Image: Echo/Getty Images
About This Quiz
Does the thought of an Etch-A-Sketch bring a smile to your face? Know your facts about Silly Putty, the Hula Hoop, Barbie and G.I. Joe? Rev up your Hot Wheels and test how much you really know about these childhood classics.
What was the flavor of the original PEZ candies?
orange
peppermint
Peppermint was the only option when PEZ came out in 1927.
lemon
strawberry
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What was the original occupation of the inventor of the Slinky?
insurance agent
naval engineer
Richard James was at his job as a naval engineer when he was inspired by a spring falling off a shelf.
piano teacher
school custodian
divorce attorney
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What was the first toy to be advertised on TV?
Mr. Potato Head
That honor goes to Mr. Potato Head, which got air time in the early 1950s.
Silly Putty
Monopoly
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When Mr. Potato Head was first invented, you had to supply your own potato. How long did it take for the company to start making plastic potatoes?
one year
three years
five years
eight years
Mr. Potato Heads came out in 1952, but it wasn't until 1960 that they included a plastic potato.
10 years
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What was the only available color of Play-Doh when it first came out?
blue
red
white
At first, off-white was the only color option, and it came in a hefty 1.5-pound can.
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These two countries banned the hula hoop in the 1950s.
Russia and China
Saudi Arabia and Czechoslovakia
Turkey and China
Japan and Russia
Apparently Japan and Russia thought the hula hoop represented bad things about American culture.
Japan and Pakistan
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How much did the first hula hoops cost?
99 cents
$1.25
$1.98
Kids had to shell out almost $2 for the Wham-O Hula Hoop.
$2.49
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True or false: The Barbie doll was named after the daughter of Ruth Handler, its inventor.
true
True. Handler (the wife of the Mattel president), had two children -- Barbara and Kenneth.
false
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After Barbie, what was the second most popular doll of the 1950s and '60s?
Betsy Wetsy
Chatty Cathy
Chatty Cathy, introduced by Mattel in 1959, could say 11 phrases.
Patti Playpal
Penny Brite
Mrs. Beasley
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What color was the first Easy Bake Oven?
turquoise
The original Easy Bakes were a lovely shade of turquoise.
hot pink
red
orange-yellow
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How many moving parts did the first G.I. Joe doll have?
2
6
11
15
21
The original G.I. Joe had 21 moving parts -- how many can you name?
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Which came first -- the Big Wheel or Hot Wheels?
Big Wheel
Hot Wheels
Hot Wheels, by a nose. The tiny racecars came out in 1968, and the Big Wheel followed just a year later.
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What were the main ingredients of the original Silly Putty?
polyethelene and castor oil
glycerine and titanium dioxide
boric acid and silicone oil
In 1943, while trying to create a rubber substitute, James Wright combined boric acid and silicone oil -- and a classic toy was born.
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Nerf balls and _______ were both invented by the same guy.
the Slinky
Twister
Reyn Guyer came up with Nerf balls and Twister. Yeah, he's pretty much set for life.
the Etch A Sketch
Lincoln Logs
the View-Master
the Rubik's Cube
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Who was Strawberry Shortcake's nemesis?
the Peculiar Purple Pie Man
The Peculiar Purple Pie Man loved to torment the residents of Strawberryland.
Chocolate Chip Cookie Monster
Gargamel
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What's printed on the 'cheek' of every Cabbage Patch Kid?
a picture of a cabbage
the name of their inventor
The signature of Cabbage Patch Kid creator Xavier Roberts was printed on the bottom of each and every Cabbage Patch Kid.
an adoption number
a seal of authenticity
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What classic toy has helped soldiers in Iraq find booby traps?
Silly String
Somehow, soldiers discovered that if you spray Silly String into an area, it will hang over trip wires but not set off any traps.
Silly Putty
G.I. Joe
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Which anniversary did the Rubik's Cube celebrate in 2010?
25th
30th
The Rubik's Cube was invented in 1974, but it's been in its current 3x3x3 incarnation since 1980.
35th
40th
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Which of these animals was NOT an original Beanie Baby?
frog
pig
dog
dolphin
whale
moose
platypus
bear
cow
There are most likely plenty of cow Beanie Babies out there now, but bovines weren't part of the original group.
lobster
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Tickle Me Elmo created a frenzy during Christmas of what year?
1990
1991
1992
1993
1994
1995
1996
Parents lost their minds over Tickle Me Elmo during Christmas 1996.
1997
1998
1999
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You Got:
/20
Echo/Getty Images
