| The Toys That Built America | |
|---|---|
| Genre | Historical |
| Country of origin | United States |
| Original language | English |
| No. of seasons | 3 |
| No. of episodes | 26 |
| Original release | |
| Network | History |
| Release | November 28, 2021 (2021-11-28) – present |
The Toys That Built America is an American nonfiction docudrama series that premiered on the History Channel on November 28, 2021. Each episode outlines the development of a popular toy, invention, or company in the United States, typically focusing on their rise and any rivals or struggles. Historical events in the relevant timelines are re-enacted for dramatic effect and interspersed with commentary by toy historians, business experts, and toy enthusiasts.[1][2]
It is the ninth installment of the That Built franchise.
| Season | Episodes | Originally aired | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| First aired | Last aired | |||
| 1 | 4 | November 28, 2021 (2021-11-28) | December 19, 2021 (2021-12-19) | |
| 2 | 10 | October 23, 2022 (2022-10-23) | December 11, 2022 (2022-12-11) | |
| 3 | 12 | October 15, 2023 (2023-10-15) | December 17, 2023 (2023-12-17) | |
| No. overall | No.in season | Title [3][4] | Original air date [3][4] | Prod. code [3] | U.S. viewers (millions) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1 | "Masters of Invention" | November 28, 2021 (2021-11-28) | 101 | 1.11[5] |
| 2 | 2 | "Clash of the Toy Titans" | December 5, 2021 (2021-12-05) | 102 | 0.97[6] |
| 3 | 3 | "Toy Car Wars" | December 12, 2021 (2021-12-12) | 103 | 0.87[7] |
|
The rise of Matchbox, and later on, Hot Wheels.
| |||||
| 4 | 4 | "Board Game Empires" | December 19, 2021 (2021-12-19) | 104 | 0.88[8] |
| No. overall | No.in season | Title [3][9] | Original air date [3][9] | Prod. code [3] | U.S. viewers (millions) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 5 | 1 | "The Birth of Video Games" | October 23, 2022 (2022-10-23) | 201 | 0.49[10] |
|
The history of video games, from the moment Ralph Bear starts working on Pong to the video game crash of 1983.
| |||||
| 6 | 2 | "Masters of the Toy Universe" | October 30, 2022 (2022-10-30) | 202 | 0.54[11] |
|
This episode focuses on action figures, in particular the toys related to Star Wars, Battlestar Galactica and Masters of the Universe.
| |||||
| 7 | 3 | "The Idea Man" | November 6, 2022 (2022-11-06) | 203 | 0.56[12] |
|
The legacy of Marvin Glass.
| |||||
| 8 | 4 | "Brick by Brick" | November 13, 2022 (2022-11-13) | 204 | 0.43[13] |
| 9 | 5 | "Order Out of Chaos" | November 20, 2022 (2022-11-20) | 205 | 0.48[14] |
| 10 | 6 | "Cabbage Clash" | November 27, 2022 (2022-11-27) | 206 | 0.50[15] |
| 11 | 7 | "80's Tech Toys" | December 4, 2022 (2022-12-04) | 207 | 0.67[16] |
|
The birth of Teddy Ruxpin and Super Soaker.
| |||||
| 12 | 8 | "Plumber Bros vs. Hedgehog" | December 11, 2022 (2022-12-11) | 208 | 0.42[17] |
|
Continuation of episode 2, this episode talks about the revival of video game industry, with the console war between Nintendo, Sega, and later on PlayStation.
| |||||
| 13 | 9 | "Christmas Crazes" | December 11, 2022 (2022-12-11) | 209 | 0.41[18] |
|
The toys that used to be sought out a lot: Cabbage Patch Kids, Tickle Me Elmo, Beanie Babies and Furby. Along with that is a brief history about Black Friday.
| |||||
| 14 | 10 | "Gross Out Icons" | December 11, 2022 (2022-12-11) | 210 | 0.37[19] |
| No. overall | No.in season | Title [3][20] | Original air date [3][20] | Prod. code [3] | U.S. viewers (millions) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 15 | 1 | "Transforming Toy Invasion" | October 15, 2023 (2023-10-15) | 301 | 0.40[21] |
| 16 | 2 | "Mind Game Masters" | October 22, 2023 (2023-10-22) | 302 | 0.31[21] |
| 17 | 3 | "Video Game Visionaries" | October 29, 2023 (2023-10-29) | 303 | 0.45[21] |
| 18 | 4 | "Game Night Legends" | November 5, 2023 (2023-11-05) | 304 | 0.26[21] |
| 19 | 5 | "Mighty Mutant Mayhem" | November 12, 2023 (2023-11-12) | 305 | 0.34[21] |
| 20 | 6 | "Old Games, New Twists" | November 26, 2023 (2023-11-26) | 306 | 0.27[21] |
| 21 | 7 | "Happy Accidents" | December 3, 2023 (2023-12-03) | 307 | 0.31[21] |
| 22 | 8 | "The Santa That America Built" | December 10, 2023 (2023-12-10) | 308 | 0.44[21] |
| 23 | 9 | "90's Fad Toys" | December 10, 2023 (2023-12-10) | 309 | 0.36[22] |
| 24 | 10 | "Hottest Wheels" | December 10, 2023 (2023-12-10) | 310 | 0.33[22] |
| 25 | 11 | "The Prank Toy Race" | December 17, 2023 (2023-12-17) | 311 | 0.29[21] |
| 26 | 12 | "Most Valuable Toys" | December 17, 2023 (2023-12-17) | 312 | 0.29[23] |
Dr. Sam Srauy's study of video games led to a television appearance on The History Channel's "The Toys That Built America" series.
Perhaps nowhere is that more apparent than in this Sunday's Season 2 finale of The HISTORY Channel's The Toys That Built America.
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| Documentaries |
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