Wiped the coal soot off the wall, now we roll it into a
Chapter 1

Unexpected origins of famous logos

Chapter 2

Weird histories of beloved foods

Chapter 3

Bizarre origins of everyday toys

Chapter 4

Accidental scientific breakthroughs

YOUR GOAL

Master of Surprising stories behind everyday things

Ch 3 · Bizarre origins of everyday toys
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schopenhauer Play-Doh

Wiped the coal soot off the wall, now we roll it into a ball!

Sep 6

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schopenhauer The Slinky's naval accident

Sep 6

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Bubble wrap as textured wallpaper

schopenhauer Bubble wrap was originally invented in 1957 as a modern, three-dimensional wallpaper.

Sep 6

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The Slinky's naval accident

schopenhauer Marine engineer Richard James invented the Slinky in 1943 after dropping a naval tension spring.

Sep 6

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Toy Box Secrets
BETA

schopenhauer Match weird trivia to the right items to discover the surprising secrets of everyday things.

Sep 6

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Fun Fact

Lego bricks: Six standard eight-dot Lego bricks can be combined in exactly 915,103,765 different ways.

Sep 6

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Glossary
toy (noun)
An object, often a small replica of something, designed for children to play with. In 1956, a non-toxic wallpaper cleaner was rebranded as Play-Doh, becoming a popular children's toy.

Sep 6

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Gossip

Which toy has the wildest origin?

Sep 6

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Quiz

What type of machinery was Richard James working on when he discovered the Slinky spring?

Sep 6

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schopenhauer Play-Doh was wallpaper cleaner

Sep 6

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Quiz

What objects did college students throw that inspired the creation of the Frisbee?

Sep 6

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schopenhauer Bubble wrap as textured wallpaper

Sep 6

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Quiz

What did inventors Fielding and Chavannes originally hope to sell Bubble Wrap as in 1957?

Sep 6

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Quiz

What was the original commercial purpose of the compound we now call Play-Doh?

Sep 6

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Quiz

Which popular toy brand name is derived from the Danish phrase 'leg godt', meaning 'play well'?

Sep 6

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Quiz

Who patented 'The Landlord's Game' in 1903, which later became the game Monopoly?

Sep 6

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Quiz

Which classic board game was originally designed in ancient India under the name Moksha Patam?

Sep 6

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Quiz

Which classic doll was inspired by a German comic-strip character named Lilli?

Sep 6