Category Archives: toys

Sep14

lego is not just for stepping on.

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Where do I begin?

 Lego appeals to every kind of builder. Type-A architects may like to purchase sets and follow the instructions to the letter, while more free-form designers may prefer to amass random pieces and see what inspires them. If you fall somewhere between these two categories, Brickit may be the app for you.

As FastCompany reports, Brickit is a free app that tells you what you can build using whatever LEGO pieces you have at home. To use it, start by gathering your LEGO collection and snapping a picture of the pile through the software. The app uses object recognition to pick out specific pieces from your hoard. The technology isn’t limited to 2-by-4-peg bricks in primary colors, either: More specialized elements like vehicle wheels are also detectable.

After identifying your pieces, Brickit suggests products that are compatible with your collection. You choose a structure to make and the app shows you how to put it together step-by-step with the pieces in front of you. Depending on the size of your inventory, the tool may show you build-plans you don’t have all the necessary parts for. This is where it encourages you to be creative by finding alternate pieces to fit into the empty spaces.

Brickit is a great resource if you want to build models that go beyond the picture on the box. It’s also an excellent way to use the extra pieces that come with every set—which LEGO includes for your own good.

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“innovation is like looking for pieces in a jigsaw puzzle.

you have to find a lot of pieces that don’t match to find the one or two pieces that match.”

-edward conrad

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credits: Fast Company, Lego, Brickit, Michelle Debczak, Mental Floss, Jack Taylor

Jan28

soaked.

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never heard of lonnie johnson? now you have. in high school lonnie was the only black person at the science fair. he went on to get his phd and work at nasa. while experimenting at home, he had the idea of a pressurized water gun, and he built prototypes with pvc and a soda bottle. his invention eventually became the super soaker. he was paid for the super soaker in royalties when Hasbro bought the super soaker line, but when they used his system in other nerf guns, he was not paid. in 2013 he sued hasboro and was awarded $73 million in unpaid money. all the while he was building rockets, and built and designed the water gun in his spare time. never mess with an inventor, lest you get soaked.

Syracuse Herald-Journal reporter Bob Niedt gets a cool surprise introduction

to the summer of 1992’s hottest toy the “Super Soaker 200” water gun.

Niedt’s sons Ben and Bryan, do the soaking.

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“to invent, you need a good imagination and a pile of junk.”

-thomas edison

 

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credits: history hustle, bob niedt, Syracuse Post-Standard

Sep18

toys r (all of) us.

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National Toy Hall of Fame Reveals 12 Toy Finalists

Which toys will make it into the National Toy Hall of Fame this November? The Strong’s National Toy Hall of Fame in Rochester, New York, announced the 12 finalists for induction into the hall: American Girl Dolls, Battleship, billiards, Cabbage Patch Kids, Fisher-Price Corn Popper, Mahjong, Masters of the Universe, piñata, Risk, sand, The Settlers of Catan, and toy fire engine.

“These 12 toys represent the wide scope of playthings—from one of the most universal playthings in the world like sand to a game-changing board game like Risk to the popular adult game of billiards,” says Christopher Bensch, vice president for collections. “Whether old or new, for kids or adults, all 12 of these toy finalists greatly influenced the world of play.”

The Hall of Fame receives thousands of nominations annually, and this year, fans may vote for their favorite finalists from September 15 to 22 as part of a “Player’s Choice” ballot at toyhalloffame.org. The three toys that receive the most public votes will be submitted and will join the other top-three submissions by members of the National Selection Advisory Committee. (The public will collectively act as one member of the 23-member committee.) The final 2021 toy inductees, chosen based on the ballots, will be announced by The Strong museum on Thursday, November 4, at 10:30 a.m.)

to cast your vote, visit www.toyhalloffame.org

and may the best toys win!

The museum recognizes toys that have engaged and delighted multiple generations. Criteria for induction include: Icon-status (the toy is widely recognized, respected, and remembered); Longevity (the toy is more than a passing fad and has enjoyed popularity over multiple generations); Discovery (the toy fosters learning, creativity, or discovery through play); and Innovation (the toy profoundly changed play or toy design). Anyone can nominate a toy to the National Toy Hall of Fame. Final selections are made on the advice of historians, educators, and other individuals who exemplify learning, creativity, and discovery through their lives and careers.

To date, 74 toys have been inducted into the National Toy Hall of Fame, some of which are: alphabet blocks, Big Wheel, blanket, bubbles, Candy Land, cardboard box, checkers,  Crayola Crayons, dollhouse, Easy-Bake Oven, Etch A Sketch, Frisbee, G.I. Joe,  Hot Wheels, , jack-in-the-box, jacks, Jenga, jigsaw puzzle, jump rope, kite, LEGO, Lionel Trains, green army men, Magic 8 Ball, Matchbox Cars, Monopoly, Mr. Potato Head, paper airplane, Radio Flyer Wagon, rocking horse, Rubik’s Cube, sidewalk chalk, Silly Putty, Slinky, Star Wars action figures, stick, Super Soaker, swing, teddy bear, Tonka Trucks, Twister View-Master, and Wiffle Ball.

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i’m totally on team ‘sand’

and while pinatas are one of my favorite things in the world

sand is the best toy ever

Sand may be the most universal and oldest toy in the world. Educator Maria Montessori has argued that sand “is only one substance that the modern child is allowed to handle quite freely.” Children recognize sand as a creative material suitable for pouring, scooping, sieving, raking, and measuring. Wet sand is even better, ready for kids to construct, shape, and sculpt. Sand provides unique opportunities for tactical, physical, cooperative, creative, and independent free play.

“to this day, i have the most fond memories of some of my old toys.”

-michael keaton

 

 

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credits: s. rhinewald, strong’s national toy hall of fame

www.toyhalloffame.org

museumofplay.org

Jul15

toys.

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what a charming little cottage

i never stop smiling

in moments spent wandering through a toy store

such a lucky find –

a good humor man golden book 

and what better hosts to greet us?

 “i have a lot of growing up to do. i realized that the other day inside my fort.”

– zach galifianakis

 

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the dollhouse and toy cottage, plymouth, michigan, usa

summer 2021

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