Video | Toy Town | Chicago Stories

Tinker Toys. Lincoln Logs. Beanie Babies. Radio Flyer. Kids obsessed with these iconic toys and games would surely have been surprised to learn that these and many others were born in Chicago. Take a nostalgic trip back to a time when the city was a leader in toy innovation. Audio-narrated descriptions are available.

Chicagoans created some of the most popular construction toys of all time – including Tinker Toys, and Lincoln Logs, invented by Frank Lloyd Wright’s son.

Marvin Glass got his start creating iconic novelty toys. His firm would go on to invent several classics – and a new method for getting them made.

One of the biggest toy crazes of all time – Beanie Babies – has its origin story in Chicago. It all began with a Chicago-born man named Ty Warner.

We asked kids at the Oak Park Farmers Market to review three vintage toys that were created in Chicago: American Plastic Bricks, Mr. Machine, and the Furby.