TOP TEN TOYS THEN AND NOW

Mindware,  a catalog of brainy toys for kids of all ages, arrived in the mail box yesterday. My head was spinning half way through.  I had started with my grandchildren in mind, but soon realized there were toys that many adults could enjoy.  Life seemed simpler back in the day – namely back in the l950s. So, leaving baking soda/vinegar rockets, tightrope-walking gyrobots, and young architect drafting skill sets behind I took a mental stroll down toy memory lane, researching the top ten toys of the ‘50s.  You’ll recognize all of them, but you won’t find them on the 2013 list.  Here they are with some some history that was new even to me, thanks to Judith Blakely of the Yahoo Contributor Network.
1. Barbie
Debuting in 1959, this voluptuous doll scandalized many at the time.  She and her boy counterpart, Ken, were actually based on Mattel founders Elliot and Ruth Handler’s children. I was lucky enough to work at Mattel from 1962 to 1967 and know a lot about their toys firsthand.  There was a whole department of top notch dress designers and seamstresses who brought Barbie and Ken’s clothing designs to life.
2. Play-Doh
Looking for a safe modeling clay substitute , Noah and Joseph McVicker created a non-toxic reusable wallpaper cleaner in 1955 that was the precursor to this great item.  Nowadays some parents make up their own version of Play-doh with flour, salt and food coloring, but I think I prefer the store-bought kind
3. Frisbee
Frisbees also have their own interesting history, a blend of two ideas.  One involved William Russel Frisbie, a pie maker, who had his name impressed on the baking tins, figuring that people who saw the name would remember it and buy more pies.  Eventually students at Yale university began throwing and catching these pie tins.  In the 1950s a man named Walter Morrison designed a saucer dish based on his love of flying saucers. He sold the idea to a toy company called  Wham-O, at which time  the two ideas were merged, with the name changed to  Frisbee.
4. Tonka Trucks
Tonka trucks endure in popularity.  Supposedly they came about when a group of teachers trying to make garden tools gave up and used the left over parts to make toys.  Voila! Instant success. 
5. Matchbox Cars
Jack Odell, made a tiny car model and put it into a matchbox for his daughter’s school “show and tell.”  Now almost all children know what Matchbox cars are,  and play with them at home or school.
6. Yahtzee
Yahtzee was originally called The Yacht Game  It  began as a way a wealthy Canadian couple  entertained their guests on yacht cruises.  Everyone loved the game,  and toymaker Edwin Lowe was commissioned to make the first toys as gifts, changing the name to Yhatzee.
7. Skateboards
In a way, skateboards could really be called surfboards on wheels. In fact they were created so that kids could have the experience of surfing without being near any waves, the earliest ones made in the 30s.
8. Hula Hoops
According to legend Hula Hoops have been in existence for over a thousand years, possibly originating in Egypt.  Our more modern version comes from visitors to Australia seeing kids gyrating with bamboo hoops at school.  The idea was presented to Wham-O.  The present hoops are plastic, and can be purchased in many colors.  I think there are probably very few households without them.  I also imagine that there are very few people in the household who can actually  “do the hula hoop.”
9. Mr. Potato Head
Mr. Potato Head’s creator, George Lerner, originally designed face pieces in plastic that could be pushed into real food to design various faces.  Originally it did not go over well because some people saw it as a waste of food.  The idea was sold to a cereal company, to be used as “giveaways” in cereal boxes.  Lerner bought back his idea from the cereal company and sold it to the Hasbro toy company which manufactured the parts for children to use making potato figures.  After eight years plastic potatoes were invented and Mr. Potato Head was born. He is alive and well today.
10. PEZ
Originally dispensing mints, and shaped like a cigarette lighter, this toy evolved when the company put heads on the dispensers and marketed them to children.  Now PEZ  is a candy dispenser AND a collectible.

SO THAT WAS THEN, BUT THIS IS NOW….

There really isn’t a “top ten” any more.  It’s more like a top one hundred. Perhaps you can see why my head was spinning.  Today  stores like Target, Amazon and Toys R Us advertise a multitude of items by breaking them down into age and gender groups.  The closest I could come to a top ten list is Toys R Us “first fifteen”. There are few toys on the list recognizable to my senior eyes.  See below:

1. Sofia the First royal Talking Vanity
2  Despicable Me 2 Minion Dave, Agnes and Gru Collector’s Edition Figures
3. The Ugglys
4. Doc McStuffins Deluxe Get Better Check-up Center
5.  Ever After High Royal and Rebel Dolls
6.  LeapPad Ultra
7.  LEGO Legends of Chima The Lion Chi Temple
8.  Crazy Cart
9.  Xbox One
10. FurReal Friends Cuddles, My Giggly Monkey Pet
11.  Big Hugs Elmo
12.  Shimmer ‘N Sparkle Cra-Z-Loom Bracelet Maker
13.  Tabeo e2
14.  Flutterbye Flying Fairy
15. Skylanders SWAP forcer

I find myself thinking back to 1962 when the world of toys opened up for me.  I was recently out of college, and looking for a job in Los Angeles.  I had started as an employment counselor for Aames Employment Agency when a job at Mattel, Inc. came in.  I knew nothing about Mattel, or what went into toy making but after an in depth interview was hired as “green sheet girl” in the research and design department.  This highly secure area was the birthplace of many toys that are still being manufactured and marketed today.   Keeping the “green sheets” up to date meant that I met with every designer and inventor for the latest information on toys as they evolved from ideas to the assembly line.  It was a simple and effective way to show all involved inventors, engineers and corporate entities the status of various toys in the design process.

Perhaps most people don’t realize how open to industrial espionage the toy business is, and that special passes are undoubted still needed to gain entry into R & D.   Also, I found it fascinating that some  engineers had been hired away from the lucrative aerospace companies to spend their days inventing and playing with complex toys, hot wheels, and guns.  The first talking toys originated at Mattel with Talking Chatty Cathy.  Barbie, patterned after the daughter of owners Ruth and Elliot Handler, became a main stay of the toy line during my time.  Barbie’s many beautiful outfits were created in the fashion department by top notch designers.   Game makers spent their days designing and playing games they thought would sell well.  Child research played a role, with children observed playing behind two-way mirrors to see their reactions.

During that time other employees and I were featured as characters in a game called  Lie Detector.  For me R & D was the most fun department.  But manufacturing, quality control, cost analysis and all other departments necessary for a company to operate served important roles and drew talent from around the country. The company, founded in 1945, had highs and lows, but is still a wonderful place to work and you can check out job possibilities by going to going to Mattel’s web site. http://corporate.mattel.com/careers/work/elsegundo.aspx.

With ten days to go until Christmas,  you are no doubt looking for a holiday or birthday gift for that special child in your life.  If you don’t want to fight the crowds for one of this year’s “top fifteen”, consider checking out  www.mindware.com. Or maybe, like me, you’ll think about the good old days and get a “tried and true” toy.  Hula hoops anyone?

THANK YOU BOB, THANK YOU MERIDIAN HIGH SCHOOL

My brother, Bob Fjellman, left high school in his junior year to join the marines in 1943, fibbing about his age in order to do so. He was sent to the South Pacific where he engaged in heavy combat, losing many friends and fellow marines during that dreadful time. Luckily he returned home to marry and eventually start a successful construction company.  

Five years ago he was honored at a Veteran’s Day assembly at Meridian High School, receiving a long delayed diploma amid much pomp and circumstance.

Sadly Bob passed away in June at the age of 87.  His remaining siblings,  Maxine Beebe, Judy Fjellman and Jan Lind-Sherman returned last week to Meridian where they had also graduated many years before.  At the 2013 Veteran’s Day Assembly, they expressed their appreciation to the school by presenting the library with three large, inscribed coffee table books about the marines, WWII and an atlas about war from antiquity to the present day.  It is important here to recognize the students of Meridian, whose amazingly respectful and polite behavior,  shows us the future of our country is in good hands.

Getting back to Bob, like most veterans who saw active duty in war torn areas, he did not talk about his experiences.  We can only imagine how horrible and life changing those experiences were.  So for him, and the hundreds of thousands of others who fought, died and were forever altered,   I say a heartfelt thanks on Veteran's Day, 2013.  The following quotation by Lane Evans best expresses my feelings.

“Without the brave efforts of all the soldiers, sailors, airmen, and marines and their families, this Nation, along with our allies around the world, would not stand so boldly, shine so brightly and live so freely.”

RUMORS AND GOSSIP ARE ROOTED IN BULLYING

Who spreads unkind rumors and gossip?  I call them bullies.  Unwilling to confront directly, these people, both adults and children, use the power of words to intimidate, frighten and compel others to their way of thinking.  Cyber bullying has had a great negative impact leaving its victims powerless to respond, and in some cases, taking their own lives.

Little kids are often subjected to gossip and taunts by other little kids, or even members of one’s own family.  By any name it is still bullying.  Some rise above it and move on, developing a thicker skin.  Others just can’t.  If it happens often enough, and no one can defuse the hurtful incidents, these vulnerable children can grow up to be withdrawn, bullies themselves or, worse yet, feel such anger they lash out at an unkind world. Perhaps the recent catastrophic mass shootings around our country were perpetrated by angry adults who were once hurting children. 

Sadly, our world is also populated with adults  who still engage in gossip, taunts and the spreading of unkind rumors.  Bullies all. The results are not as horrific as murder and mayhem, but the thoughtless words still wreak emotional havoc on the targeted victims. Sadly, most of us have  listened to hurtful gossip, sometimes even passing it on without a care for the targeted person. We should not condone this form of bullying in ourselves or others.  And certainly we should nip this kind of behavior in children if we can.

I know someone who has been victimized in this way.  If you, or someone you know, have been engaging in gossip, no matter how benign or malicious, perhaps the following thoughts of Steve Maraboli, noted motivational speaker, will give some perspective.   He asks this:  “How would your life be different if you stopped allowing other people to dilute or poison your day with their words or opinions.  Let today be the day you stand strong in the truth of your beauty and journey through your day without attachment to the validation of others.”

The following ten anonymous quotations found online might also give you pause depending on whether you have been the recipient or deliverer of gossip, rumor or innuendo. 

1.  “I’m okay with people talking about me behind my back, as long as they know what they’re talking about. 

2.  “I’ve always hated being gossiped about.  When I heard that people were talking about me I consoled myself with what my mother once told me. ‘Birds peck at the best fruit.’"  

3. “Fake friends believe the rumors told about you and judge you for them.  Real friends hear the rumors told about you and defend you, knowing they are not true.” 

4.   “No matter how small something is, if it’s not your business don’t spread it.”

5.  “Try not to take things personally; what people say about you is a reflection of them, not you.

6.  “Whoever gossips TO you will gossip ABOUT YOU.  It’s like this cycle that never ends.

7.  “Rumors are like fires.  No one admits to starting them and before you know it, they’re out of control.”

8.  “If you didn’t see it with your own eyes, or hear it with your own ears, don’t invent it with your small mind, and share it with your big mouth.”

9.  “Rumors are carried by haters, spread by fools, and accepted by idiots.”

10. “If you can’t say something nice, don’t say it.

If you know someone who gossips and spreads rumors, find a way to show integrity.  Maraboli would probably suggest that you ask yourself this.  “How would your life and the lives of others be different if you walked away from gossip and verbal defamation?  Let today be the day you speak only the good you know of  people and  encourage others to do the same.”  He might go on to say that instead, “plant seeds of happiness, hope, success and love; it will all come back to you in abundance.  This is the law of nature."

Here are some concrete ways to help children in your life.  Right now we are hearing a lot about the Bully Project where kids are “taking a stand against bullying, and taking a pledge to join the movement.”   The movie, called simply Bully, is aimed at middle and high school age children and is being shown across the country. There is much media buzz on CNN and elsewhere describing its success to date.  Since a picture or video is worth a thousand words, go to the following link and learn all about this exciting program.   http://www.thebullyproject.com/

In the movie five kids and their  families are followed for a year showing in painful detail what many children go through, and how often adults are ignorant or feel helpless to fix the problem. You could take children you know to the movie, perhaps with a friend or relative. You could also be really proactive and see if your local school wants to get involved.  Basically, tell everyone you know about this movie and your concerns for the youth in our country.  Perhaps it will rub off on adults we know who will see that they are part of the problem

Another site that can help can be viewed at the Kids Health Website. Here is the link:  http://kidshealth.org/parent/emotions/behavior/bullies.html