accidentally dropped a tension spring on the floor. His wife suggested he name it Slinky, which means graceful in Swedish. He sold out of the first batch in minutes and over a quarter billion units of this happy accident have been sold since. *Photo: Andy Brown*
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Furby, 1990s — Beyond being playthings, this collection of photos tells the story of global commerce. The microprocessor boom of the early 1980s, coupled with the liberalization of trade in the early 1990s, paved the way for interactive toys like the Furby and Tamagotchi in late '90s. *Photo: Andy Brown*
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*Transformer*, 1980s — The rise of television in the 1960s marked another turning point where savvy marketers realized they could convince children to buy their wares with what amounted to long form ads. This practice became so widespread that the US Congress felt compelled to act in passed the Children's Television Act of 1990, which prevented "show-length commercials" and limited tie-ins between content directed towards children and ads. *Photo: Andy Brown*
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*Star Wars* figure, 1980s — Brown's series also captures the changing nature of toy purchases. The Luke Skywalker action figure was from his own personal collection, and he fondly remembers tossing it in the air to simulate the trench run, while today's action figures are often hoarded by collectors and never even opened. *Photo: Andy Brown*
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He-Man and Battle Cat, 1980s — He-Man started out as a line of action figures to accompany the feature film Conan, but manufacturer Mattel didn't think Arnold Schwarzenegger's character was a suitable role model for young children—how right they were. The toy line was considered a bit of a risk at the time since boys weren't known to play with dolls, but in 1985 the line earned over $400 million dollars, out-earning even Barbie. *Photo: Andy Brown*
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Lego made it into Brown's collection three times. By constantly reinventing their manufacturing and marketing approaches, the Billund, Denmark brick maker has stayed on top of Christmas shopping lists for decades. Lego *Harry Potter*, 2000s. *Photo: Andy Brown*
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Game Boy, 1990s. *Photo: Andy Brown*
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Spinning top, 1900s *Photo: Andy Brown*
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Clockwork toy, 1900s *Photo: Andy Brown*
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Teddy bear, 1910s *Photo: Andy Brown*
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Train, 1920s. *Photo: Andy Brown*
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Jigsaw puzzle, 1930s *Photo: Andy Brown*
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Yo-yo, 1930s *Photo: Andy Brown*
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A pre-Lego building set shows just how big a difference manufacturing technology can make. *Photo: Andy Brown*
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*James Bond* car, 1960s. *Photo: Andy Brown*
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*Sylvanian Families* figure, 1980s *Photo: Andy Brown*
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Tamagotchi, 1990s *Photo: Andy Brown*
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Power Ranger figure, 1990s *Photo: Andy Brown*
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*Go Go Hamster*, 2000s *Photo: Andy Brown*
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Lego *Bionicles*, 2000s *Photo: Andy Brown*
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Marbles, 1880s *Photo: Andy Brown*
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*Care Bear*, 1980s. *Photo: Andy Brown*
