Who remembers the toy Lite-Brite?

[MediumRare]

Ok, time for a shameless plug and request:

My dad, (now 88 years old and in hospice), invented the toy Lite-Brite. Today it was named as a Finalist for the National Toy Hall of Fame! There's a voting component of the selection of the final inductees. You can vote once every day through September 16th.

Spread the word and vote for Lite-Brite!

https://www.toyhalloffame.org/players-choice-ballot

 

[pjug]

I had a lite-bright and I can remember having fun with it. So I am happy to vote for it and I just did. I will try to remember to keep voting each day.

 

[Blumlein 88]

My sister had one from back in the day. It's actually stored at my house right now.

Congrats to your Dad and hope it makes it in the hall of fame. Just put in a vote.

 

[ta240]

that is awesome! It is clearly the best choice so it was an easy vote.

 

[North_Sky]

Wow! I do remember that toy, but what I didn't know is that your Dad invented it...cool.

 

[MediumRare]

Wow! I do remember that toy, but what I didn't know is that your Dad invented it...cool.

He got the patent but his boss got the royalties! Isn't that how it always goes?

 

[GD Fan]

Oh man that brings back some memories. I wouldn't have even been able to dredge the name from my mind but as soon as I read it I knew.

Vote happily, and deservedly, cast.

 

[pjug]

Also the jingle from the TV commercial is impossible to forget

 

[Tim Link]

Never had one but the neighbor kids did. A grid of colored filters lit up by a backlight - the predecessor to the LCD color display - except it had an incandescent backlight and the colors had to be arranged manually, one pixel at a time. I thought it was very exciting at the time.

 

[Zedly]

 

[MediumRare]

Whoa, that's awesome!

 

[Joaquin Dinero]

Used to play with this at my Grandparents house with my crew of cousins. Very cool. +1 vote.

 

[JP]

Had one. Voted.

 

[ElNino]

Voted. Loved these as a kid. They still sell them too... my local Costco even carries them.

If Lite Brite loses out to "Sidewalk Chalk", it'll be a travesty.

 

[MediumRare]

Vote early, vote often! (But only once per day.) https://www.toyhalloffame.org/players-choice-ballot

 

[Blumlein 88]

Vote early, vote often! (But only once per day.) https://www.toyhalloffame.org/players-choice-ballot

Done for today.

 

[Tks]

Good toy makers are legends. Can barely understand what the heck kids like, let alone make products for them.

 

[MediumRare]

Good toy makers are legends. Can barely understand what the heck kids like, let alone make products for them.

That’s true. My dad said many times even after 20 years in the business they couldn’t predict which items were hits and which were duds. Plus you have to make manufacturing commitments over a year in advance. If it flops you’re stuck with the inventory; if it flies you can’t get more in time. Next year start all over.

 

[Blumlein 88]

Was moving stuff around in the basement and took a second to grab this picture. Also put in another vote today.

This one is from 1967. And yes the toy and all of its components are inside. My sister got it for Christmas when she was 5 years old assuming this was Christmas of 1967. It was either 1967 or 1968.

 

[Blumlein 88]

@MediumRare your Dad didn't by any chance make the Mr. Machine toy did he? I see Marvin Glass made those. I had one and it was one of my most favorite toys. It isn't likely on any one's top 100 list, but it made me happy as a kid. What I liked was it came un-assembled with these plastic wrenches. So you got to put it all together. I don't think it was the intent, but I took it apart and put it together lots of times.