Nostalgic Showcase Presents is joining in on the 250th birthday celebration of the United States of America with our own yearlong landmark celebrations of our favorite toys, movies, characters, and franchises! Check back every two months for a special themed article, and attend our in-person events throughout the year.
For our first installment of the year, let’s keep the momentum from the holidays going with this showcase of some toys and games that celebrate landmark anniversaries this year!
YAHTZEE! To anyone who has played this deceptively simple dice game, you’ll be ecstatic to learn that Yahtzee also turns 70 this year. Can you roll a full house, a small straight or a large straight? If you can roll all five dice the same number- it’s time to call out the game’s name! This game also has been modified to simpler (and themed) versions so the whole family can join the action. You can still find Yahtzee in stores, ready to be enjoyed for another seventy years. For families who need a game that gets members moving, stretching, and turning, may I suggest Twister? This game that is guaranteed to “tie you up in knots” (as stated on the box) has been contorting players since 1966. Played with a color-dotted mat and a spinner, one player must spin and instruct which colored dot the players put their hands or feet. If the player is unable to reach, or falls, they’re out of the game. This 60 year old classic still gets players twisted up! You can check out a video game version of Yahtzee and Twister (includes other iconic Hasbro games) at WPPL.
Did you know that the Magic 8 Ball is an Ohio invention? Originally designed by Albert C. Carter in Cincinnati in 1946, the Magic 8 Ball looked a lot different from the iconic answering paper weight toy we know, instead a cylindrical tube. By the time his patent was approved, in 1948, Carver had passed away, and his successors and co-copyright owners, Max Levinson and Abe Bookman continued to sell the new “Syco-Slate” as it had been named, through Alabe Crafts, Inc, making it a rounded crystallized sphere that year. In 1950, the device caught the attention of Chicago’s Brunswick Billiards, who then commissioned a version of the Syco-Slate as a traditional black-and-white 8 ball. Now renamed the Magic 8 Ball, it has retained the same concept since its invention, re-releasing with various media tie-ins and differing size options over the past eighty years.
Who you gonna call? In 1984, Ghostbusters premiered on the big screen, an iconic film full of quotable lines and likeable characters. So, what do you do with a franchise that’s so loved by kids and adults? You make an animated show out of it! The Real Ghostbusters premiered two years after the first live action movie (set back by copyright issues with Hanna Barbera- read this article about it!), and the next plausible step is merchandising! The Real Ghostbusters toy line featured toys and sets based on the cartoon series and released ten waves of new and unique action figures until 1991. Like the other pop culture themed toys on this list, The Real Ghostbusters will occasionally return with a special limited edition release for conventions or anniversaries, but remains dormant for now.
For young girls who love dolls and historical fiction, the American Girls doll line was an important part of your childhood! For the past forty years, these 18-inch dolls all represent a certain era from America’s history, from pre-colonization to 1986- the same year the dolls and franchises released. Initially just three dolls were available for mail-in pre-orders, Kirsten Larson (from 1854), Samantha Parkington (1904), and Molly McIntire (1944); over the past four decades, the list of dolls and accessories have expanded and shrunk, with limited releases and retired dolls making certain items instant collectibles. American Girls was able to expand further than just dolls and play, creating whole worlds with books, movies, and a subscription based magazine. In recent years, the franchise rebranded their historical dolls, focused on fewer options available for purchase, and focused on their doll of the year offerings. Forty years later, and the brand continues to introduce young readers and fans of the dolls to the history of America. Check out WPPL’s collection of American Girl books and movies!
1971’s Weebles, the egg-shaped characters, have an interesting design quality- due to a weighted bottom center, these toys can’t fall down- they just wobble. These toys aren’t as memorable as the rest of the list, but was impactful enough to get a Weebles balloon featured in Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade in 1975. In 1976, Stretch Armstrong made his debut! A latex strongman filled with gelled corn syrup, Stretch could be stretched to near impossible lengths before shrinking back to form. Numerous versions and variations of Stretch have been released throughout the years, including an octopus, a dog, a serpent, licensed characters like Mickey Mouse and Gumby, and Stretch X-Ray. Fifty years later, and Stretch has disappeared from toy shelves, but newer variations of his concept continues to this day.
Speed round! Colorforms, non-adhesive vinyl sheets that can be repositioned and removed from scenes and characters including many licensed characters, premiered in 1961. In the same year, kids were introduced to Slip N’ Slide, which easily gained popularity for being affordable, adaptable, and easy to assemble- simply roll out the plastic sheet and add water from a hose- making it an iconic staple of any kid’s summer time activities. Weepul, small toys constructed from a pom-pom ball and googly eyes, were released in 1971; five years later, Squirmles wiggled on the scene, colorful fuzzy worm on a string toys that found a resurgence in popularity in the 2010s. In 1996, the biggest new toy was Tickle-Me-Elmo, a battery operated toy of our favorite red monster from Sesame Street which giggled and shook when pressed, and stores could not keep it on the shelves – the demand was that high. The original Bop It, the interactive pattern game also premiered that year. Popples, adorable brightly colored plush animals that “popped” into a ball, and Mad Balls, firm bouncy balls with gnarly gross-out designs, bounced into the hands of children in 1986. In 2001, the hottest new toys were Uglydolls, Bratz dolls, and Bionicle. Ten years ago, the hottest new toy were Hatchimals, plush interactive robotic animals that “hatch” from a plastic egg. No matter your age, I hope one of these iconic toys brought back memories from your childhood!
Come back in April for a showcase of our favorite comic book characters that celebrate anniversaries this year!
And check out our upcoming live presentations for even more fun!
