A is for Action Figures! Action Figures are poseable figurines, often based on characters from movies, television, boo

1. A is for Action Figures! Action Figures are poseable figurines, often based on characters from movies, television, books, and video games.

2. B is for Barbie! Barbie first landed on store shelves in 1959, making her over 50 years old today!

3. C is for Care Bears and Cootie! Care Bears were created to feature on greeting cards and grew into a pop culture phenomena. Cootie is a game that came out in 1948 in which children race to build a Cootie bug!

4. D is for Doh, as in Play-Doh! Play-Doh was made in 1930 and was used to clean wallpaper. Children begin using it to play and build and squish, and in the 1950’s it became a popular toy! E is for Erector Set! An Erector set is a building toy made up of metal beams, nuts, bolts, pulleys, and gears. This toy is over 100 years old!

5. F is for Frisbee! A Frisbee is a disk shaped glider which lifts as it spins through the air. They come in many colors and sizes. Some light up when they are thrown, and some even whistle! G is for G.I. Joe! G.I. Joe began as a line of twelve inch figures based on the Army, Navy, Air Force, and Marines in 1964. In 1982 they were shrunk to 3 ¾ inches, given vehicles, and animated. They became one of the most successful toy lines of all time!

6. H is for Hula Hoop! Nobody knows who created the first Hula Hoop. The oldest hoops were made of vines, grass, and strips of tree bark. Now Hula hoops are mostly made of plastic and are twirled around the waist, arms, legs, and neck!

7. I is for Imaginext! Imaginext is a brand of role-playing, adventure toys designed for kids aged three and up. Introduced in 2002, Imaginext gave children castles and cityscapes to play in. Since then, Imaginext has created mighty ships, dinosaurs, pirates, and superheroes to fuel the imaginations of children everywhere!

8. J is for Jacks! Versions of Jacks have been found that date back to Ancient Greece and Egypt using everything from small stones to sticks and animal bones! There are hundreds of ways to play this classic game! K is for Kaleidoscope! A kaleidoscope is a tube of mirrors containing loose beads or pebbles. You look in one end while light enters through the other. Twisting he tube changes the image.

9. L is for Lego! Legos were created in the 1940s, in Europe. Anything built with them can be taken apart and the pieces may be used for other creations. Legos are now popular all over the world!

10. M is for Monopoly! Monopoly is the most played commercial board game in the world! Its game pieces include: a dog, a hat, a race car, an iron, a boot, a battleship, a wheelbarrow, and a thimble. A horse and rider, a cannon, and a bag of money have since been retired from the game. N is for Nerf! It all started with a little orange ball. Now Nerf creates sports-themed toys from Soccer and Footballs, to fully automatic weaponry!

11. O is for Ouija! A Ouija, or “talking board” is supposedly used to communicate with spirits. Ouija boards are sold commercially by Parker Brothers. P is for Pogo Stick! Nothing hops like a Pogo Stick! No one is sure who invented the Pogo, but like many toys from the early 20th century, it has evolved over the years. Original Pogo Sticks could hop only a few inches. Now they can bounce over cars and walls!

12. Q is for qfix Robot Kits! These robot kits are not only built and played with by children, but are even used to train adults who work in the robotics industry! R is for Rubik’s Cube! Rubik’s Cube is a 3-D puzzle that took the world by storm in 1980. The Rubik’s Cube is recognized as the best-selling toy ever made!

13. S is for Spirograph! A Spirograph is a drawing toy that creates beautiful, spiraling shapes. The outer circle is called a stator, and the inner gear is called a rotor!

14. T is for Transformers! For more than twenty-six years, Transformers have captured the hearts and imaginations of children of all ages. They have crossed-over from toys to comic books, television, and movies, and show no signs of stopping there!

15. U is for Upwords! Upwords is a classic “build-a-word” game, similar to Scrabble, except that players may stack their letters in order to create new words. Upwords is available in more than twenty languages! V is for Viewmaster! Viewmasters allow people to see 3-D images printed on a paper disk. This toy is based on the invention of stereograms which gave the optical illusion of depth to 2-D images.

16. W is for Webkinz! Webkinz are adorable stuffed animals that come with a secret code! The code allows you go online, to the Webkinz homepage, and own a virtual version of your plush pet!

17. X is for Xevoz! Based on the classic Stikfas action figure line, Xevoz features interchangeable parts and weaponry. Known for their high quality and aesthetic appeal, Xevoz are developing a strong customer following!

18. Y is for Yo-yo! Known as one of the worlds first toys, the oldest Yo-yo dates back to 500 b.c. Yo-yos are made from a string tied at one end, to a flat spool. The Yo-yo has become so popular that large competitions are held in major cities every year. Amazing!

19. Z is for Zoetrope! A Zoetrope is a spinning device that contains several drawings. By looking through the slots as the Zoetrope spins, the pictures appear to be animated. The oldest known Zoetrope was built in China around 180 a.d.