The Fascinating Histories of Barbie, LEGO, Monopoly and More
The National Toy Hall of Fame was established in 1998 and now resides at the Strong National Museum of Play in Rochester, NY. Seventeen toys were in the inaugural group and a few more are voted on and added each year. The twelve 2023 finalists include Cabbage Patch Kids, Connect Four, the Little Tykes Cozy Coupe, and Barbie's boyfriend, Ken. (You can cast a ballot for your favorite in the Players Choice vote now through September 20—will Ken be Kenough?) In honor of Ken and other memorable toys, we've put together some reading suggestions to learn more about the history and lasting impact of some iconic toys and games from the past.
Barbie and Ruth: The Story of the World's Most Famous Doll and the Woman Who Created Her
by Ruth Gerber
The remarkable true story of the world’s most famous toy and the woman who created her. It is a fascinating account of how one visionary woman and her product changed an industry and sparked a lasting debate about women’s roles. At once a business book, a colorful portrait of an extraordinary female entrepreneur, and a breathtaking look at a cultural phenomenon, Barbie and Ruth is a must read for anyone who ever owned a Barbie doll.
The Lego Story: How a Little Toy Sparked the World's Imagination
by Jens Andersen
Through interviews with the founding family that still owns the company—and with access to the vast LEGO archive—this definitive story behind one of the most beloved brands on the planet doubles as a cultural history of changing generations’ view of childhood and the importance of play.
The Great Beanie Baby Bubble: Mass Delusion and the Dark Side of Cute
by Zac Bissonnette
In the annals of consumer crazes, nothing compares to Beanie Babies. With no advertising or big-box distribution, creator Ty Warner—an eccentric college dropout—become a billionaire in just three years. And it was all thanks to collectors. The end of the craze was just as swift and extremely devastating, with "rare" Beanie Babies deemed worthless as quickly as they'd once been deemed priceless. Bissonnette draws on hundreds of interviews (including a visit to a man who lives with his 40,000 Ty products and an in-prison interview with a guy who killed a coworker over a Beanie Baby debt) for the first book on the most extraordinary craze of the 1990s.
The Monopolists: Obsession, Fury, and the Scandal Behind the World's Favorite Board Game
by Mary Pilon
The Monopolists reveals the unknown story of how Monopoly came into existence, the reinvention of its history by Parker Brothers and multiple media outlets, the lost female originator of the game, and one man's lifelong obsession to tell the true story about the game's questionable origins.
Tetris: The Games People Play (graphic novel)
by Box Brown
A history of the popular and addictive game, explores how the creation of a USSR government computer scientist spurred a bidding war that involved clandestine trips to Moscow, backroom deals, and outright theft.
Toy Time!: From Hula Hoops to He-Man to Hungry Hungry Hippos: A Look Back at the Most-Beloved Toys of Decades Past
by Christopher Byrne
A nostalgic celebration of the most beloved toys of decades past—like Twister, LEGOs, My Little Ponies, Lite Brite, Viewmaster, Transformers....and much more. Fully illustrated with photos of vintage toy packaging, advertisements, and of course the toys themselves, Toy Time! is chock full of fun facts, trivia, and memories about the toys you cherished most.
Totally Tubular: '80s Toys
by Mark Bellomo
Explores popular toys from the 1980s, providing descriptions and photographs; and includes lists of social events, history, movies, television programs, and music from each year of the decade
Word Freak: Heartbreak, Triumph, Genius, and Obsession in the World of Competitive Scrabble Players
by Stefan Fatsis
Follows the author, who was originally just a curious reporter and now a Scrabble fiend, as he becomes an expert Scrabble player and delves into the realm of Scrabble culture, where he encounters a vitamin-popping standup comic and the three-time champion who plays by Zen principles, and realizes that Scrabble is more than just a game on many different levels.
Video Game of the Year: A Year-By-Year Guide to the Best, Boldest, and Most Bizarre Games from Every Year Since 1977
by Jordan Minor
For each of the 40 years of video game history, there is a defining game, a game that captured the zeitgeist and left a legacy for all games that followed. Through a series of entertaining, informative, and opinionated critical essays, author and tech journalist Jordan Minor investigates, in chronological order, the innovative, genre-bending, and earth-shattering games from 1977 through 2022.
The He-Man Effect: How American Toymakers Sold You Your Childhood (graphic novel)
by Box Brown
The He-Man Effect shows how corporate manipulation brought muscular, accessory-stuffed action figures to dizzying heights in the 1980s and beyond. Bringing beloved brands like He-Man, Transformers, My Little Pony, and even Mickey Mouse himself into the spotlight, this graphic history exposes a world with no rules and no concern for results beyond profit.
Slaying the Dragon: A Secret History of Dungeons & Dragons
by Ben Riggs
Role-playing game historian Ben Riggs unveils the secret history of TSR— the company that unleashed imaginations with Dungeons & Dragons, was driven into ruin by disastrous management decisions, and then saved by their bitterest rival.
It's All A Game: The History of Board Games from Monopoly to Settlers of Catan
by Tristan Donovan
Traces the history and psychology behind board games across cultures and continents, highlighting the most interesting stories, including the paranoid Chicago toy genius who invented Operation and Mouse Trap and how Monopoly helped prisoners of war escape Nazis.
You Don't Own Me: How Mattel v. MGA Entertainment Exposed Barbie's Dark Side
by Orly Lobel
When Carter Bryant began designing what would become the billion-dollar line of Bratz dolls, he was taking time off from his job at Mattel, where he designed outfits for Barbie. Later, back at Mattel, he sold his concept for Bratz to rival company MGA. Law professor Orly Lobel reveals the colorful story behind the ensuing decade-long court battle.This entertaining and provocative work pits audacious MGA against behemoth Mattel, shows how an idea turns into a product, and explores the two different versions of womanhood, represented by traditional all-American Barbie and her defiant, anti-establishment rival—the only doll to come close to outselling her.
Crayola: A Visual Biography of the World's Most Famous Crayon
by Lisa Solomon
Presents the history of Crayola crayons including the company’s origins, the birth of their flagship product, their iconic packages, profiles of every color crayon ever released and how the company has shaped our understanding of color for 150 years.
Seven Games: A Human History
by Oliver Roeder
A group biography of seven enduring and beloved games: Checkers, Backgammon, Chess, and Go. Poker, Scrabble, and Bridge. Roeder charts their origins and historical importance, the delightful arcana of their rules, and the behavioral design that make them pleasurable. Roeder introduces thrilling competitors, such as evangelical minister Marion Tinsley, who across forty years lost only three games of checkers; Shusai the Master, the last Go champion of Imperial Japan, defending tradition against "modern rationalism"; and an IBM engineer who created a backgammon program so capable at self-learning that NASA used it on the Space Shuttle.
Bonus! Toy and Game Related Fiction
Escapes
by Daniel Tunnard
It's the height of competitive Scrabble in Latin America, and two professionals find themselves playing for their lives
Clue (graphic novel)
by Paul Allor
Solve the world's favorite murder mystery in this graphic novel adaptation of the classic whodunit board game. When the mysterious Mr. Boddy turns up dead at his own dinner party, everyone's a suspect! Miss Scarlett, Colonel Mustard, Mrs. Peacock, Professor Plum—all the familiar faces from the famous board game are back, plus some new ones like Dr. Orchid, Detective Ochre, and Senator White. But will Boddy's body be the last to fall, or is it just the beginning
Board to Death
by CJ Connor
When a man who offered to sell a rare edition of the game that inspired Monopoly at a suspiciously low cost turns up dead, board game shop and café owner Ben Rosencrantz becomes the top suspect.
Babe in Toyland
by Eugénie Seifer Olson
Toby Morris is 25 and ready for some excitement. Her job at a large toy company is long on stuffed animals, radio–controlled racers, and activity sets, but short on real satisfaction. Then she falls for the weatherman on the local television station and embarks on a courtship involving anonymous poems and a passionate shared correspondence, until a prank threatens everything.
Summaries provided via NYPL’s catalog, which draws from multiple sources. Click through to each book’s title for more.