| 1 |
False.
Congress was in session on this first Christmas under the new
American Constitution. Christmas
did not become a federal holiday until 1870.
After the American Revolution many English Customs,
including Christmas fell out of favor. In fact, Christmas was
actually outlawed in Boston from 1659 until 1681. |
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| 2
& 3 |
Clement
C. Moore wrote “’Twas The Night Before Christmas in 1822. This
was the first reference
toSanta as Fat, Jolly, and wearing a Red Suit. At the start of the
20thCentury, Santa was still seen wearing different color suits
and he came in many sizes.
About that time Coca-Cola started an aggressive, national
campaign, featuring Santa always in a red and white suit, and as
fat and jolly. |
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| 4 |
Robert May wrote “Rudolph The Red Nose Reindeer” He wrote it
as a gift for his daughter. |
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| 5 |
Robert May and Dr. Seuss were classmates at Dartmouth University. |
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| 6 |
Mrs.
Virginia O’Hanlon was the little girl who wrote to the New York
Sun asking, “Is there really a Santa Claus”. This generated
the famous reply and story of “Yes, Virginia, there really is a
Santa Claus. Mrs.
O’Hanlon went on to become a New York Educator making many
reforms in education until her death in 1971.
Mrs. O’Hanlon’s great-granddaughter is the owner of the
original letter that was sent to the New York Sun.
In 1999 her great granddaughter’s house caught on fire.
Miraculously, one of the few things that survived the blaze
was “The Virginia Letter”. |
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| 7 |
False.
The Scandinavians started the tradition of kissing under the
mistletoe because they associated it with their goddess of love,
Frigga. The Druids believed that Mistletoe was a cure for
infertility. |
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| 8 |
True.
America’s Ambassador to Mexico, Joel Poinsett brought the first
Poinsettias to the United States, from Mexico in 1828. |
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| 9 |
Joseph
Lionel Cowen’s toy, the Lionel train invented in 1901 was
originally intended for advertising.
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| 10 |
John Lloyd Wright came up with the idea for Lincoln Logs while
watching his dad build the Imperial Hotel using an interlocking
method. |
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| 11 |
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Chances are, you wouldn’t know Elliot and Ruth Handler’s
daughter and son if they sat down next to you. But you would know the
name of their daughter, Barbie and their son, Ken. Yes, the inventors
of these dolls named them after their children. |
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| 12 |
False. But not totally false. While on a hunting trip with his staff
in 1902, one of the president’s hunting dogs was killed by a baby
bear. Apparently the dog put up a good fight. The bear was badly
injured. President Roosevelt told his staff to put the bear out of his
misery. They offered the President an opportunity to shoot the bear
himself. Roosevelt refused. A journalist on the trip started spreading
the word that Roosevelt refused to kill a baby bear. Soon newspapers
begin referring to the bear as a “teddy bear”. A smart Brooklyn toy
maker, Morris Michtom, recognizing a money making opportunity asked the
president for permission to use Roosevelt’s name for his stuff bear.
Roosevelt recognizing an even greater publicity opportunity, agreed. |
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| 13 |
Brothers George and Charles Parker, started their company, Parker
Brothers in 1883. By the time of George’s death in 1953 he had
invented over 100 games |
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| 14 |
We usually do not think of Walt Disney as a toy inventor, but all
those products of Disney Characters count for a huge chunk of the toy
market. |
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| 15 |
Milton
Bradley was on his way to becoming a successful artist when
President Lincoln decided to grow a beard. Virtually killing the
sales of his lithograph of Lincoln. Bradley decided to make fun of
his financial hardship. As a way to pass the time, he invented a
game where the object was to grow to old age while avoiding
financial ruin. The game soon became popular. So Bradley needing
some quick cash, cashed in on his game, “The Checkered Game of
Life”. And thus the toy company, Milton Bradley, and “The Game
of Life” was born.
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| 16 |
Mattel,
makers of Barbie and all her friends, is the 4th largest
manufacturer of women’s clothes in the world. This is based on
the amount of fabric that Mattel orders to make the many clothes
for Barbie and her friends. Imagine where they would be if Barbie
was life size!
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