The grown-up gift:Whether you go short shorts or haute couture, new or vintage, youre sure to find a Barbie that meets your grown-up girls personality or personal interests. Our artsy suggestion: The Museum Collection Barbie doll inspired byLeonardo da Vinci($34.95), a plastic masterpiece that vors theMona Lisaright down to her mous smile.
Photo: Courtesy Photo, Mattel/ ©Mattel,Inc. 2011
Many folks keep a Slinky on their desk just to pick up and work in their hands when theyre thinking, saysPatricia Hogan, curator at theNational Museum of Play(home of the National Toy Hall of Fame). I think adults just like having that touchstone with their childhood.
Barbie
Why should kids get all the toys this time of year? Give an adult a plaything like he or she grew up with and you give that grown-up the gift of tangible nostalgia.
Photo: Helen L. Montoya, San Antonio Express-News/ SAN ANTONIO EXPRESS-NEWS
What are the new Air Jordans worth to you, a couple hundred bucks or a whole lot of crazy? Some Parkdale shoppers chose both.
Created by Mattel co-founderRuth Handler, Barbie (akaBarbara Millicent Roberts) first strutted her impossibly long legs in a black-and-white striped swimsuit in 1959. Shes since worked at more than 125 careers. Other numbers of note: 50 nationalities and more than 1 billion shions for Barbie and her friends.
Gifts that stand the test of time playingcard images,Get the guy in your life Hot Wheels, a miniature version of the car he always wanted.
Crayola crayons
Dollhouses
Playing cards come in styles to suit all personalities.
The grown-up gift:The decorative side of a playing card comes in infinite varieties, Hogan says. You could almost find a deck to suit anybody on your Christmas list. Again, go with your recipients tastes. Or go traditional with a twist: Bicycles ornate Dragon Back cards ($2.99 at Target) have standard Bicycle card ces yet would look right at home in a Middle Earth casino.
Crayola crayons debuted in 1903, courtesy of barn paint maker turned school supply business Binney & Smith. Those first nontoxic wax sticks ran a nickel a box for eight colors: black, blue, brown, green, orange, red, violet and yellow. Now the Crayola spectrum boasts more than 400 colors, with more than 100 billion crayons sold.
The 50th edition Barbie doll, perfect for women who remember when she was introduced.
Go highbrow with a Barbie inspired by Leonardo da Vinci.
And you thought dollhouses were just for little girls. Hogan says the dollhouse dates to 1500s in Europe as a display wealthy adults used to showcase pricey miniatures of household furnishings. The Toy Hall of Fame says these so-called baby houses didnt become prevalent in kids rooms until the 17th and 18th centuries. Dollhouses today skew to all ages and incomes.
Hot Wheels first rolled out in 1968 like a shrunken custom car show, rocking metallic Spectraflame gumdrop colors and high-speed wheels to blaze across the kitchen linoleum. More than 4 billion cars have been made, with more than 800 models and 11,000 variations.
G.I. Joe first fired up the imaginations of little boys in 1964 as a new kind of toy soldier - a nearly foot tall action figure (dont you dare call him a doll) with articulation and accessories for heightened play combat. In the 1980s, Americas movable fighting man shrank to a 3 3/4-inch real American hero and recruited a new generation of ns.G.I. Joestall and small stiplayingcard imagesll command the attention of kids young and old.
The iconic game of real estate and funny money struck pay dirt with its introduction in 1935, thanks to the efforts of game designerCharles Darrow. From the Great Depression to the Great Recession, more than 275 million Monopoly games havGifts that stand the test of time playingcard imagese sold worldwide.
Many folks keep a Slinky on their desk just to pick up and work in their hands when theyre thinking, says Patricia Hogan, curator at the National Museum of Play (home of the National Toy Hall of Fame). [...] we do like a sampling of ageless toys nestled in a bookshelf or cubicle, a whimsical...
Check out what some parents will do to try and get a smile out of their kids for a Christmas photo with Santa.
With Monopoly, friends and mily can become tycoons.
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The grown-up gift:Hogan says that box of eight also makes a great stocking stuffer. Go old school with the Crayola Crayon Nostalgic Tin ($2.99 at CrayolaStore), a tin of the original package design with the eight-count crayons inside.
Playing cards
The grown-up gift:Dollhouses take up a lot of real estate, Hogan says without a trace of irony. Thats why she suggests you first give a few ornate furnishings, like a mini-mushroom couch or Shaker furniture. If your intended really wants a tiny roof over them, shell let you know.
Photo: Helen L. Montoya, San Antonio Express-News/ SAN ANTONIO EXPRESS-NEWS
G.I. Joe
Since the classics never go out of style, we scanned the Toy Hall of Fame inductees for some that can bring joy to adults as well as children.
Photo: Helen L. Montoya, San Antonio Express-News/ SAN ANTONIO EXPRESS-NEWS
The grown-up gift:Since the closest most of us will get to owning a Porsche 911 GT2 is at 1:64 scale, find your adult auto buff a Hot Wheels replica of his dream car. If hes a serious Hot Wheels collector, Hogan suggests one of the rare Redline cars, which were made between 1968 and 1977 and named for the red ring on the wheel. Look for these online and at garage sales.
Were not encouraging grown men to flop on the floor with Hot Wheels cars or women to play dress-up with Barbie dolls, unless maybe theres a son or daughter involved. But we do like a sampling of ageless toys nestled in a bookshelf or cubicle, a whimsical reminder of the joy they first brought so many years ago.
Playing cards have been around for centuries, well before computerized Solitaire and televised Texas Hold Em. America first got its playing cards from England, then printed its own after the Revolutionary War. The ubiquitous Bicycle brand dates to 1885 and continues to amuse Go Fish, Poker and other card-game players to this day.
Its a piece of cake to make a pretty cake, but theres always room for holiday cake wrecks. Check out a few of the best/worst.
Monopoly
Photo: Helen L. Montoya, San Antonio Express-News/ SAN ANTONIO EXPRESS-NEWS
The grown-up gift:Monopoly comes in myriad versions that reflect whats now as well as what was then. Grab a copy that matches your intendeds vorite movie, TV show, etc. Hogan recommends the Monopoly Here & Now U.S. edition (available online, prices vary), a modern version of the original with updates such as Times Square in place of Boardwalk. Other options: Monopoly Electronic Banking ($24.99) and the Library Monopoly Vintage Book Game ($20.89 at Target).
Hot Wheels
The grown-up gift:In the beginning, four figures were released representing the Army, Navy, Air Force and Marines, Hogan notes. An original or replica of such a figure from the appropriate military branch makes a great gift for the veteran in your life, she says. For your child of the 80s, an original or replica of those smaller Joes makes a great stocking stuffer. When in doubt, go with the ninja commando Snake Eyes.
