Posts tagged with Toys

What is the best-selling Barbie doll?

By Nerdy Trivia | January 3, 2025

Barbie has been everything from an astronaut to a zoologist, but one particular version sparked such a craze that it sold over 10 million units worldwide. Which special edition Barbie reigns supreme as the all-time bestseller?

What kind of animal is Tails in "Sonic the Hedgehog"?

By Nerdy Trivia | December 23, 2024

When SEGA needed a sidekick for Sonic in 1992, they created Tails, a character who could keep up with the blue blur's incredible speed. What kind of animal is this high-flying companion?

What were Cabbage Patch Kids originally called?

By Nerdy Trivia | December 18, 2024

Parents camped outside toy stores in sleeping bags during Christmas 1983, desperate to get their hands on a Cabbage Patch Kid. But most fans never learned about their original name in a small Georgia art studio. What were they called?

What is the highest-grossing media franchise of all time?

By Nerdy Trivia | August 30, 2024

Explore the evolution from successful film franchises to dominant media empires. Discover how merchandising, toys, books, and more elevate franchises like Star Trek beyond movies and TV. Find out which franchise reigns supreme in earnings, surpassing all competitors in the entertainment industry.

What is Ken's full name?

By Nerdy Trivia | July 11, 2024

Since the introduction of the Ken doll in 1961, one could easily argue that Ken has never had nearly as much attention as he’s getting right now. But being Kenough goes well beyond just the dolls.

What’s the world record for solving a Rubik’s Cube?

By Nerdy Trivia | June 26, 2024

Before being named after its inventor, Ernő Rubik, the Rubik’s Cube was to be called the Magic Cube. Which is kind of appropriate, because the only people who can solve those things are damn magicians. Working at the Academy of Applied Arts and Crafts in Budapest, Rubik originally developed the cube simply because he wanted to solve the problem of being able to move pieces independently without the whole thing falling apart. He realized it was a puzzle after he scrambled it and tried to put it

Nintendo had the best selling toy in America until what iconic toy took the title in 1991?

By Nerdy Trivia | May 13, 2024

As far as any mom in the late 1980s was concerned, every video game system ever made was just called a Nintendo. No NES. No Game Boy. No Atari 2600 — just “Nintendo.” And to be fair, it wasn’t just moms. We pretty much all referred to home consoles that way. We had good reason to do so: the things were damn popular. So popular that it made it seem like they were the only things kids were spending any of their free time with. In 1988 alone, over 7 million NES systems and over 32 million cartri

Where is Hello Kitty from?

By Classic Nerd | May 1, 2024

Every time I think I understand exactly what Hello Kitty actually is, I find out something new that twists my brain into a new knot. She never has a mouth but somehow talks in cartoons. She is both a fictional character and an entire brand. She’s friends with frogs AND penguins. Think about any of these things too long, and your brain will turn to goo. Created in the mid-70s, it also shocked me to learn that the character of Kitty has a robust backstory, including the place where she was born

What were the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles renamed in the UK?

By Nerdy Trivia | April 16, 2024

While brilliant, I have to say that the name Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles is about as lazy as it can get. I can imagine the creators sitting there thinking, “What should we call this comic/cartoon about a bunch of teenage mutant ninja turtles? Wait a second…” On the other hand, the title tells a kid everything they need to get invested. Teenagers? Cool. Mutants? Now we’re talking. Ninjas? I’m in! Turtles…well, they had to win us over on that one. As it turns out, these pizza-eating goofballs

What was the first toy advertised on TV?

By Nerdy Trivia | April 11, 2024

We all complained about commercials at the time, but now that they’re gone I think I kind of miss them. The over-the-top acting and blatant lies about the product were sometimes better than whatever trash we were watching. This was when marketers were willing to throw everything at the wall to see what stuck. Now, except for maybe the Super Bowl, no one is watching live TV with commercials anymore. It’s all streaming that either has no ads or some boring insurance ones. I can’t remember the las

What was the first LEGO brick set ever made?

By Classic Nerd | April 2, 2024

The Danish are known to be talented at many things, such as pillaging, riding bikes, and having the oldest flag in the world. But if there’s one thing the people from Denmark do better than anyone else, it’s create little plastic bricks that can be put together to build cool stuff. Founded as a company that simply built wooden toys by carpenter Ole Kirk Christiansen back in 1934, it wasn’t until much later that LEGO came up with the brilliant innovation of a system of interlocking plastic brick

What is Barbie’s full name?

By Nerdy Trivia | February 15, 2024

Mattel owns a lot of big toy brands — Hot Wheels, Fisher-Price, and Masters of the Universe come to mind — but with over 1 billion Barbie dolls sold, we all know who's paying the bills. But there's more to Barbie than just plastic, a gigantic movie, and an entire culture built around the brand — she has a name, too, damn it. And according to a series of novels published by Mattel in the 1960s, her name is longer than we've all been led to believe this entire time. Don't feel too bad, I don't t

What '90s toy had to be recalled for being too dangerous?

By Nerdy Trivia | September 18, 2023

Every generation has had its fair share of dangerous toys that somehow hit the market shelves. Ask anyone born before 1980 about Lawn Darts, and you'll understand what I mean. While there's a scent of '90s nostalgia in the air these days, it too posed its threats. Actually, I can think of a few toys from that decade that my nephews and nieces injured themselves with. But this one was so bad that it was actually pulled from the shelves. I just imagine some dude with those really thick '80s glas

Where is Teddy Ruxpin from?

By Nerdy Trivia | August 8, 2023

Technology in the 1980s was just advanced enough to do some cool stuff, and just bad enough to make some of those things terrifying for children. Such was the case with many of the toys that came out in the '80s. Teddy Ruxpin fits squarely into that category — even just the simple animatronic motion of his mouth was mind-blowing, but his dead eyes were deeply unsettling. And between the toys, a cartoon, and some other miscellaneous media, his backstory was actually quite strange. Where was thi

Some of the coolest old-school things we saw at Comic-Con International 2023

By Classic Nerd | August 3, 2023

Despite the lack of major stars dressing up as their MCU characters and announcing the newest Marvel movies to 6,000 people who waited in line overnight, the 2023 Comic-Con International in San Diego was as busy as ever. Turns out, nerds still like getting together to talk comics, TV, buy collectibles, stand in lines, and yes, even discuss movies. After a weekend of doing all of the above, and then some, here are some of the coolest old-school things we saw this year. Animation was really di