Christopher Byrne Presents TOY TIME!

Christopher "The Toy Guy" Byrne takes readers back to their childhoods of G.I. Joe action figures, Nerf Super Soakers, and rousing games of Mousetrap in Toy Time!: From Hula Hoops to He-Man to Hungry Hungry Hippos: A Look Back at the Most- Beloved Toys of Decades Past (Three Rivers Press, an imprint of Random House, October 8, 2013) Byrne is content director for TimetoPlaymag.com, the leading U.S website covering toys and all things play.

In addition to research into best-selling toys of years past, the collection of toys featured in the book was curated by Byrne with the help of social media and crowd sourcing through TimetoPlayMag.com's more than 172,000 Facebook fans and more than 12,000 Twitter followers.

The book contains archival photos and more than 60 new photographs of classic toys by photographer Marisa Train as well as descriptions of the toys. Interspersed are fun facts such as:

• Did you know that there are more LEGO mini-figures in existence than there are people on the planet?
• Play-Doh was originally intended as a wallpaper cleaner.
• Twister almost didn't happen...until Johnny Carson played Eva Gabor on The Tonight Show.
• The Johnny Reb Cannon has the distinction of being named one of the "10 Most Dangerous Toys of All Time."
• In the world of Strawberry Shortcake, Raspberry Tart became Raspberry Torte because parents (and toymakers) were afraid she'd get "a reputation."

Byrne invites readers to let the book transport them back to fun-filled days of childhood: "With Toy Time! I try to reunite readers with all the classic toys that engaged their imagination and sparked their laughter. No matter when you grew up, or what types of play ignited your imagination, Toy Time! will take you on a journey of rediscovery."

TimetoPlay.com is providing a commemorative mini flying disc as a gift to consumers who order prior to October 8.
Byrne is available to address such topics as:

• What is it about toys that create such indelible and powerful memories? Why is it so much more than simple nostalgia?
• What makes these toys distinct-and so representative of their eras?
• How was the toy industry-and youth culture-as we know it created in the wake of World War II, and how did they usher in our contemporary understanding of childhood?
• Are these toys worth anything today?
• Are toys still a unifying cultural phenomenon? Can they be?

Title: Toy Time!: From Hula Hoops to He-Man to Hungry Hungry Hippos: A Look Back at the Most- Beloved Toys of Decades Past
Author: Christopher Byrne
Paperback: 240 pages
Publisher: Three Rivers Press (October 8, 2013)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0385349122
ISBN-13: 978-0385349123
Price: $15.99

To post a comment, you must register and login.