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Toy Boom! Toys from the 1950s and '60s

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The Baby Boomer era (late-1940s to mid-1960s) was a time of great abundance for middle-class America

Economic prosperity was at an all-time high and the influx of television helped propel a new middle-class into a consumer-driven society.

Additionally, a soaring birthrate made the country a child-focused culture. These children, however, grew up in a time of great dramatic change and parents were caught between a familiar past and a complex future. Toys would help children find their correct place in society, or so parents wanted to believe. These toys reflected the energy, ambition, and abundance of a prosperous era, but they also channeled the uncertainties of the period.

Things to Look For

  • Watch television ads from this period to show how commercials played such an important role in the toy boom during this time
  • Play with a life-size Lite-Brite
  • Race cars on an authentic 1960s Hot Wheels race track
  • Watch television ads from this period to show how commercials played such an important role in the toy boom during this time
  • Play with a life-size Lite-Brite
  • Race cars on an authentic 1960s Hot Wheels race track

Behind the Scenes

The artifacts in Toy Boom are curated into unique environments, including TV westerns, space age, zany toys, creative toys, dolls, action figures, and more.

We created this exhibit to help North Carolinians reflect on their paths from childhood to adulthood, including the toys that paved the way.

– Katie Edwards, curator of popular culture at the North Carolina Museum of History
Kids playing on a Hot Wheels race track and a giant Lite-Brite wall

Keep Learning

  • At-Home Learning Packet: Toy Boom! Toys from the 1950s and '60s
  • Bits of History Podcast: Toy Boom! Toys from the 1950s and '60s
  • Blog: Fli-Back to North Carolina

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