- Hardcover: 427 pages
- Publisher: Greenwood Press (9 Dec 2009)
- Language English
- ISBN-10: 0313347980
- ISBN-13: 978-0313347986
- Product Dimensions: 25.7 x 17.8 x 3.3 cm
- Amazon Bestsellers Rank: 3,537,753 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
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3 of 3 people found the following review helpful
What I Didn't Know About America's Toys
4 Feb 2010
Format:Hardcover
This is a great book about the history of toys of the 20th century, how they were developed and their influence on American society. I just loved reading about all the toys I grew up with as a child. It brought back so many fond memories. The book includes some really interesting historic pictures, information about the men and women who developed the toys, consumer issues, toy companies, toy museums and detailed contact information. I learned that the Raggedy Ann doll was created by Johnny Gruelle as a result of a tragedy in his family. Play-Doh was originally a cleaner. The Pogo stick began as a very interesting legend. There are many other unusual and surprising stories.
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful
Toy Collectors & Enthusiasts Dream Volume Is Addicting Fun For All
24 May 2010
Format:Hardcover
Who knew that the iconic Radio Flyer wagon was the brain-child of an Italian immigrant, Antonio Pasin, whose 1917 prototype, the #4 Liberty Coaster, was so named in honor of the Statue of Liberty?
Ever heard of the Barbie Liberation Organization (BLO) who orchestrated a most unusual media scandal in the name of gender stereotyping? Members purchased hundreds of Talking G.I. Joes and Talking Barbies, switched the voice mechanisms, then returned them to the stores where unsuspecting Christmas shoppers purchased them for Dick and Jane.
On Christmas morning 1989, little girls were shocked to hear a testosterone-filled male voice blasting from their bikini clad fashion doll, Barbie, barking military orders instead of party plans. Boys were similarly traumatized by the soft, female voice emitting from their bullnecked, blood and guts hero as he giggled coquettish remarks about dating and fashion woes. Notes had been placed in all of the boxes instructing parents to notify the local media. The opening salvo of the BLO's gender wars was thus unleashed upon America.
Do you know what iconic doll was brought to life by a cartoonist for the New York Herald after the 1915 death of his young daughter (whose demise was attributed to an accidently given a second dose of an experimental smallpox vaccine)?
The answer, along with hundreds of other obscure, but tasty toy tidbits, can be found in Sharon M. Scott's quintessential new book, Toys and American Culture, An Encyclopedia. A must-have volume for toy collectors, writers, and researchers, and an outstanding read for anyone who ever played with toys, Toys and American Culture isn't your standard "toy showcase". It explores the relationship of trends and social changes as evidenced by America's toy appetite over the decades. Meticulously researched, the broad scope of this volume demonstrates Ms. Scott's tenacity in presenting a refreshing look at an old, but beloved subject. Where we've been, where we are, and where we're going are but a few of the subtle undercurrents unique to this volume. The role of art, the media, endorsement, overseas manufacturing, and toy safety are but a small sample of the subject palette.
While this wonderful book has proved invaluable to me as an antique toy collector and writer, it has also become a sore subject between my 11-year-old-twin grandsons. The pair fights over who gets to peruse it first when they visit. Little wonder as it is presented in a well-organized format with many black and white photos. Toys And American Culture will stick with you long after you've scoured its pages to discover your own gems.
Carma L. Walsh
Ever heard of the Barbie Liberation Organization (BLO) who orchestrated a most unusual media scandal in the name of gender stereotyping? Members purchased hundreds of Talking G.I. Joes and Talking Barbies, switched the voice mechanisms, then returned them to the stores where unsuspecting Christmas shoppers purchased them for Dick and Jane.
On Christmas morning 1989, little girls were shocked to hear a testosterone-filled male voice blasting from their bikini clad fashion doll, Barbie, barking military orders instead of party plans. Boys were similarly traumatized by the soft, female voice emitting from their bullnecked, blood and guts hero as he giggled coquettish remarks about dating and fashion woes. Notes had been placed in all of the boxes instructing parents to notify the local media. The opening salvo of the BLO's gender wars was thus unleashed upon America.
Do you know what iconic doll was brought to life by a cartoonist for the New York Herald after the 1915 death of his young daughter (whose demise was attributed to an accidently given a second dose of an experimental smallpox vaccine)?
The answer, along with hundreds of other obscure, but tasty toy tidbits, can be found in Sharon M. Scott's quintessential new book, Toys and American Culture, An Encyclopedia. A must-have volume for toy collectors, writers, and researchers, and an outstanding read for anyone who ever played with toys, Toys and American Culture isn't your standard "toy showcase". It explores the relationship of trends and social changes as evidenced by America's toy appetite over the decades. Meticulously researched, the broad scope of this volume demonstrates Ms. Scott's tenacity in presenting a refreshing look at an old, but beloved subject. Where we've been, where we are, and where we're going are but a few of the subtle undercurrents unique to this volume. The role of art, the media, endorsement, overseas manufacturing, and toy safety are but a small sample of the subject palette.
While this wonderful book has proved invaluable to me as an antique toy collector and writer, it has also become a sore subject between my 11-year-old-twin grandsons. The pair fights over who gets to peruse it first when they visit. Little wonder as it is presented in a well-organized format with many black and white photos. Toys And American Culture will stick with you long after you've scoured its pages to discover your own gems.
Carma L. Walsh
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