Merlin, the ‘electronic wizard,’ was a red telephone-shaped toy used buttons, lights and sound effects to let kids play a variety of simple games, and was one of the earliest gaming consoles.
games
The Humpty Dumpty pinball machine was released in 1947, and was the first machine to include flippers the player could move, which required more skill – and that ushered in a whole new era of vintage pinball machines.
More than one billion Colorforms sets have been sold since the ’50s. They started with basic geometric shapes, then moved on to branded playsets.
Anyone obsessed with vintage Strawberry Shortcake probably dreamed of these pieces of sugary sweet delight featuring their favorite gal – dolls and toys, of course, but also bedding, wallpaper, roller skates and more.
The first vintage Etch-A-Sketch toy was made back in 1960. It was a big seller from early on, and over the years, Ohio Art made several other creative, artistic toys – such as those shown here.
By the early 20th century, materials were more readily available to make picture jigsaw puzzles – and the novelties were soon found in households across the country.
The Campbell Kids appeared in Campbell’s Soup advertising for decades, always with those little round faces. Here, see dozens of vintage toys, cups and more with their images, find out how they began, and meet the artist!
The original vintage Slinky toy was an all-metal spring that thrilled kids by ‘walking’ down stairs. Invented by accident back in the forties, it’s one of the classic toys that has stood the test of time.
Candy Land, the vintage board game that made millions of kids dream of an ice cream & lollipop world
Here, take a look back at some of the game pieces, cards, and several game boards for the vintage Candy Land game. Which ones do you remember most?
Do you remember these vintage Mad magazine back page Fold-Ins – where, with a couple of folds, you could change the page’s picture, and its message? Look back at a few of these clever pieces of art created by Al Jaffee.
This creative collection of ideas came from Crayola, the famous crayon maker, back in the 1950s. They suggest some simple old-fashioned ways for kids to have quiet fun at home with crayons and paper.
This extra fun retro Halloween party idea from 1973 is a family-friendly way to celebrate the spookiest night of the year! Check out these timeless party recipes and games!
Called “the world’s greatest toy catalog,” vintage FAO Schwarz toy catalogs like this gives you a peek at what children of all ages loved to play with back in the sixties.
Are you ready for Halloween? A look back at some old-fashioned Halloween party tips from 1910, in the days when the holiday was more about gatherings than candy collection.
Check out these old school toys: vintage ’80s Playskool play sets, which kids could use to imagine and build their own mini worlds.
Tiddlywinks (originally Tiddle-dy Winks) seems like a simple kids’ game… but there’s a lot more to it! Find out about it – including how to play – here.
What’s the history of golf balls? The first ones were made of leather of untanned bull’s hide – but golf balls have changed a lot over the years. Here’s a look!
These fun vintage coin-operated rides – including horses and rockets – lived in front of drugstores and grocery stores across the country, and made millions of kids smile.
As long as there have been kids, there have been _bored_ kids. For parents in the ’60s, one magazine offered these great old-fashioned ways to have fun.
See some of the dozens of the most popular vintage board games from the ’30s & ’40s, including Camelot, Ro-Nock-O, Crow Hunt, Senet and more old-fashioned fun.
Take a look back at the latest and greatest toys from 1986 in this vintage Toys R Us catalog they called the ’80s Out of this World Toy Book.
Originally played with people in place of the pieces, vintage Parcheesi had a long and unusual history before becoming the popular board game we know today.
What were vintage Magic Slate Paper Savers about? Think of them like a really low-tech tablet – you could draw and then erase… and do it over and over.
The classic Nintendo Entertainment System came with a robot, a light-sensing video gun, ‘true-to-life’ graphics and a library of games. Here’s a look!
Millions know ‘Say, Say, Oh Playmate’ – also known as ‘Playmate’ – but few today know much about the rhyming song & hand clapping game. Find out more here!
Press the Clock-A-Word lever and new group of letters appears – the clock starts ticking and you try make the longest possible word fast.
Here, take a look back at some of the most popular vintage Tuppertoys of yesteryear, including the now-iconic Tupperware shape sorter!
Do you remember the old metal hoop with a handle fastened to it? The small wooden hoops were usually rolled by the girls, using a small paddle to roll them along.
After hitting the market in the ’80s, it didn’t take long for the Rubik’s Cube to become one of the most popular toys ever. Here’s a look back!
See some of the dozens of the most popular vintage board games from the ’50s, including Easy Money, Alfred Hitchcock’s WHY, Summit and more fifties fun.
Hot on the heels of the flower child era, back in 1974, Mattel introduced a set of toys that were sort of the anti-Barbie: The Sunshine Family dolls.
Are you an undiscovered military genius? You could find out with these Vintage Gamemaster board games from MB, by living the drama of history’s most exciting battles.
Here are just a few of the toys you could find at a Woolworth’s store in the ’50s – the old discount retailer that seemed to sell just about everything!
The vintage Spirograph toys let you create millions of colorful, startlingly beautiful extraordinarily intricate designs in infinite variety – all you needed were pens, paper and the kit’s plastic gears and wheels. Take a look!
The first of the Fantasy Role Playing games was Dungeons and Dragons. In it, players got to become – for a few hours – the characters they played… centaurs or wizards…
Take a look back at a few of the popular vintage Star Wars video games from the ’80s, including ones based on Empire Strikes Back and Return of the Jedi!
In the early ’80s, arcade video games like Pac-Man, Asteroids, Space Invaders and Donkey Kong started to make millions of dollars – one quarter at a time.
Who remembers Peter Coddle, Shoot the Hat, and Snap? They were old-fashioned games that provided hours of entertainment before radio and TV. Find out more here!
Show us the face of Max the Master Robot. And you may win your own talking robot Team up with a friend to defeat Max
How to have fun with Lite-Brite: Put in the black picture outline, insert colored glow pegs, then watch them light up the screen with your fun design!
See what kids in the early ’80s were hoping to find under the Christmas tree by browsing the toys and games section of the 1981 Sears Wishbook catalog!
The Hula Hoop fad had millions of children and adults shaking their hips to make the hoop spin. See what the craze was all about – and how to hoop!
Teen guests will swing at a party of food, fun and favors that a young hostess can make herself. Greet your invited ghosts and goblins with a Halloween party!
What is Pickleball? Is it… (a) an hors d’ouevre on the sour side; (b) a Christmas tree ornament; (c) a delicatessen decoration; (d) none of the above. If you chose (d) give yourself a prize.
The party favorite – more fun than throwing custard pie! Wham-O Silly String shoots a plastic stream of plastic string 1/4 mile long!
What were the hottest toys in 1987? See them in this vintage Toys R Us toy & game catalog insert! The slogan that year: ‘You’ll never outgrow us.’
When video games first hit the market in the ’70s, manufacturers couldn’t keep up with demand for the new technological novelties. Here’s a look back!
How to give a preschooler something fun to do. And something fun to learn. (1966) The Mattel-O-Phone talks, teaches, and works like real. The voice
New! Party fun… country style Pillsbury’s got the cake and the party kit — if you’ve got 8 little guests County Fair Party Cake, Made
In choosing Christmas gifts for the children, avoid complicated or fragile articles that give pleasure only for a short time. Here are some ideas.
True Value Hardware Stores: Santa’s Preview Sports & tabletop games Tudor Play NFL Football, Ideal Big Action Games, Milton-Bradley New Pivot Pool, Aurora Skittle Pool
Attention, shoppers: The new Atari cartridge game is in A very early Atari 2600 commercial, broadcast during NFL Today on December 17, 1977. Atari
