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Main => Everything Else => Topic started by: Howard_Casto on December 23, 2017, 11:43:35 pm

Title: You should also watch "The Toys That Made Us"
Post by: Howard_Casto on December 23, 2017, 11:43:35 pm
What can I say... there is jack and squat on tv this week. 

So this is an 8 part documentary series about the creation of various toy lines from the 80's and 90's.  Annoyingly, only the first four parts have dropped.  You've got Star Wars, Barbie, GI Joe and He-man.  This isn't one of those b.s. glossed-over youtube-ish shows either.  All of the living toy designers are interviewed, giving a rare peak inside the industry.

If you aren't the type that enjoys documentaries then skip it, but otherwise it's extremely interesting. 
Title: Re: You should also watch "The Toys That Made Us"
Post by: thomas_surles on December 24, 2017, 10:06:38 am
Thanks. I will check it out.
Title: Re: You should also watch "The Toys That Made Us"
Post by: opt2not on December 24, 2017, 11:21:13 am
You lost me at 8 part documentary. Zzzzzzzz
Title: Re: You should also watch "The Toys That Made Us"
Post by: fallacy on December 27, 2017, 01:03:35 pm
I watched the He-Man one, I had known that the show was created to sell the toys but it was interesting to see just how true that was and how well it worked; a lot of it was by accident trying to figure out how they can compete with Star Wars toys and what they had.
Title: Re: You should also watch "The Toys That Made Us"
Post by: yotsuya on December 27, 2017, 08:38:17 pm
Just watched the Star Wars one. Good times.
Title: Re: You should also watch "The Toys That Made Us"
Post by: yotsuya on December 27, 2017, 09:57:39 pm
Finished GI Joe - on to He-Man
Title: Re: You should also watch "The Toys That Made Us"
Post by: yotsuya on December 27, 2017, 11:02:58 pm
He-Man was highly entertaining.

Thanks for sharing, Howard!
Title: Re: You should also watch "The Toys That Made Us"
Post by: yotsuya on December 27, 2017, 11:03:40 pm
(https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20171228/14445d99afcf44f00c44adfc714ada70.jpg)

What’s left, according to IMDB...
Title: Re: You should also watch "The Toys That Made Us"
Post by: harveybirdman on December 27, 2017, 11:28:42 pm
He Man was my favorite.  But I enjoyed star wars and gi joe as well.  Sort of seemed a bit light on the details especially with Star Wars... But overall entertaining.
Title: Re: You should also watch "The Toys That Made Us"
Post by: yotsuya on December 28, 2017, 12:06:25 am
Star Wars was informational. G.I. Joe was interesting, but He-Man was entertaining. All three well done.
Title: Re: You should also watch "The Toys That Made Us"
Post by: Howard_Casto on December 28, 2017, 12:30:39 am
Note that none of us boys watched Barbie.... I guess it's hard-wired into us. 

I found it interesting that in a lot of cases, they "invented" the toy by taking an unpopular toy that they don't own and kit-bashing it.  When in doubt, steal!  ;)
Title: Re: You should also watch "The Toys That Made Us"
Post by: jdbailey1206 on December 28, 2017, 05:35:13 am
“If it’s as big as a horse, put a ---smurfing--- saddle on it.”   :laugh2:
Title: Re: You should also watch "The Toys That Made Us"
Post by: Howard_Casto on December 28, 2017, 07:36:45 am
Yeah... I always wondered why Battle Cat just didn't seem to fit in. 


I wonder what #5 is. 
Title: Re: You should also watch "The Toys That Made Us"
Post by: jdbailey1206 on December 28, 2017, 09:36:24 am
It is weird that #5 isnt listed.
Title: Re: You should also watch "The Toys That Made Us"
Post by: RayB on December 29, 2017, 02:38:42 pm
Why does Star Trek have an episode in a series about 80's defining toys? I don't remember Star Trek having ANY toy impact at all. In fact the TV show was pretty much dead save for re-runs watched by my dad, until TNG in the very late 80's ... There's a bit of pandering to current brands, isn't there. (I guess that much was mentioned already).

I hope the Transformers one mentions their cheap cousins the "GoBots". https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IWeV-pEnS80 (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IWeV-pEnS80)
Title: Re: You should also watch "The Toys That Made Us"
Post by: yotsuya on December 29, 2017, 03:09:27 pm
I’ll watch the Barbie one. I just kinda marathon’d through those three since those toys interested me the most. But it’s a pretty quality documentary, so I’m sure the Barbie one will be just as interesting.
Title: Re: You should also watch "The Toys That Made Us"
Post by: Howard_Casto on December 29, 2017, 04:00:26 pm
Why does Star Trek have an episode in a series about 80's defining toys? I don't remember Star Trek having ANY toy impact at all. In fact the TV show was pretty much dead save for re-runs watched by my dad, until TNG in the very late 80's ... There's a bit of pandering to current brands, isn't there. (I guess that much was mentioned already).

I hope the Transformers one mentions their cheap cousins the "GoBots". https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IWeV-pEnS80 (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IWeV-pEnS80)

TNG had an utterly massive toy line.  The sheer amount of figures and ships released is right up there with Gi Joe.  It pretty much put playmates in business. 
Title: Re: You should also watch "The Toys That Made Us"
Post by: kane916 on December 30, 2017, 11:47:36 pm
I saw the barbie one. Well I watched them all but the barbie one was good too. She was based on a whore and created by a ---smurfette--- basically.
Title: Re: You should also watch "The Toys That Made Us"
Post by: SlammedNiss on January 12, 2018, 02:04:09 am
Anybody know when the next 4 episodes are being released? Looking forward to the Transformers episode.
Title: Re: You should also watch "The Toys That Made Us"
Post by: Howard_Casto on January 12, 2018, 05:23:07 am
To quote a polygon article:

"Volk-Weiss said it was a mad scramble to get the first four out in time for the holidays, and he still has two more left to edit. No release date has been set for the final four episodes, but the team has said on Facebook they should be out sometime in the next four months. "

So we might be waiting a while.  :(
Title: Re: You should also watch "The Toys That Made Us"
Post by: wp34 on January 13, 2018, 10:54:53 am
Thanks for posting this Howard.  I watched the Star Wars episode this morning and really enjoyed the backstory from Kenner's perspective.  The dude from Hasbro really seemed like a flake.  I had forgotten that Hasbro bought Kenner in the 90's.
Title: Re: You should also watch "The Toys That Made Us"
Post by: pbj on January 13, 2018, 12:02:42 pm
He Man episode had some entertaining moments.  I guess I was never really into toys.

 :dunno
Title: Re: You should also watch "The Toys That Made Us"
Post by: Howard_Casto on January 13, 2018, 12:38:02 pm
Thanks for posting this Howard.  I watched the Star Wars episode this morning and really enjoyed the backstory from Kenner's perspective.  The dude from Hasbro really seemed like a flake.  I had forgotten that Hasbro bought Kenner in the 90's.

Hasbro has bought pretty much every toy brand worth mentioning at this point.  It's a running joke amongst toy collectors apparently. 
Title: Re: You should also watch "The Toys That Made Us"
Post by: 1500points on January 13, 2018, 06:48:31 pm
Watched all 4 after seeing this thread.  Fun and learned some stuff.

Wife enjoyed em too


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Title: Re: You should also watch "The Toys That Made Us"
Post by: jdbailey1206 on May 04, 2018, 12:18:55 pm
Bumpity Bump Bump. 

Season 2 Bitches. (https://geektyrant.com/news/trailer-for-netflixs-toys-that-made-us-season-2-focuses-on-lego-transformers-star-trek-and-hello-kitty)
Title: Re: You should also watch "The Toys That Made Us"
Post by: yotsuya on June 05, 2018, 07:40:30 pm
Watched the Transformers one. When you’re ready to come back and chat, Howard, let’s talk about it.
Title: Re: You should also watch "The Toys That Made Us"
Post by: yotsuya on June 05, 2018, 07:41:59 pm
BTW: spoiler -

They kill Optimus Prime in the animated film.
Title: Re: You should also watch "The Toys That Made Us"
Post by: SlammedNiss on June 05, 2018, 08:27:49 pm
Didn't realize they had dropped the next 4 episodes. I guess I know what I'll be watching tonight. Well, after I finish the last 2 episodes of Barry. Thanks for the heads up.
Title: You should also watch "The Toys That Made Us"
Post by: yotsuya on June 05, 2018, 09:19:35 pm
I also just watched the Barbie and Star Trek ones. Good stuff.
Title: Re: You should also watch "The Toys That Made Us"
Post by: jdbailey1206 on June 06, 2018, 06:55:58 am
Watched the Transformers one. When you’re ready to come back and chat, Howard, let’s talk about it.

Dafuq happened to Howard?  Lego was a good one.  I felt like I saw this episode by itself about a year ago on Nat Geo or Discovery. 
Title: Re: You should also watch "The Toys That Made Us"
Post by: dkersten on June 06, 2018, 10:05:16 am
Dafuq happened to Howard?
He took his ball and went home.

I almost started watching this show the other night.  So many things in the queue so little time to watch anything.  The irony: I don't have time to watch TV because I am too busy building a room to watch TV in...
Title: Re: You should also watch "The Toys That Made Us"
Post by: Malenko on June 25, 2018, 10:57:17 am
Dafuq happened to Howard?
He took his ball and went home.

He can't be gone, PL1 aka Scottbot didn't accuse me of running him off yet.
Title: Re: You should also watch "The Toys That Made Us"
Post by: javeryh on June 26, 2018, 04:12:26 pm
The Transformers episode could have been its own series.  I wanted way more than an hour!
Title: Re: You should also watch "The Toys That Made Us"
Post by: pbj on June 26, 2018, 04:25:49 pm
Who else has a Canadian copy of that movie on VHS?

 ^-^
Title: Re: You should also watch "The Toys That Made Us"
Post by: jdbailey1206 on June 27, 2018, 07:13:20 am
Who else has a Canadian copy of that movie on VHS?

 ^-^

Best I can do is an 'merica DVD version.
Title: Re: You should also watch "The Toys That Made Us"
Post by: Mr. Peabody on June 27, 2018, 03:50:01 pm
I saw the barbie one. Well I watched them all but the barbie one was good too. She was based on a whore and created by a ---smurfette--- basically.

Yes. Great story. One of the best for those wanting to know how pop culture and female minds work. Though, I watched Smurfs a lot, and Strawberry Shortcake, Care Bears,  Rainbow Bright, and GEM here and there. (I can sing the theme songs of the latter two.) Strawberry Shortcake had an episode I happened on first time seeing it where her blueberry friend had a house ship like thing that was bigger on the inside, and the character talked about warping space or something.


The Transformers episode could have been its own series.  I wanted way more than an hour!

Depends on whether you count anything after season three. I don't.
Title: Re: You should also watch "The Toys That Made Us"
Post by: Malenko on June 27, 2018, 04:00:38 pm
I used to watch Gem, the Misfits were hot.
Title: Re: You should also watch "The Toys That Made Us"
Post by: Ginsu Victim on June 29, 2018, 10:52:05 am
I used to watch Gem, the Misfits were hot.

My little sister was fan of the show, so I kinda got stuck watching it too.  I wish the show itself was animated as well as the opening/closing credits sequences.  That was some Heavy Metal-level ---steaming pile of meadow muffin---.
Title: Re: You should also watch "The Toys That Made Us"
Post by: jdbailey1206 on June 29, 2018, 11:13:28 am
...the Misfits are awesome.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F39UP1mjAnc (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F39UP1mjAnc)

The Misfits are awesome...OPE!  Surry.  Wrong Misfits.
Title: Re: You should also watch "The Toys That Made Us"
Post by: Ginsu Victim on June 29, 2018, 11:27:03 am
^he never said "awesome."
Title: Re: You should also watch "The Toys That Made Us"
Post by: jdbailey1206 on June 29, 2018, 12:53:16 pm
^he never said "awesome."

Yeah...but if I said the Misfits I referenced are 'hot' this post would get weird like all the rest of 'em.
Title: Re: You should also watch "The Toys That Made Us"
Post by: Mr. Peabody on July 02, 2018, 05:38:46 pm
GEM was pretty adult in ways. And the characters looked adult. One of the last animated shows of that ilk. However, as often happened in the 80s, the intro/outro were done in higher quality than a lot of the episodes. Often smaller studios (usually korean) were hired ad hoc to finish out scenes, the quality obvious. M.A.S.K. intro was killer, and the first few episodes were as or close to as good. Spider-Man and his Amazing Friends, and Dungeons and Dragons had great intros, and the episodes were mixed.
Title: Re: You should also watch "The Toys That Made Us"
Post by: JimmyU on August 23, 2018, 12:54:05 pm
It looks like WWF(E), TMNT, My Little Pony and Power Rangers toys will be the episodes on the next season.
https://411mania.com/wrestling/netflixs-toys-made-us-producing-episode-wwe-action-figures/
Title: Re: You should also watch "The Toys That Made Us"
Post by: Howard_Casto on August 23, 2018, 01:23:49 pm
Nice.  TMNT should draw in enough viewers alone to get another season renewed.  I've still got my tmnt figures... it was probably the first action figure line where the sculpt and paint quality were enough to where they are really nice to display.  The old rubbery wwe figures were great.... a solid mass of plastic, no poses, but they were sturdy enough to "wrestle" with. 
Title: Re: You should also watch "The Toys That Made Us"
Post by: Ginsu Victim on August 23, 2018, 01:56:48 pm
It looks like WWF(E), TMNT, My Little Pony and Power Rangers toys will be the episodes on the next season.
https://411mania.com/wrestling/netflixs-toys-made-us-producing-episode-wwe-action-figures/

Awesome! I thought the theme song limited us to "an eight-part documentary series," so this is good to hear.
Title: Re: You should also watch "The Toys That Made Us"
Post by: SlammedNiss on January 03, 2020, 02:31:06 am
Found out that season 3 was released in mid-November. Season 3 includes Power Rangers, My Little Pony, Wrestling, and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles.
Title: Re: You should also watch "The Toys That Made Us"
Post by: Ginsu Victim on January 03, 2020, 09:32:51 am
Found out that season 3 was released in mid-November. Season 3 includes Power Rangers, My Little Pony, Wrestling, and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles.

Yep, see the last few posts. They also now have The Movies That Made Us, which features Die Hard, Ghostbusters, Home Alone, and Dirty Dancing. Every episode is good.
Title: Re: You should also watch "The Toys That Made Us"
Post by: SlammedNiss on January 03, 2020, 05:14:24 pm
Found out that season 3 was released in mid-November. Season 3 includes Power Rangers, My Little Pony, Wrestling, and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles.

Yep, see the last few posts. They also now have The Movies That Made Us, which features Die Hard, Ghostbusters, Home Alone, and Dirty Dancing. Every episode is good.
Damnit, just more stuff to add to my list of things to watch. ;)
Title: Re: You should also watch "The Toys That Made Us"
Post by: Howard_Casto on January 03, 2020, 07:14:14 pm
I should have made a post but assumed you guys got the same Netflix email alert I did.  Both are quite good.  Amazon Prime dropped a ton of content as well.... The expanse season 4, which is fantastic and Ms. Mazel season 3, which is also quite good.  Also watch the Aeronauts if you get a chance. 
Title: Re: You should also watch "The Toys That Made Us"
Post by: XSFDriver on January 04, 2020, 07:46:42 am
Note that none of us boys watched Barbie.... I guess it's hard-wired into us.

I haven't watched that one either... I've watched bits and pieces of other episodes when my son was watching them... Pretty cool flashbacks of Saturday morning cartoons as a little kid (now I'm a big kid :lol)

....Barbie came with G.I. Joe, didn't she?