Thank You Captain Kangaroo

The passing of Bob “Captain Kangaroo” Keeshan reminds us of all that he did for children thoughout his career. His show ran for 36 years and won six Emmy Awards. Yet who knew that before he became the “Captain,” he was Clarabell the Clown on the Howdy Doody Show? Read what Fox News had to say about the man here.

Few realize that Captain Kangaroo also helped give us Play-Doh. As chronicled in The Playmakers, Rainbow Crafts (the company run by Play-Doh co-developers Joe McVicker and Bill Rhodenbaugh) didn’t have a lot of money in 1957. Play-Doh had been on the market for two years and enjoyed only limited success in stores and schools around Cincinnati.

…the real breakthrough came in 1957 when Play-Doh was featured on TV sets across America. How Rainbow Crafts, a start-up company with few financial resources ended up with a national TV campaign is a testament to Joe McVicker’s gift of persuasion and the intuition of a man named Bob Keeshan, better known as Captain Kangaroo.

By everyone’s account Joe McVicker was a charismatic salesman, and when he talked his way in to see Keeshan, he ended up closing the deal that made Play-Doh famous. “Keeshan liked Play-Doh and wanted it on his show,” recounted Bill Rhodenbaugh. “But Joe told him that we didn’t have any money for advertising. So Joe offered him 2% of our sales if he would feature it on the show once a week. Well, the Captain liked it so much that he started putting it on three times a week! I don’t think there was ever a contract, but I remember signing checks and sending them to his production company. After that we got on Ding Dong School (with Miss Francis) and Romper Room. We had the country saturated with television. Once Play-Doh hit, it took Rainbow Crafts over 16 months just to fill all the back orders.”

The rest, as they say, is modeling compound history. Both Play-Doh and Captain Kangroo debuted in 1955.

The "Toy King" Remembered...

30 years ago this month, toy inventor Marvin Glass passed away. By all accounts he was a colorful character and a troubled soul, but it was the creative output of his Chicago design studio that earned him his very own section in The Playmakers.

Below are some “plastic classics” from Marvin Glass & Associates — the most prolific toy design firm the toy industry has ever seen.

Mr. Machine (1960)
Rock ’Em Sock ’Em Robots (1965)
Mystery Date (1965)
Rare Lite-Brite Prototype (1967)
Toss Across (1969)

Other Marvin Glass hits covered in The Playmakers include Mouse Trap (1963), Hands Down (1964), Operation (1965 — including a rare picture of inventor John Spinello’s prototype), Ants in the Pants (1967), and Simon (1978).

The Secret Fun Spot features some more great games designed by MGA, while this site features not only MGA creations, but recollections from former MGA employee Erick Erickson, one of the many designers I had the privilege of interviewing for The Playmakers.

Nuremberg Toy Fair Has a "Magical" History

While many in the toy biz are preparing for the American International Toy Fair in New York (February 15-18), many more are scrambling even harder to get ready for the Spielwarenmesse International Toy Fair in Nuremberg, Germany (February 5-10). Several classic toys featured in the pages of The Playmakers debuted at this, the world’s largest toy show, before they made their way to America.

• In 1959, Frenchman Paul Chaze introduced his “L’Ecran Magique” at the Nuremberg show. You know this Magic Screen better as Etch A Sketch.
• In 1965, British engineer Denys Fisher debuted his “new use for the wheel” at the show. The magical designs the toy created made Spirograph a true classic.
• In 1977, the “Buvous Kocka” or Magic Cube debuted in Hungary, but it wasn’t until it passed through some hands at Nuremberg in 1978 that it began to puzzle us all. Read the twisted tale at www.rubiks.com

Finally, I discovered this great site from Great Event Tours which has some gorgeous pictures taken from last year’s Nuremberg show through the eyes (and camera lens) of a true train lover. Enjoy!

Happy Birthday to The Landlord's Game

Today’s launch of www.theplaymakers.com coincides with the 100th Anniversary of The Landlord’s Game. Never heard of that game, you say? Read on, and it will undoubtedly ring a bell.

On January 5, 1904, Elizabeth J. Magie, a writer, public stenographer, and gifted actress received a patent on a board game that was destined to become something special. The object, as stated in the patent, was “to obtain as much wealth or money as possible.” The game featured a square board with 40 spaces and 22 properties, four railroads and Jail and Go to Jail spaces. In the game, a player could get out of jail by rolling doubles or by paying $50. It had a luxury tax and two utilities (one water, one electric). It had the markings of the most successful commercial game in history. It had the markings of Monopoly.

“It’s fitting that we launch this website on the anniversary of Lizzie’s patent, because this book is all about unknown and under-appreciated toy inventors,” author Tim Walsh says. “Without Lizzie, there would be no Monopoly. Imagine the implications of that to the toy business. Imagine our American culture without that game. It’s hard to do.”

For 30 years Lizzie’s game was passed on from player to player, until it ended up in the hands of Charles Darrow, the man often credited as having “invented” the game in 1934. In actuality, Darrow (along with several other key players in the tale), improved the game until it reached its current form. Monopoly was launched by Parker Brothers in 1935 and went on to sell over 150 million copies.

The Monopoly story is covered within the pages of The Playmakers, along with 75 other classic playthings. The level of detail in the book is impressive. For instance, the Monopoly chapter offers:

• A never-before-seen picture of The Landlord’s Game from 1910. Ultra-rare !
• Detailed biographical information on Lizzie Magie and Charles Darrow.
• A picture of Darrow’s first round Monopoly board which sold for over $64,000 in 1992.
• The actual rejection letters Darrow initially received from Parker Brothers and Milton Bradley.
• The missing link between bracelet charms and the famous Monopoly tokens

The Playmakers: Amazing Origins of Timeless Toys debuts at Toy Fair in February and today at www.theplaymakers.com. The book will be released to the general public in March.

The Playmakers.com Launches on a Special 100th Anniversary

Contact:
Tim Walsh
Keys Publishing
PMB 180 5370 Clark Road Suite A
Sarasota, FL 34233-3227
(941) 926-8004

Sarasota, Florida (January 5, 2004) – Today Keys Publishing launched www.theplaymakers.com to promote its new book The Playmakers: Amazing Origins of Timeless Toys. The launch coincides with the 100th Anniversary of The Landlord’s Game. Never heard of that game, you say? Read on, and it will undoubtedly ring a bell.

On January 5, 1904, Elizabeth J. Magie, a writer, public stenographer, and gifted actress received a patent on a board game that was destined to become something special. The object, as stated in the patent, was “to obtain as much wealth or money as possible.” The game featured a square board with 40 spaces and 22 properties, four railroads and Jail and Go to Jail spaces. In the game, a player could get out of jail by rolling doubles or by paying $50. It had a luxury tax and two utilities (one water, one electric). It had the markings of the most successful commercial game in history. It had the markings of Monopoly.

“It’s fitting that we launch this website on the anniversary of Lizzie’s patent, because this book is all about unknown and under-appreciated toy inventors,” author Tim Walsh says. “Without Lizzie, there would be no Monopoly. Imagine the implications of that to the toy business. Imagine our American culture without that game. It’s hard to do.”

For 30 years Lizzie’s game was passed on from player to player, until it ended up in the hands of Charles Darrow, the man often credited as having “invented” the game in 1934. In actuality, Darrow (along with several other key players in the tale), improved the game until it reached its current form. Monopoly was launched by Parker Brothers in 1935 and went on to sell over 150 million copies.

The Monopoly story is covered within the pages of The Playmakers, along with 75 other classic playthings. The level of detail in the book is impressive. For instance, the Monopoly chapter offers:

• A never-before-seen picture of The Landlord’s Game from 1910. Ultra-rare !
• Detailed biographical information on Lizzie Magie and Charles Darrow.
• A picture of Darrow’s first round Monopoly board which sold for over $64,000 in 1992.
• The actual rejection letters Darrow initially received from Parker Brothers and Milton Bradley.
• The missing link between bracelet charms and the famous Monopoly tokens

The Playmakers: Amazing Origins of Timeless Toys debuts at Toy Fair in February and today at www.theplaymakers.com. The book will be released to the general public in March.