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What was your favorite toy growing up? #TEDTalks
What was your favorite toy when you were a kid? Your answer might reveal more about you than you expect, says toy historian Chris Byrne. From Matchbox cars and Barbie to Rubik’s Cube and Squishmallows, he explores how playthings reflect cultural values and influence who you become as an adult.
@diannejohnson6591
June 28, 2026 at 12:04 pm
Tennis Racket!🎉
@bklynmyke
June 28, 2026 at 12:09 pm
I played with G. I. Joe’s, Transformers, TMNT’s, and He-Man. Guess I’m bound to taking over the universe in a heroic way. I better step on it. I’m 49 and very much not a muscle-bound robot turtle.
@stevievaughan5096
June 28, 2026 at 3:35 pm
i see your point but i feel like the topic was *how* people played with the toys and not *what* toys people played with. you and someone else couldve played with the exact same toys and that other person could become a totally different person than you because it’s about play styles!
@bklynmyke
June 28, 2026 at 3:41 pm
@stevievaughan5096 No. I get that. I understand what he’s talking about completely. I was just making a joke. Nothing more. Don’t read too much into it. Although I will say this, and it is strictly my humble opinion, this is yet another in a long line of TED talks that didn’t need to be a TED talk.
@karlcantarella7982
June 29, 2026 at 3:17 pm
@bklynmykewhy do you think it doesn’t need to be a TED talk? Just curious? I don’t think there are any wrong answers.
@bklynmyke
June 29, 2026 at 3:52 pm
@karlcantarella7982 I just think TED talks have gone downhill over the last few years. They used to be about new, unheard of, groundbreaking ideas that could possibly change the world and the people in it. Now they all sound like personal stories that a guy would tell another guy while chatting at a party. It’s personal opinions. There’s no fact checking here like there used to be on TED talks. It’s more entertainment than true complex ideas, which was what TED talks were originally. They were hour long conferences that you had to wrap your head around. There were points that could be looked into, which led to other points and areas for further study. They expanded thinking in new and innovative ways. It was exciting. It used to be scientists, doctors, researchers, and the like. Now it’s people self-promoting themselves. Books, courses, whatever. Even corporations have gotten into it. And don’t get me started on TEDx crap. This guy’s talking about little kids playing with toys in different ways, and that could have an effect on them growing up. So? And? There’s no research here. No studies. No independent surveys were taken. At the end of the talk, there is the phrase “I believe” uttered twice. He saw kids in his neighborhood playing with Barbies, which got him thinking and gave him some insight? He’s a toy historian with vague references to his “successes”, which are only listed on his own website. Wait, I’m sorry, he helped develop Pictionary. He’s a genius. Nothing he’s saying is new. Nothing he’s saying hasn’t been done before. Especially with video games. Like I said, this isn’t TED talk material. This is why he gets a TED talk? I could pick this little minute and a half talk apart. I wonder what a real child psychologist could do with it. Sorry for the rant, I just miss what TED talks used to be.
@StanMiller-g4w
June 28, 2026 at 12:30 pm
Revelatory understanding! What an eye opener! Never thought about barbies that way, but it makes total sense. My favorite toys growing up was hot wheels, so now, I am obsessed with classic cars from the 50s and 60s. Who woulda thunk? 🤔
@RebeccaJourney-Smith
June 28, 2026 at 1:02 pm
Outside, I did have a Barbie though.
@JenniferJaws5283
June 28, 2026 at 2:00 pm
My favorite toy as a child was a Blue radio that had a wrist band attached to it so I could take it with me everywhere I went. I have no memory of actually playing with toy dolls. I read, colored, loved unicorns , Pegasus and the ocean, and animals. I tried to make food from the earth – like mud pies covered in flowers because I hated hotdogs and eating peas and drinking milk. Now I am a devoted vegetarian for life.
@LucindaStJohn
June 28, 2026 at 6:24 pm
I would say , the piano ! I read a lot , and drew . But more than anything I played the piano and danced .
@truespartan1000
June 28, 2026 at 8:28 pm
This is some midwit nonsense 😂
@Stricken555
June 28, 2026 at 10:54 pm
Pokemon and Bionicle
@paigeevictoria
June 29, 2026 at 12:32 am
I collected rocks, coins, & stuffed animals with my “toys” being blocks, art supplies, & mini objects😅 I was diagnosed with ADHD at 18 & am now an artist!
@westrim
June 29, 2026 at 3:32 am
What did Della wear?
@miriamrosemary9110
June 29, 2026 at 4:46 am
I personally didn’t like Barbie as a kid – I thought they were stiff, limited and annoying. Bratz creeped me out. But to each their own. I loved playing with animal toys, hand characters, rollerblading… all kinds 🙂
@desirayniven
June 29, 2026 at 6:20 pm
LEGOs
@drjojo5551
June 29, 2026 at 9:22 pm
WELCOME TO THE WORKFORCE LADIES!!!!!!! BY ALL MEANS!!! GET A JOB……..I’LL STAY HOME AND POLISH MY GOLF!!! ENJOY!!!!!!!!!
@theawesomest2850
June 29, 2026 at 10:30 pm
I played with animal toys lol my favorite was a lion…I have dread locs?
@ishouldhavetried
June 30, 2026 at 1:58 am
When I was a kid, I said I wanted to be a nurse, but my toys said differently. I remember starting a paper plane business in my parents living room. And now 30 years later, I own a papercraft business.