The Toys That Built America
Against the backdrop of major events in American history, like the Civil War and the Great Depression, a story that brings new products and nostalgic toys to the forefront as driving forces behind untold cultural and economic shifts.
Transforming Toy Invasion
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In 1983, underdog company Tonka sets out to bring the transformable robot from Japan to America, but they're soon confronted by an industry giant as Hasbro has its own competing toy line.
Mind Game Masters
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Postwar peace and prosperity reveals a demand for more challenging pastimes; after decades of struggle, three different innovators break the mold to release games that combine fun with an intellectual challenge: Scrabble, Clue and Yahtzee.
Game Night Legends
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In the 1970s, the board game industry was aimed almost entirely at children, until a literal game changer came along in Trivial Pursuit; redefining the possibilities for adult fun, it opened up a whole new genre.
Mighty Mutant Mayhem
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The Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles high kick their way into the action figure market in the late 1980s, opening the door for a new kind of martial arts toy; their place at the top is soon challenged by a mighty morphin phenomenon.
Old Games, New Twists
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As toys become increasingly complex in the early 1970s, two unconventional inventors risk their homes and careers to bring revolutionary twists to classic games; together, Uno and Connect Four unleash a wave of family-friendly games.
Happy Accidents
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Two chance discoveries in the 1950s turn mundane industrial materials into legendary toys; Etch A Sketch and Play-Doh will rake in billions for decades to come, but not everyone will reap the rewards.
The Santa That America Built
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Santa Claus is a beloved figure and face on Earth, a symbol of hope and goodwill; the story of the creative minds, brands, and major events that shaped the image of St. Nick.
90's Fad Toys
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From Furbys to Pogs, the 1990s were full of unforgettable fad toys; it was a decade where old school toys like Beanies Babies went head-to-head with high-tech wonders like Tamagotchi, and parents would do anything to get their hands on them.
Hottest Wheels
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From the velocipede to the Schwinn Stingray, or even pedal cars to Power Wheels, viewers will roll their way through the history of the hottest toys on wheels and the surprising stories behind their creations.
The Prank Toy Race
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The hundreds of trick and gag toys produced by entrepreneurs S.S. Adams and H. Fishlove that have that entertained and annoyed Americans over six decades, and how many are still being sold.
Most Valuable Toys
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A look at the enormous prices people have paid over the last three decades to get their hands on the cherished toys they have always wanted.
The Birth of Video Games
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Defense contractor Ralph Baer invents the world's first home video game console, but it is soon eclipsed by a new table tennis game; when a third pioneer, Jerry Lawson, creates a console featuring swappable games, the video game industry explodes.
The Idea Man
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A visionary named Marvin Glass oversees the creation of many of the most iconic toys of the 20th century; from chattering teeth to a legendary game based on a mouse trap, Glass pushes the boundaries of what a toy can be and inspires generations.
Brick by Brick
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At the height of the industrial age, Alfred Carlton Gilbert goes all in on a revolutionary steel building toy that inspires generations of Americans to build bigger; decades later, a struggling Danish carpenter creates the world's biggest toy empire.
Order Out of Chaos
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Hungarian professor, Erno Rubik's 3-D puzzle takes the world by storm; Leslie Scott stops at nothing to bring an iconic building block board game to market; Alexey Pajitnov risks everything to launch a video game obsession based on a puzzle.
Cabbage Clash
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Martha Nelson creates a one-of-a-kind doll to sell at local Kentucky craft markets; a visionary young entrepreneur uses her artwork as inspiration for a mass-produced doll that sparks a multi-billion-dollar toy craze.
80's Tech Toys
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A former amusement park employee combines his animatronic knowledge with the cassette tape to create the world's first realistic talking toy; a NASA engineer invents an entirely new toy segment stemming from the boring old squirt gun.
Christmas Crazes
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The Christmas crazes that helped transform holiday shopping into the frantic, no-holds-barred $1.1 trillion frenzy that it is today; each season's must-have toy sends desperate shoppers to unbelievable lengths just to buy it.
Gross Out Icons
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From a first-century Roman emperor who created an early version of the whoopee cushion to modern materials that emulate human body fluids, gross equals big bucks for toymakers; examining innovative toys designed to shock.
Plumber Bros vs. Hedgehog
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After the U.S. video game crash of 1983, a Japanese electronics company single-handedly resurrects the industry with a game featuring a jumping plumber.
Masters of Invention
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During World War II, a naval engineer accidentally creates an iconic spiral toy that walks down stairs; an engineer tries to invent a synthetic rubber for the war effort and instead creates a strange putty.
Toy Car Wars
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A young machinist in England invents one of the world's most successful toys when he creates a toy car small enough to fit inside a matchbox for his daughter to take to school; Elliot Handler creates one of the biggest toy rivalries in history.
Board Game Empires
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Milton Bradley creates one of America's first board games, but the Parker brothers threaten Bradley's reign.