CineScope

The Toys That Built America

The Toys That Built America Poster

Against the backdrop of major events in American history like the Civil War and the Great Depression, "The Toys that Built America" tells a different story—one that brings toys to the forefront as driving forces behind untold cultural and economic shifts.

Documentary

3.5 / 5

28th November 2021 - 17th December 2023
Top Cast
Ian Karr
Watch Providers 🇬🇧
Apple TV
Apple TV
Production Companies
+1 more
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Masters of Invention Still
Masters of Invention
28th November 2021

Episode 1

During World War II, a naval engineer accidentally creates an iconic spiral toy that walks downstairs. At the same time, an engineer is trying to invent a synthetic rubber for the war effort and instead creates a strange putty that becomes another world-famous toy.

Clash of the Toy Titans Still
Clash of the Toy Titans
5th December 2021

Episode 2

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. Meanwhile, rival Merrill Hassenfeld, at the reigns of a company that will one day be one the most famous brands in the world, tries to capitalize on Handler's success to launch a military doll for boys--which is brilliantly rebranded as the world's first "action figure," and eventually spawns a tv series and a movie franchise. For decades, these two companies battle each other to dominate the toy industry. But when the cultural landscape shifts, they are forced to make desperate choices that ultimately earn their toys immortal status.

Toy Car Wars Still
Toy Car Wars
12th December 2021

Episode 3

As car culture cranks up in the early 1950s, 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. In Los Angeles, Elliot Handler creates one of the biggest toy rivalries in history when he brings on a former missile designer to make a toy car behemoth of his own.

Board Game Empires Still
Board Game Empires
19th December 2021

Episode 4

After failing to make a living selling lithographs, Milton Bradley creates one of America's first board games, which will go on to become one of the biggest of all time. But the Parker brothers threaten Bradley's reign. But it's a game about Monopoly that will upend the business. And in its earliest days, it might have been pirated from its true creator, who has been largely lost to history--until now