World’s Weirdest Toys

You’ve probably heard of a Rubik’s cube, that deceptively tricky little puzzle of colorful squares that wants to be scrambled and unscrambled and scrambled again. But how did a plastic cube become one of the world’s most popular toys?

Now that you know all about the Rubik’s cube, check out the world of competitive “speedcubing.” In this documentary, meet four young people who are passionate about cubes.

Take a tour of Pollock’s Toy Museum in London, a tiny museum of unique historical toys and other rare collectibles known as "curios," from a wind-up doll inside a cabbage (not to be confused with a modern Cabbage Patch Kid!) to an Egyptian toy mouse circa 2,000 BC.

Okay, not quite. But once upon a time (in the 1990s), Mattel released a version of their famous Cabbage Patch Kids that could eat plastic snacks—and unfortunately, also consumed lots of other things that came near its mouth, including hair and small fingers. Yikes! That’s not on your birthday wish list.

Dave Nimitz has one of the world’s largest collections of toys by Hanna-Barbera, creators of cartoons like The Flinstones, Scooby Do, The Jetsons, and more. Take a tour of just a small portion of Dave’s huge collection.

Sometimes, toys make it to store shelves before anyone realizes that they’re not particularly safe. What happens then? Find out how toys can get recalled in this article from How Stuff Works.

In this CGI animated short film, a Rubik’s cube really wants to be solved.

Some of our favorite toys and games could be a little bit scary, if you think about it. What about games like Operation and Mouse Trap? (That one is especially scary if you’re a mouse!) Or troll dolls—are they lovable creatures or creepy cave-dwellers? Today, you’re the toy designer. Grab paper, markers, and your imagination, and dream up a toy that is both fun and quirky, kooky, or just plain creepy.

Toys like frisbees, blocks, balls, and even dolls can be part of an at-home obstacle course. Set it up on your own or ask a grown-up for help, then time yourself (or not!) as you race through the challenges. This video has some clever ideas, but get creative—you can use whatever you’ve got.