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Season 1 – The Toys That Built America

Play trailer Poster for Season 1 – The Toys That Built America Nov 2021 Documentary History Play Trailer Watchlist
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Against the backdrop of major events in American history, like the Civil War and the Great Depression, "The Toys that Built America" shares a different story: one that brings new products and nostalgic toys to the forefront as driving forces behind untold cultural and economic shifts. The four-part docuseries showcases visionaries, such as the Parker Brothers, Milton Bradley and Ruth Handler, who transformed a small toy company into the billion-dollar empire now known as Mattel. The series unveils competitive rivalries between iconic brands that changed the fabric of the nation forever.

Critics Reviews

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Stephanie Morgan Common Sense Media Nov 11
3/5
The reenactments in The Toys that Built America attempt to bring history to life and offer entrepreneurial inspiration but fall a little flat. Go to Full Review Read all reviews

Audience Reviews

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07/23/2022 This series tells us about the evolution of various toys and their companies anindita real footages See more 01/08/2022 Pretty inspiring to see how America's toys became what they are today. History Channel has been knocking it out of the park with the quality of these shows and the "recreations" they do throughout them. See more Read all reviews
The Toys That Built America — Season 1

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Cast & Crew

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Jordan Hembrough

Self

Simon Harrison

Jack Ryan

Ian Karr

Narrator

Ben Mansfield

Actor

Stephen Samson

Actor

Kimberley Wintle

Betty James

Episodes

Episode 1 Aired Nov 28, 2021 Novelty Toy Giants During World War II, a naval engineer accidentally creates an iconic spiral toy that walks down stairs; an engineer tries to invent a synthetic rubber for the war effort and instead creates a strange putty. Details Episode 2 Aired Dec 5, 2021 Clash of the Toy Titans As the post-war baby boom creates unprecedented demand for toys, Ruth Handler turns her greatest gamble into the most recognizable toy in the world. Details Episode 3 Aired Dec 12, 2021 Toy Car Wars A young machinist in England invents one of the world's most successful toys when he creates a toy car small enough to fit inside a matchbox for his daughter to take to school; Elliot Handler creates one of the biggest toy rivalries in history. Details Episode 4 Aired Dec 19, 2021 Board Game Empires Milton Bradley creates one of America's first board games, but the Parker brothers threaten Bradley's reign. Details
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The Toys That Built America — Season 1

The Toys That Built The World The Toys That Built The World The Toys That Built The World View more photos

Season Info

Director
Stuart Jones
Executive Producer
Brooke Townsend, Jim Pasquarella, Keith McKay, Kristine Sabat, Mary Donahue, Matt Pearl, Steve Ascher
Network
History
Rating
TV-PG
Genre
Documentary, History
Original Language
English
Release Date
Nov 28, 2021