Hi...Attached is an article that I wrote for our church newsletter that I thought you may (or may not) enjoy about growing up...and some local "history". Take care and have a wonderful Christmas...Dad (Bill)
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CHRISTMAS TOYS
My first Christmas memories are from the last three years of the
World War when I’m sure that our household finances were scarce
and toy selections were very limited. Regardless of the struggles of
the times, our parents still made every effort to provide my brother
and I with Christmas toys. Our earliest gifts included a home-made
wood and linoleum slide, wooden cars and trucks, Bill Ding stackable
characters and Tinker Toys that came in a large cardboard tube. Gift
availability for following Christmases trended towards more plastic
and imported toys and by the time when we were purchasing gifts for
our own children in the 1970’s primitive computing technology was
getting cheap enough that it could be integrated into toys and games.
In 1985 and 1986 the hottest toy in the country was developed and
produced by two former employees of Atari, the pioneer video game
company located in Hayward that will be remembered for creating
“Pong”. Don Kingsborough and Mark Goldberg founded toy company
Worlds of Wonder and established world headquarters on Technology
Drive in Fremont, just off Grimmer (now Auto Mall Parkway). They
created an animatronic teddy bear that told stories from tape
cassettes complete with mouth synchronization and eye movement.
Teddy Ruxpin, even at the steep 1985 price of $70, became the
industries first megahit toy. Soon Teddy was joined in conversation
with his buddy Grubby, followed by Mickey and Goofy who told a
large collection of stories as did Mother Goose and Hector the Ugly
Duckling.
Capitalizing on the success of Teddy Ruxpin, Worlds of Wonder
expanded into producing some forgetable electronic toys including
Rockin Boppers, Hide “N” Seek, Hop, Skip and Jump, Skip Stik,
Splatter Up, and The Jaminator. Unfortunately the new toys didn’t
catch on and the publics reaction to a police shooting of a young man
brandishing a Worlds of Wonder Laser Tag gun resulted in quick and
steep decline in sales and company value. By 1990 the Fremont toy
company that for a short time was the epicenter of innovation.... was
gone. Worlds of Wonder had a small store front near the old Capwells
store on Paseo Padre Parkway for a few years, repairing broken
Teddy’s and selling off inventory and office items. Later versions of
Teddy Ruxpin were brought out by Playskool while Laser Tag
continues to be produced by Hasbro. Atari founder Nolan Bushnell
went on to create the Chucky e Cheese franchise...but that’s another story.
Best wishes for a wonderful Christmas and may past memories bring
you comfort and warmth this Holiday Season.....Bill
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