Toys and entertainment for children has changed dramatically over the last 50 years as technology has improved. In the 1960's, most children would have been satisfied with a simple tub of Play-Doh or slinky to push down the stairs. Today however, a lot of kids will be found with an IPad or an Xbox controller in their hands. But has entertainment for children changed for the better?
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1960's
Popular toys in the 1960's included board games like Mouse Trap, Twister and Operation, all of which can still be found today. However, most forms of children's entertainment were simple, like marbles or tiddlywinks or sometimes a pair of stilts. Dolls like Chatty Cathy and Cindy were popular, as was Mr Potato Head, Lite Brite, Etch-a-Sketch and Ant Farm. Even a pack of Crayola Crayons were exciting. Comics were especially popular through all ages as they were affordable for all. Kids toys were at the beginning of a break-through during this decade, with most of the entertainment mentioned being inventions during this decade, but technology at the time meant that complicated, electronical entertainment wasn't possible.
Many of the toys during this decade were low maintenance and provided hours of fun for any aged child. They didn't need any sort of screen in front of them or a form of social media for entertainment, much unlike today...
Today
Children's entertainment of today rarely consists of board games although some are still popular, even ones that were first played in the 1960's. Twister, Operation and Mouse Trap are examples (though now slightly more advanced) along with names like "Beat the Parents" or "Logo What am I?". Dolls and figures are also still common with the likes of Disney's Frozen characters being a must-have among young girls.
However, much more popular are the likes of IPads and the apps within. This includes popular games like "Flappy Bird" and "Clash of the Clans" or the ongoing list of social media sites like Snapchat, Facebook and Instagram. Xbox's and playstationas are also another great example of the technology we are handing are children.
On the other hand, many of the toys we see today are just advancements and adaptions of toys in the 1960's...