Getting your questions ready
Getting your questions ready
All 10 questions with answers and explanations. Play this daily
Q 01Which Mattel action figure line built a sword-and-sorcery world around He-Man?
Masters of the Universe
Masters of the Universe reached retailers in 1982 and grew into one of the most elaborate toy universes ever, with an animated series, comics and a fan base that remains active today.
Q 02Which trading card game, based on Nintendo's monster-collecting video games, has seen single cards sell for hundreds of thousands?
Pokémon
The Pokémon Trading Card Game debuted in 1996 and created a massive collector community. First-edition and rare cards have sold for hundreds of thousands of dollars, making it one of the most valuable collectible games ever.
Q 03Which Hasbro toy franchise was built by rebranding robots from Takara's Diaclone and Micro Change lines?
Transformers
Hasbro turned Takara's robots into Transformers and had Marvel invent their backstory; editor Bob Budiansky named Megatron, while Denny O'Neil named Optimus Prime.
Q 04Which talking toy did the US National Security Agency ban from its premises, fearing it could repeat classified secrets?
Furby
The NSA banned Furby in 1999 over fears it would repeat what it heard, though each one only knew preset words in English and its own language, 'Furbish'.
Q 05Which plush toy line fuelled a 1990s collecting bubble by capping store orders and 'retiring' characters?
Beanie Babies
Ty Inc. retired Beanie Babies on purpose, and the engineered scarcity sent resale prices soaring: at one point Beanie Babies accounted for 10% of eBay's sales.
Q 06Which brand of sports action figures, made by Kenner and later Hasbro, became a memorabilia mainstay?
Starting Lineup
Starting Lineup was dreamed up by Cincinnati Bengals punter Pat McInally, who retired before it launched and waited ten years for a figure of himself.
Q 07Funko's Pop! figures, with big squarish heads and tiny bodies, draw on which visual style?
Japanese chibi
Funko's Pop! vinyl figures borrow the exaggerated head-to-body proportions of Japanese chibi art, and they share the same large, round black eyes.
Q 08What 1990s Bandai toy craze had players care for a virtual pet on a small LCD screen?
Tamagotchi
Tamagotchi, released by Bandai in 1996, became a worldwide phenomenon where owners had to feed, clean, and interact with their virtual pet or it would die, creating an addictive gameplay loop.
Q 09What did the official papers packed with every Cabbage Patch Kid say its new owner had done?
Adopted
Cabbage Patch Kids were never sold but 'adopted', a gimmick Xavier Roberts took from folk artist Martha Nelson Thomas's Doll Babies; she sued him and settled out of court.
Q 10What was Kenner's Stretch Armstrong latex figure filled with?
Gelled corn syrup
Stretch Armstrong is latex filled with gelled corn syrup, and Hollywood has chased a Stretch Armstrong movie ever since Disney bought the film rights in 1994.