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Did you know that many of the toys that you remember loving as a kid are ones that your grandparents, even your great-grandparents, played with when they were young? Though they may not have been lucky enough to have Beanie Babies, Razor scooters, and Mighty Morphin Power Rangers, they did have popular favorites such as Lincoln Logs, Matchbox cars, Slinky, and Play-Doh.
Toys have been around since the beginning of time. But while toys like Crayola crayons, Monopoly, and Barbie dolls may look like fun and games, to the people who make them for a living, toys mean business.
In 1903, the first box of Crayola crayons sold for a nickel and contained eight colors. Since then, more than one hundred billion crayons have been produced. Though Crayola now produces bendable, erasable, and washable varieties, and the colors have names like Purple Pizzazz and Screamin' Green, Crayola crayons continue to draw kids of all ages. Each day, about 7,000,000 crayons are produced. The paraffin wax and colored pigment used is enough to make a crayon taller than the Statue of Liberty.
Another moneymaker for the toy industry is the game Monopoly. You may never have owned properties on Park Place, or even finished the game with money in your pocket, but for Parker Brothers, the game's creators, Monopoly has been a winner. Since its debut in 1935, approximately 200,000,000 games have been sold, making it one of the best-selling games in the world. It is sold in more than 80 countries and has been translated into 26 languages, including Braille.
And then there is Barbara Millicent Roberts, a.k.a. Barbie. Barbie dolls were first introduced at the 1959 American International Toy Fair at a cost of $3. Barbie has worn many different outfits and gone through several different careers in her run as one of the world's most popular toys. Since 1959, more than 1,000,000,000 Barbies have been sold in 140 countries. That's enough to circle Earth seven times if you placed the dolls head to toe.
The toys debuting in 2003 at the 100th Annual American International Toy Fair range from pump-up super soakers to Lego jewelry. But the real question on everyone's mind is, "Which of today's coolest toys will stand the test of time?"
[All toys are registered trademarks of their respective corporations.]
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