Hacker News with Generative AI: Toys

The Rise and Fall and Rise Again of Lionel Trains (1997) (spikesys.com)
In the year 1901, Joshua Lionel Cowen (origially Cohen), a resident of New York City, sent a flatcar, with an electric motor and battery cleverly concealed underneath, around a small circle of brass track. From that seemingly unimportant event emerged a corporation and a legend.

History, Toys, Business, Transportation

6 points by js2 3 days ago | 3 comments

Mike Wood, Whose LeapFrog Toys Taught a Generation, Dies at 72 (nytimes.com)
Mike Wood was a young father when his toddler’s struggles to read led him to develop one of a generation’s most fondly remembered toys.

Obituary, Toys, Education

7 points by bookofjoe 4 days ago | 1 comments

The Rise and Fall of Toys 'R' Us (2018) (history.com)
The retailer turned everyone into a “Toys ‘R’ Us kid”… by driving its competition out of existence.

Retail, Business, History, Toys

77 points by indigodaddy 5 days ago | 112 comments

Mike Wood, Whose LeapFrog Toys Taught a Generation, Dies at 72 (nytimes.com)
Mike Wood was a young father when his toddler’s struggles to read led him to develop one of a generation’s most fondly remembered toys.

Obituary, Toys, Education, Childhood

72 points by nxobject 5 days ago | 7 comments

Bambu Labs launches 3D-printable toys with reusable electronics (theverge.com)
3D printer manufacturer Bambu Lab has launched a new toy system called CyberBrick under its MakerWorld brand, which pairs reusable and programmable electronics components with 3D-printable models to enable a range of possible toys based on both official and community designs.

3D Printing, Toys, Hardware, Open Source, Maker Culture

37 points by Tomte 40 days ago | 5 comments

The TOMY Screwball Scramble (medium.com)
The patent of the first version of the Screwball Scramble was filed in 1979. The Associated Press described it as “a challenging game, based on a clever concept.”

Toys, Games, History

20 points by biscuits1 69 days ago | 10 comments

Infinite Lego Candy Factory [video] (youtube.com)

Lego, Toys, Video, Creative Projects

4 points by ziptron 107 days ago | 0 comments

50 Years of the Rubik's Cube (elpais.com)
In 1974, architecture professor Ernö Rubik invented a new tool to illustrate geometric concepts to his students at the Budapest School of Commercial Arts. Half a century later, the Rubik’s Cube has not only become one of the best-selling toys in history, but it has also inspired a global culture.

Toys, History, Culture

8 points by belter 119 days ago | 0 comments

Reverse engineering the Ravensburger TipToi pen (github.com/entropia)
The goal of this project is to understand the file and paper format for the Ravensburger TipToi pen. The ultimate goal is that everyone can create their own books, with their own sounds.

Reverse Engineering, DIY, Toys, Educational Tools

100 points by cl3misch 145 days ago | 46 comments

Why so many families are "drowning in toys" (vox.com)
America is in toy overload, and it might just be ruining fun.

Parenting, Consumerism, Toys, Childhood

66 points by gmays 155 days ago | 83 comments

Irrationally pissed at Fisher-Price (2011) (elsewhere.org)
While doing some research into music box mechanisms earlier today (holy cow, you can get a 30-note chromatic paper-roll music box mechanism for $60-ish now? Last time I looked, something like that cost over $500) I was reminded of the Fisher-Price “record player” music box I had as a kid.

Music, Nostalgia, Toys

35 points by a1o 157 days ago | 9 comments

Typology of Old German Spinning Tops (1935) (presentandcorrect.com)
<h1>Typology of Old German Spinning Tops (1935)</h1>September 5, 2024 <p>Scanned by us from two old promotional cards.</p>

History, Toys, Germany, Design

18 points by ohjeez 175 days ago | 6 comments

Show HN: AI kids toys are real (instagram.com)

Artificial Intelligence, Toys, Social Media, Technology

8 points by kevinbai 183 days ago | 4 comments

Mastodon has started selling toys (techcrunch.com)
If you like open-source, decentralized social networks that put the power in the hands of the people instead of billionaires, you can now support that cause…by buying toys.

Social Media, Open Source, Decentralization, Toys

5 points by LorenDB 192 days ago | 0 comments

The Rise and Fall of Matchbox's Toy-Car Empire (hagerty.com)
The announcement that John Cena has signed on to be the star of the new Matchbox live-action movie raises a few questions. First—there’s going to be a Matchbox movie? And second—what will it be about, exactly?

Toys, Movies, History, Pop Culture

182 points by NaOH 192 days ago | 134 comments

$61 kit turns any Hot Wheels into a remote-controlled drift car (thedrive.com)
I might be in the minority here, but I stopped collecting die-cast cars years ago.

Remote Control, Toys, Cars, DIY Projects

49 points by PaulHoule 200 days ago | 8 comments

Hasbro's Trademark for the Smell of Play-Doh (2018) (uspto.gov)
Search Results

Trademarks, Toys, Hasbro, Intellectual Property

46 points by popcalc 207 days ago | 53 comments

Bionicle – my actual part in its origins (2015) (alastairswinnerton.com)
The Wikipedia page about me says that I’m known mostly for my involvement with Lego Bionicle.

Lego, Toys, History, Personal Stories

87 points by speckx 226 days ago | 28 comments

HMD Barbie Phone (hmd.com)

Phones, Toys, Fashion

45 points by red369 237 days ago | 71 comments

Star Wars walked away from the first self-retracting lightsaber toy (theverge.com)

Star Wars, Toys, Technology, Licensing

6 points by Tomte 238 days ago | 1 comments

Building Lego Machines to Destroy Tall Lego Towers (kottke.org)

Building, Lego, Toys, Destruction, Art

265 points by dev_tty01 264 days ago | 40 comments

The Mystery of Detective Barbie's Audio (netninja.com)