Inchworm (toy)

Last updated

The Inchworm was a ride-on toy for children produced by the Hasbro Corporation, first introduced in the early 1970s. [1] Inchworm was designed by Joseph M. Burck while he worked for Marvin Glass and Associates. Burck built the first inchworm using his clothes-dryer's hose and tested it with his then-three-year-old son. [2] A scooter with yellow wheels in the shape of a green caterpillar wearing a yellow hat, the Inchworm was jointed under the saddle so its wheelbase could expand and contract. The wheels were constricted by a ratchet mechanism to rotating forward. As the rider bounced up and down on the saddle, the toy moved forward in a way somewhat resembling a Geometer caterpillar, with the ratcheting wheels making a clicking sound.

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mattel</span> American multinational toy manufacturing and entertainment company

Mattel, Inc. is an American multinational toy manufacturing and entertainment company founded in Los Angeles by Harold Matson and the husband-and-wife duo of Ruth and Elliot Handler in January 1945 and headquartered in El Segundo, California. Mattel has a presence in 35 countries and territories; its products are sold in more than 150 countries. Mattel consists of three business segments: North America, International and American Girl.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Geometer moth</span> Family of insects

The geometer moths are moths belonging to the family Geometridae of the insect order Lepidoptera, the moths and butterflies. Their scientific name derives from the Ancient Greek geo γεω, and metron μέτρον "measure" in reference to the way their larvae, or inchworms, appear to measure the earth as they move along in a looping fashion. A very large family, it has around 23,000 species of moths described, and over 1400 species from six subfamilies indigenous to North America alone. A well-known member is the peppered moth, Biston betularia, which has been subject of numerous studies in population genetics. Several other geometer moths are notorious pests.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Radio Flyer</span> American toy company

Radio Flyer is an American toy company best known for its popular red toy wagon. Radio Flyer also produces scooters, tricycles, bicycles, horses, and ride-ons. The company was founded in 1917 and is based in Chicago, Illinois.

An inchworm is the caterpillar of a Geometer moth.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Stickle Bricks</span> Construction toy

Stickle Bricks are a construction toy primarily intended for toddlers invented by Denys Fisher in 1969. The brand is owned by Hasbro, and as of 2016 is sub-licensed to Flair Leisure Products plc.

Jazz (<i>Transformers</i>) Transformers character

Jazz is a fictional robot character from the Transformers franchise. He is usually portrayed as a music-loving robot who speaks using Black Vernacular English. In certain continuities he is shown being Optimus Prime's good friend and right-hand man.

Bumblebee (<i>Transformers</i>) Transformers character

Bumblebee is a fictional robot character appearing in the many continuities in the Transformers franchise. The character is a member of the Autobots, a group of sentient, self-configuring, modular extraterrestrial robotic lifeforms.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lite-Brite</span> Toy marketed in 1967

Lite-Brite is a toy that was originally marketed in 1967. It consists of a light box with small colored plastic pegs that fit into a panel and illuminate to create a lit picture, by either using one of the included templates or creating a "freeform" image on a blank sheet of black paper.

<i>Bop It</i> Handheld audio game

Bop It toys are a line of audio games. By following a series of commands issued through voice recordings produced by a speaker by the toy, which has multiple inputs including pressable buttons, pull handles, twisting cranks, spinnable wheels, flickable switches—the player progresses and the pace of the game increases.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sideswipe (Transformers)</span> Transformers character

Sideswipe is a fictional robot character in the Transformers series.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Littlest Pet Shop</span> Toy franchise owned by Hasbro

Littlest Pet Shop is a toy franchise and cartoon series owned by Hasbro and currently under license with Basic Fun!. The original toy series was produced by Kenner in the early 1990s. An animated television series was made in 1995 by Sunbow Productions and Jean Chalopin Creativite et Developpement, based on the franchise.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Marvin Glass and Associates</span> Chicago toy firm, 1941–1988

Marvin Glass and Associates (MGA) was a toy design and engineering firm based in Chicago. Marvin Glass (1914–1974) and his employees created some of the most successful toys and games of the twentieth century such as Mr. Machine, Rock 'Em Sock 'Em Robots, Lite Brite, Ants in the Pants, Mouse Trap, Operation, Simon, Body Language, and the Evel Knievel Stunt Cycle.

Bernard Loomis was an American toy developer and marketer who introduced some of the world's most notable brands including Chatty Cathy, Barbie, Hot Wheels, Baby Alive, and Strawberry Shortcake, but perhaps his biggest marketing success was bringing a then-unknown film property called Star Wars to the toy shelves.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Buckaroo!</span> Game patented in 1940 for players four years of age and above

Buckaroo! is a game of physical skill, intended for players aged four and above. Buckaroo! has been published by several game companies such as Ideal Toy, Milton Bradley, and Hasbro.

Transformers: Generation 1 is a toy line from 1984 to 1990, produced by Hasbro and Takara Tomy. It was a line of toy robots that could change into an alternate form by moving parts into other places, and it was the first line of toys produced for the successful Transformers toy and entertainment franchise. The line was originally called The Transformers, with "Generation 1" originating as a term coined by fans of the toys when the Transformers: Generation 2 toy line was released in 1992. Hasbro eventually adopted the term "Generation 1" to refer to any toy produced in that era.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hexbug</span> Robotic insect toy automatons

HEXBUG is a brand of infrared and automaton toys developed and distributed by Spin Master Inc.. HEXBUG uses many elements used in BEAM robotics. First piloted in the US through RadioShack, HEXBUG is now sold in most major retail stores. The original HEXBUGs are based on six-legged arthropods but now come in several different varieties. The name "HEXBUG" relates to the six-sided packaging it is sold in, rather than to its number of legs.

<i>Transformers: Prime</i> 2010–2013 animated television series

Transformers: Prime is an American animated television series based on the Transformers toy franchise by Hasbro that aired on the Hub Network from November 29, 2010, to July 26, 2013. The series focuses on the Autobots of "Team Prime", consisting of Optimus Prime, Ratchet, Arcee, Bumblebee and Bulkhead, and their human allies as they attempt to protect the Earth from the villainous Decepticons and their leader Megatron.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kre-O</span> Construction toy line

KRE-O is a line of construction toys manufactured by South Korea-based Oxford and marketed by Hasbro. Kre-O was released in stores in Fall 2011. The name Kre-O comes from the Latin word creo, which means "I create".

<i>Timandra amaturaria</i> Species of moth

Timandra amaturaria, the cross-lined wave moth or cobra inchworm, is a species of moth of the family Geometridae. The species was first described by Francis Walker in 1866. It is found in the US from Massachusetts to Florida, west to Texas and north to Wisconsin.

Transformers: War for Cybertron Trilogy is a toyline and transmedia series that is part of the Transformers franchise by Hasbro announced in February 2018.

References

  1. Inchworm® - Hasbro, Inc - Hasbro Industries (UK) Ltd V&A Search the Collections
  2. "Toy vehicle".