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Pez
Pez was invented as a breath mint in Vienna, Austria in 1927. The first dispenser was made in 1948 and engineered to look like a lighter to encourage people to stop smoking.
http://www.pez.com/history/ -
Jukebox
The Jukebox could compete with a large orchestra, for the cost of a nickel. Prohibition assured the jukeboxes success, as every underground speakeasy needed music, but could not afford a live band. Tavern owners were privileged to have a jukebox, which drew in customers, and was provided by an operator at no charge.
http://www.history-of-rock.com/history_of_the_jukebox.htm -
Betty Boop
She made her film debut as a curvaceous cabaret singer in the Max Fleischer short “Dizzy Dishes”, Betty Boop remains animation’s first leading lady and a glamorous international icon.
http://bettyboop.com/biography/ -
Drive-In Theaters
The first drive-in opened on Tuesday June 6, 1933 at a location on Crescent Boulevard, Camden, New Jersey. The price of admission was 25 cents for the car and 25 cents per person.
http://inventors.about.com/library/weekly/aa980121.htm -
Monopoly
More than 275 million games have been sold worldwide and it’s available in 111 countries, in 43 languages.The longest MONOPOLY game in history lasted for 70 straight days.
http://www.hasbro.com/monopoly/en_us/discover/about.cfm -
Magic 8 Ball
The original product contained two dice and was cylindrical in shape. Sadly, Carter died before his creation found success. But in 1950, Carter's brother-in-law Abe Bookman was commissioned to turn the Syco-Seer into a black-and-white 8 ball with a floating 20-sided die.
http://www.time.com/time/specials/packages/article/0,28804,2049243_2048651_2049037,00.html -
Slinky
400 Slinky's were sold by the first 90 minutes. Today, all Slinkys are made in Hollidaysburg, Pennsylvania. Each one is made from 80 feet of wire and over a quarter billion Slinkys have been sold worldwide.
http://inventors.about.com/od/sstartinventions/a/slinky.htm -
Poodle Skirt
The poodle skirt was ideal for dancing to the new rock 'n roll music that hit the airwaves in the 1950s. The full skirts would swing as girls spun around, grooving to the latest music.
http://www.ehow.com/facts_5173161_history-poodle-skirt.html -
Gumby
Veteran animator Art Clokey created Gumby, the lovable green creature made of clay, for his 1953 short film Gumbasia. Television executives loved the character so much, they granted him his own program, The Gumby Show. His unusual shape and claymation movements made him a unique character.
http://www.time.com/time/specials/packages/article/0,28804,2049243_2048654_2049124,00.html -
Play-Doh
The first Play-Doh Compound came only in an off-white, 1 1/2 pound can and By 1957, there were three additional colors of Play-Doh, yellow, red, and blue.
http://inventors.about.com/od/pstartinventions/a/playdoh.htm -
Lego
The brick in its present form was launched in 1958. The interlocking principle with its tubes makes it unique, and offers unlimited building possibilities. It's just a matter of getting the imagination going – and letting a wealth of creative ideas emerge through play.
http://aboutus.lego.com/en-us/lego-group/the_lego_history/ -
Lava Lamp
Sales of the lamps had exceeded seven million units. Today with over 400,000 lava lamps made each year, the Lava Lamp is enjoying a comeback.
http://inventors.about.com/od/lstartinventions/a/lava_lamp.htm -
Yo-yo
Yoyo sales reached its highest peak in 1962, when Duncan Yo-Yo sold 45 million units.
http://inventors.about.com/od/xyzstartinventions/a/yoyo.htm -
Hula Hoop
On May 13, 1959, Arthur Melin applied for a patent for his version of the hula hoop. He received U.S. Patent Number 3,079,728 on March 5, 1963 for a Hoop Toy. Twenty million Wham-O hula hoops sold for $1.98 in the first six months.
http://inventors.about.com/od/hstartinventions/a/Hula_Hoop.htm -
Troll Dolls
The first trolls were created by Thomas Dam in the 1950′s in Denmark. Troll Dolls became a fad in the 1960′s. Trolls reemerged as a fad in the 1980′s and early 1990′s.
http://trolldollsguide.com/ -
Pong
A historic mega hit that kick-started the video game industry and defined its space in pop-culture history. As simple as the game may be by today’s standards, the history of Pong is littered with struggle and controversy.
http://classicgames.about.com/od/history/p/Pong-The-First-Video-Game-Megahit.htm -
Sea Monkeys
In the 1970s, sea monkeys were widely marketed in comic books, and they were inaccurately portrayed as humanoid creatures with crowns on their heads. These appealing drawings helped the creatures gain popularity, and many people became attracted to their strange appearance and playful demeanor.
http://www.filtersfast.com/articles/All-About-Sea-Monkeys.php -
Pet Rock
Packaging and a "trainers" manual played a big part in the pet rock's success. It sold in a cardboard pet carrier and was placed on top of a straw nest inside. The manual connected with the consumer's humorous side by showing how to teach his new unusual pet how to do things like sit and play dead. This poked the buyer's funny bone since after all it was a rock; all it did was just sit there, anyway.
http://www.ehow.com/about_5426489_history-pet-rock.html -
Star Wars
Opening Weekend
$35,906,661 (USA) (2 February 1997) (2,104 Screens)
$1,406,769 (Japan) (5 June 1997) (16 Screens)
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0076759/business -
Leg Warmers
Legwarmers are an icon of 1980s women's fashion that have experienced a resurgence in recent years. The first legwarmers were intended for dancers but quickly became a fashion-oriented phenomenon. Today, legwarmers are a fashionable items that can be found in stores like Urban Outfitters, H&M and Anthropologie.
http://www.ehow.com/about_6171721_history-leg-warmers.html -
Care Bears
Over 40 million Care Bears were sold between 1983 and 1987, and during the decade, American Greetings printed over 70 million of their cards. In whole, the sales of their merchandise reached over $2 billion during the 1980s.
http://www.carebeartoys.com/article/a-history-of-the-care-bears/ -
Cabbage Patch Kids
Georgia native Xavier Roberts was a 21-year-old art-school student paying his way through college when he designed a doll with an unusual (and disproportionally shaped) head in 1976. At first calling them Little People dolls, After a TV appearance on the television show Real People in 1980, the dolls' sales spiked, sending America's kids into a "Gimme!" frenzy.
http://www.time.com/time/specials/packages/article/0,28804,2049243_2048660_2049192,00.html -
Slap Bracelets
Created by Stuart Anders, a Wisconsin shop teacher, slap bracelets were as much a 1980s social phenomenon as a toy craze. Experimenting with steel, Anders created something he called the Slap Wrap: a piece of fabric-covered metal that would curl around the wrist of anyone who smacked the bracelet against their arm. they became slap bracelets — and a smashing success.
http://www.time.com/time/specials/packages/article/0,28804,2049243_2048660_2049189,00.html -
TMNT
With the release of the first Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles movie in 1990, the demand for merchandise related to four oversize reptilian superheroes hit a palpable extreme. An action-figure line became instant classics in the toy world, with fringe products like Rock Turtles and Sewer Sports All-Stars proving that if it had a turtle on it, it would sell — no questions asked.
http://www.time.com/time/specials/packages/article/0,28804,2049243_2048660_2049210,00.html -
Skateboarding
Through the 80's skateboarders started to built their own ramps at home, and to skate whatever else they could find. Skateboarding began to be more of an underground movement, with skaters continuing to ride, but to make the whole world into their skatepark.
http://skateboard.about.com/cs/boardscience/a/brief_history.htm -
Beanie Babies
Launched in 1993 by Ty Inc., Beanie Babies were small-scale stuffed animals filled with tiny plastic beads to give them a sturdy but flexible feel. They rose to an obsessive level of popularity in the late 1990s, with collectors and children alike scrambling for the tiny toys. rare items still go for thousands of dollars in online auctions.
http://www.time.com/time/specials/packages/article/0,28804,2049243_2048661_2049222,00.html -
Power Rangers
Being the original series, 'Mighty Morphin' Power Rangers' is also the most favorite of all Power Rangers fans, winning a viewer contest conducted by ABC Family in 2004, receiving the most votes.
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0106064/trivia -
Tamagotchi
The launch of Tamagotchi not only spurred the virtual pet phenomenon of the 90s, but it also created a brand new toy category and prompted countless virtual pet imitators. During its peak, 15 Tamagotchi units were sold every minute in the U.S. and Canada.
http://www.mimitchi.com/tamaplus/tama_history.shtml -
Pokemon
In February 1996, the Nintendo Game Boy game Pokemon came on the market, and a comic book series was launched. Both were an immediate hit in Japan. In April 1997, the television cartoon series "Pokemon" debuted. In 1998, Pokemon began to catch on in the United States. Movies, spin-offs and a trading card game followed and fueled the fad.
http://www.ehow.com/about_4618358_what-history-pokemon.html
