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History
- Collectibles
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Title: The Playmakers: Amazing Origins of Timeless Toys Author: Tim Walsh Rating:  Must Read!
Publisher: Atlas Books Reviewed by: Nicholas Wiedenhoeft | View Bio |
 
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There is nothing more surprising to most people than the fact that they are aging. Many of us woke up one day and found our childhood was over. We were too old to go trick-or-treating any more, too big to fit in to our cowboy boots, too old to play with toys. Opening the book The Playmakers, by inventor and 15 year veteran of the toy industry Tim Walsh, represents an opportunity to reclaim some of the past enjoyment we experienced with toys in childhood. This well researched and beautifully photographed book brings examples of most of my favorite toys into sharper focus with the story of that toyÆs development and sales history. Chronologically ordered, the book winds through some amazing and often poignant stories of toy history. Just read the story behind the Raggedy Ann doll if you want a tearjerker, or if itÆs hard-fisted business dealing you're looking for, check out how the board game Monopoly came into being. For me it was seeing the original GI Joe box that really got me. As a child, how exciting JoeÆs packaging cover art was. The best part of all is he was just like REAL! Joe is the only reason I stuck it out in my 1st grade reading class. I was ready to throw in the towel before Joe came along. Thank God for parental bribery! This book carefully explores the development, sales, production life and even the occasional glance into the developersÆ personal lives for dozens of the most popular toys of the last 100 years. What seems a coffee table book actually made for compelling bedtime reading. Anyone who was ever a kid in the good old USA is bound to find something of interest to them and is likely to have more than a few pleasant childhood memories rekindled. (With of course the notable exception of the much hated Gramma game Yahtzee. What the hell were those guys thinking?!) So, skeptical that any book could cause such a flood of childhood enthusiasm? Well, donÆt bother taking my word for it kid, go check it out for yourself at www.theplaymakers.com. I double dog dare you!
Nicholas Wiedenhoeft
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