Top Ten Toys of Yesterday: 1960s

Today's children are playing with toys that came out when their grandparents were young and these toys have not changed much over the years as their initial introduction into society was done so well.

Top Ten Toys of Yesterday: 1960s:

1. Hot Wheels

Husband of famed Barbie creator, Elliot Handler invented Hot Wheels while experimenting with adding axles and free-rolling wheels in 1968. His first car reached three hundred miles an hour. The first year sold ten times more than expected, making the new toy a hit.

The reason for Hot Wheels' instant success was its revolutionary features which allowed the cars to roll further and the orange plastic track allowed the cars to perform tricks, such as jumps and loops. Hot Wheels are powered by gravity, but their design maximizes gravity's influence. These features are what keeps Hot Wheels a favorite even today.

The famous Hot Wheels logo was created by artist Rick Irons who worked for Mattel at that time.

2. LEGO

All the parents who continually step on little plastic LEGO pieces throughout their homes can thank Denmark for their pain.

LEGOS were strictly a Danish toy until 1962, when they were first introduced in the United States. By 1966, LEGOS was an established favorite toy in this Country and still is today.

The toy's history begins in 1932 when a master carpenter in Billund, Denmark sets up a business to manufacture ladders, ironing boards and wooden toys. Ole Kirk Christiansen names his company LEGO from the letters in the Danish word for 'play well' (leggodt).

The LEGO was the first company in that Country to purchase a machine for making plastic molded toys. In 1949, two years later, LEGO produced the forerunner of today's LEGOS, Automatic Binding Bricks. Six years later, in 1955, LEGO launched it's LEGO System of Play with twenty-eight sets and eight vehicles. After a few more years of developing this toy, the company obtains a patent for its newly invented stud-and-tube connecting system.