Inside Out

It’s the year of the cardboard box! Yes, every kids favorite “plaything” (at one time or another) is being recognized with induction into The National Toy Hall of Fame at StrongMuseum, Rochester, N.Y. The box is being honored along with Candy Land and another favorite childhood box—the Jack-in-the box. Indeed, cardboard boxes have excited kids for years—sometimes, the box is more fun than the actual toy in it. Appliance boxes are perfect to crawl inside and can be magically transformed into club houses, space ships or caves. Tiny boxes hold special mementos and shoe boxes turn into artistic dioramas. The first cardboard box appeared in England in 1817. However, corrugated cardboard wasn’t patented until 1856. Since then, it has dominated the shipping industry in North America—and childhood memories. Candy Land, created by Eleanor Abbot in the 1940s as she was recuperating from polio, was introduced by Milton-Bradley in 1949. Geared for kids ages 3 to 6, the game fosters socialization in playing with others, waiting a turn, recognizing colors, learning rules, and following directions. Jack-in-the-box has been known since the 16th Century as a Punch box, an admiral on a stick and a Johnny jump-up. More kid-friendly versions of Jack came along in later years and helped kids learn to hum along or a peek-a-boo skill...Meanwhile, another esteemed hall—the Toy Industry Hall of Fame—next year will induct Edwin Binney and C. Harold Smith, creators of Crayola Crayons. In 1900, cousins Edwin Binney (1866-1934) and C. Harold Smith (1860-1931) bought a mill in Easton, Pa., where the company is headquartered today, and produced school supplies, including slate pencils and dustless blackboard chalk. In 1903, they introduced the first box of eight Crayola Crayons, responding to a need in classrooms for safe and affordable wax crayons.