We sometimes hear about products that were developed for some other purpose, but eventually became toys (Play-Doh and Silly Putty come to mind). That was the story of the Slinky, which Richard T. James developed to be used as a spring for naval ships. It worked much better as a toy. But did you know that success drove its inventor to leave his wife and children and join a cult? Fabulous wealth can often be a curse. Maybe you also didn't know that the first Barbie was based on a pornographic doll, and that the design of Cabbage Patch Kids was stolen. And there are also cases of not finding out how innapropriate or dangerous a toy is until after it became quite popular.
Read the dark stories behind eight children's toys, four that had to do with their origins, and another four tales of how the toy itself presented some real world problems.
(Image credit: Bernard Gotfryd)
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