Trendy Toys
These popular dolls were “adopted” rather than purchased and came with their own birth certificates.
What are Cabbage Patch Kids? The dolls were invented by Xavier Roberts, a former art student. Roberts was only 26 when his dolls hit the market in 1983.
He got his start acting in films like 1963’s It Happened at the World’s Fair. He is also known for starring in movies like Overboard and Swing Shift with his longtime love, actress Goldie Hawn.
Who is Kurt Russell? Russell’s first acting role was an uncredited appearance on the Dennis the Menace TV show when he was 11.
This Sound of Music star played Eliza Doolittle in the 1956 Broadway production of My Fair Lady.
Who is Julie Andrews? Her role in My Fair Lady launched her career into the stratosphere.
This mystery-solving cartoon pooch debuted in the fall of 1969.
Who is Scooby-Doo? The now-iconic series went through several name changes before airing, including Mysteries Five and Who’s S-S-Scared?
This rock ’n’ roll musician stars in the 1961 film Blue Hawaii.
Who is Elvis Presley? In the movie, Elvis plays Chad Gates, a young man who defies his parents’ wishes and goes to work for his girlfriend’s agency as a tour guide.
These cuddly stuffed toys “care a lot.”
What are Care Bears? The Care Bears also have an animated franchise, including 1985’s The Care Bear Movie.
This childhood chess prodigy is known for his defeat of Soviet chess player Boris Spassky.
Who is Bobby Fischer? Fischer made history as the youngest grandmaster to date when he received the title in 1958 at just 15 years old.
Before her long run portraying a mystery author and sleuth from the fictional town of Cabot Cove, this dame first appeared in the 1940s films Gaslight and The Picture of Dorian Gray.
Who is Angela Lansbury? Her acting career spanned eight decades.
This is an educational cartoon from the 1970s that features songs like “I’m Just a Bill” and “Conjunction Junction.”
What is Schoolhouse Rock? The series of shorts was conceived by David McCall, who noted his son’s ability to memorize musical lyrics and applied the idea to educational concepts.
When a diner asks for their steak to be cooked “blue,” they mean they want it cooked to this doneness.
What is rare? A rare steak really leans toward purple.
Originally marketed as a spherical paperweight, this fortune-telling toy became popular with children of the 1980s.
What is the Magic 8 Ball? The toy has 20 possible responses, including 10 positive, five negative, and five neutral answers.
This actor and filmmaker got his start in acting as a child, with roles such as Opie on The Andy Griffith Show.
Who is Ron Howard? He acted in several television shows even before he took the role of Opie, including an episode of The Twilight Zone in 1959. His directorial debut came in 1977 with Grand Theft Auto.
Cabaret immediately brings this actress and singer to mind.
Who is Liza Minnelli? She starred in the Broadway and screen productions, and no one else comes close to singing the title song with the life and passion she brings to it.
This prehistoric cartoon series of the 1960s includes Fred, Wilma, and Pebbles.
What is The Flintstones? The Hanna-Barbera show is considered the first animated sitcom.
Blue belongs to this category of three colors.
What is primary? A primary color is one that is not made from mixing other colors. When two primary colors are mixed, it creates a secondary color. For example, when you mix blue with yellow, you get green.
A popular brainteaser in the 1980s, the object of this toy is to get six sides of matching colored tiles aligned.
What is a Rubik’s Cube? The toy was introduced commercially in 1980 and sold 100 million units in the first two years.
This Spanish cubist painter is known for works like Guernica and The Old Guitarist.
Who is Pablo Picasso? Picasso first exhibited his paintings in 1895 at the age of 14. In 1960, an exhibit of his work in London was called the “first art blockbuster.”
She’s best known for hosting her long-running comedy-variety show, but she made her career-launching debut in 1959 on Broadway in Once upon a Mattress.
Who is Carol Burnett? She was nominated for a Tony for her performance in Once upon a Mattress.
This ’80s cartoon features characters named after Renaissance artists.
What is Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles? The crime-fighting foursome debuted in a 1984 comic book by creators Eastman and Laird.
When searching for a used car, people turn to this authoritative reference guide to compare the prices to those offered through private and dealer sales.
What is Kelley Blue Book? People also use it to track the resale value of their current auto. Those in the industry call it the “Blue Book,” and the information is now also available online.
Known as the world’s first action figure and an All-American hero, he debuted in 1964 from Hasbro toys.
Who is G.I. Joe? The marketing team refused to call the toy a “doll,” wanting to create a unique product with moveable joints that differed from dolls of the past.
This child prodigy is known for musical ditties like “My Cherie Amour” and “You Are the Sunshine of My Life.”
Who is Stevie Wonder? Wonder taught himself to play drums, piano, and harmonica by age 10, and he first began recording music at age 11.
Nicknamed the “Divine Miss M,” she appeared in the Broadway production of Fiddler on the Roof.
Who is Bette Midler? She also has a string of hit tunes, including “Do You Want to Dance,” “From a Distance,” and “The Rose.”
A spinoff of Archie comics, this show stars a pop-music group solving mysteries as they tour the globe.
What is Josie and the Pussycats? The cartoon is notable as the first American Saturday morning cartoon with a Black female character.
Tony Bennett first recorded a tune about a woman who wore this blue fabric.
What is velvet? The tune Blue Velvet was written in 1950 and has been performed by other vocalists, including Bobby Vinton, Brenda Lee, and Sammy Davis Jr.