The Toys That Made Us

I liked best the episode about He- Man. The makers state that they knew that they had a totally ingenious idea and tyhat the kids would not stand a chance when He-Man shouted "I have the power!" And they are totally right, because I remember back when I was a kid in the 80's and play fought with my brother I would pretend I was He-Man and shout the same thing. The good thing about this documentary is that we get the inside story on how the figures and dolls were made and then we also get to see how in the end sales figures dropped and they entered obscurity. Of course among collectors many of them still are treasured.

I grew up on all of these toys and shows. I grew up collecting Barbie, and many of the Barbies I had show up in that episode. My brothers and I grew up collecting and watching Star Wars. Same with He-Man and G.I. Joe. It's fun seeing how the success of these toy lines came about.

My generation is busily building entertainment for the generations to come. So these shows show critical information on the formation of the current culture. I found these episodes fascinating. I love that they feature the people who were originally involved in the creation of these toys. I can feel their enthusiasm and passion. They're fun, quick, and compelling. I'd happily watch as many as they make. As Martin Hafer says, the intro is a bit silly, but I highly recommend these shows.

"The Toys That Made Us" is a made for Netflix series that just debuted. However, while the intro to each episode indicates there are eight, so far only four have been released and IMDB only lists seven episodes. I am pretty sure we'll be seeing the other four soon and it will all be straightened out.

Apart from one of the most incredibly lame animated intros in the history of television shows, "The Toys That Made Us" is well made and enjoyable. Some of this is due to its power as nostalgia, but because there is depth and enjoyment to it the show works even better and is something I strongly recommend you watch.

The four episodes (so far) are as follows: Star Wars toys (the best episode), Barbie, He-Man (the worst episode...mostly because the team that made the toys seemed like cynical jerks) and GI Joe. All are worth seeing even if you hate the particular toys due to excellent writing, editing and focus. Well worth seeing and very well made.

The editing and the narrator are so corny and almost unbearable.

12/29/17. Maybe 3 1/2 stars! An enjoyable look at how much strategic planning goes into creating a successful toy franchises! Many times we only link toys to our childhood, but the memories of childhood can last a long time when it is associated with a toy we loved! Worth catching. A fun watch!