Top Ten

Mike Hupfer

Retro Toys

Battleship

AI Overview

"The Battleship board game originated as the French paper-and-pencil game "L'Attaque," which gained popularity around World War I, eventually evolving into the physical board game by Milton Bradley in 1967. Early variations were sold as pad-and-pencil games by various companies in the 1930s before the advent of the plastic board game version."  

Mike Hupfer

Retro Toys

Simon

AI Overview

"The electronic game Simon was co-invented by Ralph H. Baer and Howard J. Morrison in 1976, who were inspired by Atari's arcade game Touch Me. After refining the concept and improving the sound and visual elements, they developed it for the Milton Bradley Company, which launched the game as Simon in 1978. Named after the children's game Simon Says, the popular toy required players to repeat increasingly long sequences of colored lights and sounds."

Mike Hupfer

Retro Toys

Lite-Brite

AI Overview

"The Lite-Brite was invented by Marvin Glass and Associates in 1966 after observing colorful window displays, with key contributors Burt Meyer, Dalia Verbickas, and Joseph M. Burck. Hasbro released the toy in 1967, and it features a light box that illuminates translucent plastic pegs inserted through a black paper over a grid, allowing users to create glowing pictures and was inducted into the National Toy Hall of Fame in 2022."

Mike Hupfer

Retro Toys

Big Trak

AI Overview

"The original Big Trak was a groundbreaking, computer-controlled toy vehicle released by Milton Bradley (MB) in 1979, featuring a programmable keypad that allowed users to store and execute up to 16 commands. This futuristic, six-wheeled "tank" was a commercial success, becoming an instant hit and selling millions of units. A later re-release saw the introduction of the Bigtrak Jr. and the potential for computer control via modern microcontrollers..."

Mike Hupfer

Retro Toys

My Buddy

AI Overview

"The My Buddy doll was a popular Hasbro toy launched in 1985 to market a doll to young boys, promoting a message of friendship and care. The 21-inch fabric doll was designed for rough-and-tumble play, with a catchy commercial jingle that made it a hit with children. While successful at the time, it also served as an inspiration for the iconic horror character Chucky, from the Child's Play film franchise." 

Mike Hupfer

Retro Toys

Mr. Mouth

AI Overview

"A 1987 Milton Bradley tabletop game where players use catapults to fling chips into a rotating, frog-like character's mouth, and a character in the early 1990s ShowBiz Pizza (later Chuck E. Cheese) animatronic shows, portrayed as a floating mouth puppet used to introduce segments and offer commentary. The tabletop game was a fast-paced reflex game, while the Mr. Mouth character in the animatronic shows was a unique, mouth-only puppet." 

Mike Hupfer

Retro Toys

Hungry Hungry Hippos

AI Overview

"Hungry Hungry Hippos was created by American toy inventor Fred Kroll in 1967, who licensed a Japanese game from the Agatsuma company and brought it to the United States. Hasbro introduced the game under its Milton Bradley subsidiary in 1978, making it a holiday hit. The original game featured four uniquely named hippos: Lizzie (purple), Henry (orange), Homer (green), and Harry (yellow), but these were later changed to include Happy (pink)."

Mike Hupfer

Retro Toys

Slip 'N' Slide

AI Overview

"The Slip 'N Slide was invented in 1960 by Robert Carrier, a boat upholsterer, who saw his son and his friends sliding on a wet, concrete driveway and wanted to create a safer alternative. He used a vinyl-coated fabric called Naugahyde to create the first version, which featured a sewn seam with slits to allow water to spray out and wet the surface. Carrier patented his "aquatic play equipment" and sold the rights to the Wham-O toy company, which.."

Mike Hupfer

Retro Toys

The Farmer Says See 'N' Say

AI Overview

"The Fisher-Price See 'n Say The Farmer Says is a classic learning toy that debuted in 1965 as the first talking toy allowing children to select the exact phrase they wanted to hear by pointing an arrow at an animal and pulling a cord. This original version used an internal phonograph and a pull-string mechanism to play sounds and words, with different versions in the 1970s and 1980s evolving to a lever-activated, battery-operated..."

Mike Hupfer

Retro Toys

The Original Stretch Armstrong

AI Overview

"The original Stretch Armstrong action figure was conceived by Jesse D. Horowitz and developed by Kenner's R&D team, released in 1976. The figure's unique stretchability came from a gel-filled latex body containing boiled corn syrup and small bits of glass and wood, which allowed it to be stretched to four times its size and return to its original form. The toy was a huge success, staying in production until 1980 before..."