Kids' Stuff: Toys and the Changing World of American Childhood

by Gary S. Cross

To sort out who's who and what's what in the enchanting, vexing world of Barbies® and Ninja Turtles®, Tinkertoys® and teddy bears, is to begin to see what's become of childhood in America. It is this changing world, and what it unveils about our values, that Gary Cross explores in Kids' Stuff , a revealing look into the meaning of American toys through this century.

Early in the 1900s toys reflected parents' ideas about children and their futures. Erector sets introduced boys to a realm of business and technology, while baby dolls anticipated motherhood and building blocks honed the fine motor skills of the youngest children. Kids' Stuff chronicles the transformation that occurred as the interests and intentions of parents, children, and the toy industry gradually diverged--starting in the 1930s when toymakers, marketing playthings inspired by popular favorites like Shirley Temple and Buck Rogers, began to appeal directly to the young. TV advertising, blockbuster films like Star Wars ®, and Saturday morning cartoons exploited their youthful audience in new and audacious ways. Meanwhile, powerful social and economic forces were transforming the nature of play in American society. Cross offers a richly textured account of a culture in which erector sets and baby dolls are no longer alone in preparing children for the future, and in which the toys that now crowd the racks are as perplexing for parents as they are beguiling for little boys and girls. Whether we want our children to be high achievers in a competitive world or playful and free from the worries of adult life, the toy store confronts us with many choices.

What does the endless array of action figures and fashion dolls mean? Are children--or parents--the dupes of the film, television, and toy industries, with their latest fads and fantasies? What does this say about our time, and what does it bode for our future? Tapping a vein of rich cultural history, Kids' Stuff exposes the serious business behind a century of playthings.

Genres: American History, Cultural

352 pages, Paperback

First published November 28, 1997

About the author

Gary S. Cross is distinguished professor of modern history at Pennsylvania State University.

Reviews

[Brigitte · Rating 3 out of 5]

I bought this book over 20 YEARS ago. In my recent quest to reassess my personal library, I pulled this to read since I have no recall of having ever read it. Once I started, I realized why. This was a book I had started reading several times and never finished. The book is full of facts and information, it's well researched. Though I've worked in the toy industry my whole career, I still learned a few facts I was unaware of. However, I never could get really invested in the book, so it got put back on the shelf and forgotten each time I tried to read it.

The author did the research work, but there's no personal stories or anecdotes from toy collectors or folks who worked for the companies mentioned to add some fun to the facts. The subject matter would lead you to believe it would be engaging, but for me just spilling facts and results of studies isn't worth it. I finished it this time around and it was an uphill slog for me to do so. I choose to release this into the free library at my local train station and hope it finds someone who enjoys this sort of writing.

[Rae Hittinger · Rating 4 out of 5]

I didn't have time to read this entire book but what I did read was very interesting. Anyone interested in reviewing their own childhood toys in a historical context, marketing, gender roles,or how toys and play impact childhood will find this book informative & we'll researched.