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Popular Toys Throughout the Ages

Posted by ryuzaki0 on from the you-put-the-ball-on-the-string-in-the-cup dept.

Ant writes "MSNBC has a story on the 'must-have' items from decades past. From the article: 'With so many new toys and games hitting store shelves every year, it may be a little surprising that many of the most popular playthings are actually quite old. But people have been playing for a very long time. In 4000 B.C., Babylonians played a board game that was probably the ancestor of chess and checkers. Stone yo-yos were first used in ancient Greece around 1000 B.C. Kites appeared in China around the same time, though historians speculate that they have probably been flown since before recorded history.'"

20 of 139 comments (clear)

  1. Whippersnappers expect the world now by eclectro · · Score: 5, Funny


    I remember when we had pong on TV. We watched the ball go back and forth. And we were grateful.

    --
    Take the cheese to sickbay, the doctor should see it as soon as possible - B'Elanna Torres, "Learning Curve"
    1. Re:Whippersnappers expect the world now by HD+Webdev · · Score: 3, Funny

      I remember when we had pong on TV. We watched the ball go back and forth. And we were grateful.

      And then, on the second day, the Pong-Lordeth Saeth, "Let there Be Sticky Paddles for the pong to sticketh to henceforth" and all of the people rejoiced.

      --
      This is not a dream, not a dream...we are transmitting from the year 1-9-9-9.
  2. The View-Master by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 4, Funny
    During World War II, viewers were used in training for the U.S. military, and more than 1 billion have been sold thus far. The most popular View-Master reel? The scenic reel of Mecca.

    So it's still being used for training the U.S. military?

    1. Re:The View-Master by sd_diamond · · Score: 5, Funny

      So it's still being used for training the U.S. military?

      No, it's now used to make policy decisions.

  3. What I didn't see... by SeaFox · · Score: 5, Funny

    Was a nice game of Global Thermonuclear War.

  4. Obligatory by Council · · Score: 4, Funny

    Announcer: "Hey, kids of America, it's hand painted wooden ball-in-a-cup, Mexico's favorite toy for over 340 years. Who needs constant video game stimulation when theres ball-in-a-cup? You just toss the ball, catch it in the cup, dump it out of the cup, toss it, and catch it in the cup again. The ball is on a string and attached to the cup, so there's no worry if you dont catch the ball in the cup. And cleanup is as easy as catching a ball in a cup. So why spend another day not catching a ball in a cup when you can be catching a ball-in-a-cup?"
    Jingle:" Ball in a cup, Ball in a cup, it's a ball in a cup!"
    Kid: "Ball in a cup!"
    Jingle: "Ball in a cup!"

    --
    xkcd.com - a webcomic of mathematics, love, and language.
  5. the most popular toy by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Funny

    is Hopkin Green Frog. If I looking for frog. Him name is Hopkin Green Frog.

  6. Re:Man, this brings me down memory lane... by Fennario · · Score: 5, Funny

    Perhaps that is what really seperated us from the animal herd, is that we SEEKED out things to challenge us...

    Including grammar!

  7. A Slashdot Classic by charlie763 · · Score: 1, Funny

    This is a classis here on Slashdot: http://www.realdoll.com/

    --
    Welcome to the land of the free...pay toll ahead...no photography...please open your bag...
    1. Re:A Slashdot Classic by SirPavlova · · Score: 2, Funny

      Even better: http://www.realhamster.com/

      --
      Yar.
  8. Popular toys of the last 100 years? by Chaffar · · Score: 2, Funny
    What? No godemiché?

    Oh, you mean kids' popular toys :(

  9. Re:History of Stick Weapons by TapeCutter · · Score: 3, Funny

    ...and everyone of them would sooner or later poke themselves in the eye.

    --
    And did you exchange a walk on part in the war for a lead role in a cage? - Pink Floyd.
  10. Re:Lego lost to a potato? by commodoresloat · · Score: 2, Funny

    You've obviously never used a spud gun.

  11. Re:What? No 6 Million Dollar Man? Or even Atari? by mobby_6kl · · Score: 2, Funny

    Let me guess, you're 40 years old and a virgin?

  12. Optimus Prime... by PhotoBoy · · Score: 2, Funny

    Forget anything before or since, he's the pinnacle. A truck that tranforms into a fucking robot? Greatest. Toy. Ever.

  13. Re:ah yes by pluggo · · Score: 4, Funny

    Beanie babies and razors were definate fads though.

    Am I the only one who got some really interesting mental imagery the first time reading this?

    --
    Pulling together is the aim of despotism and tyranny. Free men pull in all kinds of directions. It's the only way to mak
  14. Re:Toys of practical use by chillmost · · Score: 2, Funny
    I have a few toys that could be considered prehistoric Alaska artifacts (over 2,500 years old).

    Dude, how old are you? Are you still living in your mom's basement?

    I kid, I kid :-)

    --

    --Residential Interior Design

  15. Re:Simple Toys Are Best by Oktober+Sunset · · Score: 2, Funny

    Yes! Those girls should have been given toy kitchn utensils to condition them for thier future life of servitude to men. Giving them tools will just turn them into lesbians!

    --
    What if Tetris was invented by Nazis?
  16. Re:$30 Billion??? by darkmeridian · · Score: 2, Funny

    I guess they assumed you invested in IBM and Microsoft and Google.

    --
    A NYC lawyer blogs. http://www.chuangblog.com/
  17. my own favorite toy by headonfire · · Score: 2, Funny

    My personal favorite toys are the DEAD BODIES of the WEB DEVELOPERS responsible for godawful ad-infested ugly-ass "slide shows" with shitty controls and no real content within.

    Well, that, and dreidels.