With their rich array of characters, the films offer a myriad of choices for fantastic toy creation. The original films offered toys for children as well as the young at heart such as character figurines of almost the entire cast, star ship models, lightsabers, stuffed Chewbacca dolls and even an entire Ewok Village. These toys were not only crossed the generation gap, but also appealed to both genders. Princess Leah appealed to the female population along with the seemingly huggable teddy-bear-like Ewoks, while the weapons and soldiers were particularly liked by the boys.

With the release of the prequels beginning in 2003, the franchise was introduced to a whole new generation of movie-goers and ignited renewed interest in the first viewers. In addition to the original toy collection, figurines of the newly introduced characters were made available featuring popular Padme Amidala and Jar-Jar Binks and the star ship models and light sabers were updated for the new viewers. The new films also brought renewed interest to the original cast of toys making them even more collectible.

Now, as in 1977, the characters, ships and weapons of the Star Wars franchise appeal to both boys and girls and young and old alike. And although board games may have been replaced by video games, the films and their associated toys are here to stay for many generations to come and are a sure bet for collectors everywhere.

So what are the toys that never get old? In my experience these are the toys I would suggest for both girls and boys.
First is an easel. The hours of fun that kids get from creating masterpieces lasts from as soon as they can dip their fingers into paints until well after they are beginning to take art classes. As a parent, I still like to paint using the easel sometimes.

Second is block puzzles. In the beginning kids chew on the blocks, then stack them, and then later discover the ways to put them together to create the scene. Afterwards, they get joy from making funny disjointed pictures. My block puzzles lasted from age 9 months until 10 years old for fun.

Third is a parachute and some bean bags or bouncy balls. When kids are young, you can make it work for them. Blowing bubbles or bouncing balls and letting them crawl through the billows on top. Then you can make it fly like a tent and let them run under, and when they are older they can do it themselves and try to balance the balls or bean bags on it by themselves. They can also be used to make forts.

Each of the four models of G.I. Joe represented a branch of the US military. There was a soldier, a pilot, a sailor and a marine. GI Joe represented a pride in the men who served in the Armed Forces of The United States of America.

G.I. is an abbreviation of the term Government Issue. For years, US soldiers have been referred to as G.I.s. The first figures were 12 inches in height but over the years other collections have been released in which the figures were 3 ¾ inches high. An African American G.I. Joe was released in 1965 and sold in selected areas of the country. Later lines have also included figures representing the armed forces of other countries, such as Australia and Great Britain. There was also a female model: GI Jane, for the girls. Many countries around the world have their own version of G.I. Joe. The British model goes by the name of Action Man.

G.I. Joe was a huge hit with boys of all ages, not just in the 1960s, but all the way up to the present day. These popular action figures are still available in stores and online. Kids have enjoyed collecting the various models of GI Joe, as well as the extensive collection of accessories that are available for him, such as: uniforms, communications equipment, boats, backpacks and guns.

The origin of toy robots can be traced back to the development of robots. One of the earliest robots was an automaton invented by Frenchman Jacques de Vaucanson in 1738. He made a self-automating mechanical duck that was able to eat and digest grain, flap its wings, and excrete. In Japan, Hisashige Tanaka created an assortment of extremely complex mechanical toys, some of which were capable of firing arrows, serving tea, or even painting a Japanese character.

In the 1930s, Westinghouse Electric Corporation built a humanoid robot. The robot, called Elektro, was exhibited at the World’s Fair during 1939 and 1940. From 1948 to 1949, William Grey Walter of the Burden Neurological Institute at Bristol, England developed the first electronic autonomous robots. Named Elmer and Elsie, these “turtle robots” could sense light and contact with external objects. They were also capable of finding their charging station when their battery power ran low.

The first truly modern robot that was digitally operated, programmable, and teachable was invented by George Devol in 1954. His robot was called the Unimate, which he sold to General Motors in 1960. In 1961, it was installed in a plant in Trenton, New Jersey to lift hot pieces of metal from a die casting machine and stack them.

In 1985, the Tomy Kyogo Company created the Omnibot 2000, a toy robot that could be controlled with a hand-held remote control or through programs stored on magnetic tape. In the late 1990s, AIBO the robotic dog was introduced by Sony. AIBO was capable of autonomously navigating a room and playing ball using its sensor array. Other pet robots soon followed. Tiger Electronics created the Furby in 1998, a pet toy that could communicate with its owner. In 2001, Omron released the robotic cat NeCoRo as a competitor to AIBO. It had Mind and Consciousness (MaC) technology, enabling it to generate feelings.

Toy robots have certainly come a long way from Jacques de Vaucanson’s mechanical duck over two centuries ago. They are a more common sight nowadays, and it is without a doubt that we will continue to see more of toy robots in the years to come.