The Man Who Changed How Boys and Toys Were Made

by Bruce Watson

Book Overview

Athlete, magician, doctor, marketing genius, millionaire-A. C. Gilbert (1884-1962) was all of these, but how he really made his name was by refusing to grow up. In 1913, Gilbert poured his boyish enthusiasm and creativity into the invention of a new toy he christened the Erector set, and this ingenious gadget instantly took American boys by storm. In this superb new book, Bruce Watson unfolds the history and phenomenal legacy of one man and one amazing...

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0670031348
• ISBN13: 9780670031344
• Release Date: October 2002
• Publisher: Viking Books
• Length: 216 Pages
• Weight: 0.91 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.8" x 6.3" x 8.0"

Customer Reviews

A Toy Lovers' Hero

This book is being hawked to book club types who read widely if not deeply, but it seems to have missed its intended audience. The first clue is it has two subtitles. The second appears when you crack the cover. Watson seems to have reprised the successful writing style of his other books. What results is neither fish nor fowl. The few black and white pictures will have toy collectors salivating for more. Any serious? afficianados will be put off with Watson's frequent recourse to pop psychology and his continual penchant to restate the obvious. What this book makes you want is a full scale, photo-drenched guide to the A.C. Gilbert toy company and especially erector sets. Erector sets also have a long, speckled history, being bought at one point by Meccano, the British equivalent, and recently reissued by various companies who apparently just bought the name. As with Johnny Lighting, Aurora Models and Lionel Trains, Erector longs for some toy lover to bring back the real thing: kits that build various structures and vehicles and especially robots, not those currently in vogue with nostalgic adults (but ignored by creative kids) that only construct one rickety model. That said, this book does a great job of recreating the possible environment of A.C. Gilbert's company and how he lived and breathed toys. As one subtitle suggests, he ought to be every toy lovers' hero for the way he saved Christmas in 1918 from a proposal that would force parents to buy war bonds rather than toys for their kids. Rather than appearing in circulating libraries and book clubs, this book needs to be redone with far more graphics and toy pics and aimed at toy collectors who would discover in A.C. Gilbert a mentor and hero.

Required reading

This book should be required reading for industrial designers, toy designers and anyone else involved in design, marketing or production of consumer goods. This is a very important look into market forces, consumer behavior and the importance of placing the consumer first amd foremeost in your product design.The book may be a biography, but is also a textbook for every enlightened designer and marketer. I will make this required reading for the Industrial design grad student I am mentoring.Add to the fact that the author's style is at times hilarious, sometimes matter of fact, and the bottom of page 208 and page 209 will bring tears of joy and pride to your eyes. Well written, entertaining and incredibly informative.

Examines how toys help avert or discharge childhood violence

A.C. Gilbert wore many hats: athlete, magician, and self-made millionaire - but he made his money by creating the Erector set toy back in 1913, making an invention which changed how boys played. The Man Who Changed How Boys And Toys Were Made isn't just a biography of an inventor; it examines how toys help avert or discharge childhood violence, how high-tech toys may serve a different purpose, and differences between how both sexes play.

Great book, well done

Bruce Watson takes the reader from AC Gilbert's childhood to his days at Paradise. He explains how this industrial legend developed and advertised his "Toys for Boys". And Mr. Watson explains the reasons why Gilbert's toys were not as popular for the 60"s child. A good read.

AC Gilbert beyond Paradise...and into the 21st century

Bruce Watson has taken a mostly forgotten american hero and brought him to a new audience. With detailed precision, an alarming wit and an insight that childhood makes the man, Bruce Watson here writes of a long lost era in American history and the paradigm shift that Alfred Carlton Gilbert wrought. America needs an industrial hero, now. And this book tells of one man who deserves more recognition. A very good read. Not a hobbyist checklist or price-guide, "The man who changed how boys and toys were made" is a warm fuzzy that in reality tells of the reasons why American ingenuity had a boost that lead the pathway to landing on the moon, and hints at why the great American engineering triumphs of the 20th century might be lost in the 21st. Highly reccommended read, far more than a "toy" book.