Ultimate Classic Toys Quiz

Estimated Completion Time
2 min
Ultimate Classic Toys Quiz
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
lemon
strawberry
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Peppermint was the only option when PEZ came out in 1927.

What was the original occupation of the inventor of the Slinky?
insurance agent
naval engineer
piano teacher
school custodian
divorce attorney
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Richard James was at his job as a naval engineer when he was inspired by a spring falling off a shelf.

What was the first toy to be advertised on TV?
Mr. Potato Head
Silly Putty
Monopoly
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

That honor goes to Mr. Potato Head, which got air time in the early 1950s.

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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
10 years
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Mr. Potato Heads came out in 1952, but it wasn't until 1960 that they included a plastic potato.

What was the only available color of Play-Doh when it first came out?
blue
red
white
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

At first, off-white was the only color option, and it came in a hefty 1.5-pound can.

These two countries banned the hula hoop in the 1950s.
Russia and China
Saudi Arabia and Czechoslovakia
Turkey and China
Japan and Russia
Japan and Pakistan
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Apparently Japan and Russia thought the hula hoop represented bad things about American culture.

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How much did the first hula hoops cost?
99 cents
$1.25
$1.98
$2.49
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Kids had to shell out almost $2 for the Wham-O Hula Hoop.

True or false: The Barbie doll was named after the daughter of Ruth Handler, its inventor.
true
false
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

True. Handler (the wife of the Mattel president), had two children -- Barbara and Kenneth.

After Barbie, what was the second most popular doll of the 1950s and '60s?
Betsy Wetsy
Chatty Cathy
Patti Playpal
Penny Brite
Mrs. Beasley
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Chatty Cathy, introduced by Mattel in 1959, could say 11 phrases.

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What color was the first Easy Bake Oven?
turquoise
hot pink
red
orange-yellow
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

The original Easy Bakes were a lovely shade of turquoise.

How many moving parts did the first G.I. Joe doll have?
2
6
11
15
21
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

The original G.I. Joe had 21 moving parts -- how many can you name?

Which came first -- the Big Wheel or Hot Wheels?
Big Wheel
Hot Wheels
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

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
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

In 1943, while trying to create a rubber substitute, James Wright combined boric acid and silicone oil -- and a classic toy was born.

Nerf balls and _______ were both invented by the same guy.
the Slinky
Twister
the Etch A Sketch
Lincoln Logs
the View-Master
the Rubik's Cube
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Reyn Guyer came up with Nerf balls and Twister. Yeah, he's pretty much set for life.

Who was Strawberry Shortcake's nemesis?
the Peculiar Purple Pie Man
Chocolate Chip Cookie Monster
Gargamel
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

The Peculiar Purple Pie Man loved to torment the residents of Strawberryland.

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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
an adoption number
a seal of authenticity
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

The signature of Cabbage Patch Kid creator Xavier Roberts was printed on the bottom of each and every Cabbage Patch Kid.

What classic toy has helped soldiers in Iraq find booby traps?
Silly String
Silly Putty
G.I. Joe
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Somehow, soldiers discovered that if you spray Silly String into an area, it will hang over trip wires but not set off any traps.

Which anniversary did the Rubik's Cube celebrate in 2010?
25th
30th
35th
40th
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

The Rubik's Cube was invented in 1974, but it's been in its current 3x3x3 incarnation since 1980.

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Which of these animals was NOT an original Beanie Baby?
frog
pig
dog
dolphin
whale
moose
platypus
bear
cow
lobster
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

There are most likely plenty of cow Beanie Babies out there now, but bovines weren't part of the original group.

Tickle Me Elmo created a frenzy during Christmas of what year?
1990
1991
1992
1993
1994
1995
1996
1997
1998
1999
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Parents lost their minds over Tickle Me Elmo during Christmas 1996.

You Got:
/20
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