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00:00classic toys like electric trains
00:10squishy colorful play-doh the pinball
00:14machine or even a slinky are the kinds
00:18of toys that stand the test of time it
00:20all evokes nostalgia and memories of a
00:23simpler time and are impervious to
00:26trends last year Americans spent more
00:29than 25 billion dollars on toys toys are
00:33beacons of our childhood and that's why
00:35full-grown adults will spend a whole lot
00:37of time and even more money trying to
00:40purchase a piece of their youth some of
00:44the most iconic toy brands have been in
00:46business for decades and today we've got
00:49all-access passes to one of the most
00:53iconic toys play-doh what is it really
00:57made out of and how do they make 100 and 8
01:01thousand cans of colorful sweet-smelling
01:03play-doh per day plus we'll see how a
01:06plastic manufacturer prepares classic toy
01:09soldiers for battle we'll also get an
01:12inside look at pinball machines and
01:14discover why they were once banned in
01:17cities across America but all work and no
01:20play make Adam a dull boy today I want to
01:23have some fun this is modern marbles classic
01:27toys
01:29here at the cardamundi factory in East
01:41Longmeadow Massachusetts they're making
01:44something so special that just mention its
01:47name anywhere in the world and someone is
01:49sure to crack a smile play-doh that crack
01:54and pop when you open the canister that
01:56distinctive smell even through the mass you
02:01can use it to make a beautiful work of
02:02art or a beautiful mess believe it or not
02:08play-doh was actually in our homes for
02:11decades before it was ever seen as a play
02:14thing so in 1933 play-doh was actually
02:18developed to be a wallpaper cleaner and
02:21then over the years the wallpaper
02:23technology changed so much that play-doh
02:26was really not required to be a wallpaper
02:29cleaner by 1956 Joseph McVicker had
02:33reimagined the pliable cleaning substance
02:35thanks to his sister-in-law
02:38who's a school teacher actually took play-doh to
02:43her classroom and she was amazed with the
02:46way children were using play-doh and
02:48expressing their creativity and that's
02:50really how play-doh transformed to being a
02:53toy that it is today as of 2021 the year
02:57that play-doh celebrates its 65th
02:59anniversary they have sold 4.5 billion
03:04cans last year alone they shipped the same
03:08weighted product as the Statue of Liberty
03:10and the Eiffel Tower combined we love it
03:14we're familiar with it but what's in it
03:16how do they make play-doh
03:22hey Jeremy I gotta tell you I love the
03:26smell you walk into this room and you're
03:29immediately transported into your
03:31childhood how many cans of play-doh are
03:33you selling per year we're doing about 25
03:36million cans per year 108,000 cans per day
03:39about 290 cans per minute it's crazy
03:41amounts that we're doing right here I'm
03:43trying to wrap my head around this
03:45look at this it's like if there was a
03:51little play-doh village and this is where
03:53they all boarded the train Jeremy please
03:55unlock the secrets of my childhood tell me
03:58how they make play-doh please first we
04:00want to put everything into the mixer and
04:01we do that right here we have silos
04:03outside and we get deliveries once a week
04:05and we run about 10,000 pounds a day just
04:08just like any dough play-doh has dry and wet ingredients that are fed through separate channels down into a mixing chamber the ingredients are deployed not only in specific measurements but in a specific sequence the order of deployment is designed to ensure that every ingredient is distributed evenly within the mixer and mixing up the secret formula for today's batch
04:38that much flour could make more than 5000 average batches of cookies which would amount to more than 300,000 cookies
04:45once the hopper empties all of the flour into the mixer it's time to add the
05:15dose for soil in my garden while play-doh is certified non-toxic it also contains chemical
05:22preservatives and a high dose of salt it isn't intended to be eaten but it is still a wheat based
05:29dough of infinite creativity waiting to happen among the dry ingredients that are added into the mixer
05:35our cornstarch dry pigment two types of salt and some top-secret preservatives and some of the key wet ingredients include liquid pigment hot water and of course the element that takes us back to our childhoods
05:51this is the ingredient that every child loves it once they open it up you know the can of play-doh this is what they smell here
05:57this sweet flowery vanilla-like fragrance has slight overtones of cherry and the natural smell of a wheat-based dough and it's added purely for fragrance because that is what helps identify and distinguish
06:26the iconic play-doh now the dough is ready to be mixed
06:33start back now it's coming down for 15 minutes 15 minutes and play-doh is going to pop out on that line yes
06:39no way what do you think it is about play-doh that makes it so timeless i think it's adaptable it's up to your creativity to do what you want with it it's up for the kids to make up their own mind with it
06:54play-doh play-doh play-doh play-doh play-doh play-doh play-doh isn't alone in inspiring kids to use their imagination there's another classic toy that allows us to build whatever we imagine from cherished monuments to entire cities one block at a time
07:09lego got started in the early 1900s in a carpentry and woodworking shop owned by ole kirk christensen
07:16christensen named his company by shortening the danish phrase lygot which means play well
07:24when he finally got a hold of plastics he realized that he could mold them into shapes
07:31and in 1946 he bought his first injection molding machine by 1958 the first lego bricks were released
07:39and all these years later the original 1958 lego bricks will connect to any of the bricks that are made today
07:45that accuracy in manufacturing is what makes lego one of the most classic toys ever it also means they can be handed down from generation to generation
07:57between 1958 and 2008 they made 400 billion bricks of lego which means 10 people can actually make lego towers that are 40 billion pieces from here to the moon
08:12from here to the moon
08:15lego's recently released their largest set to date the lego art world map with over eleven thousand six hundred pieces
08:25it's two thousand five hundred more pieces than their previously largest set the architect coliseum
08:33one of the largest lego structures ever built is a full-scale lego star wars x-wing fighter model it took 32 builders more than seventeen thousand hours to put together over five million lego bricks that's close to two years this life-sized replica is 42 times the size and weighs more than 45
09:02five thousand pounds that's more than some actual fighter jets way from lego roller coaster sets to lego space shuttles there's an entire universe to reimagine and there's another classic toy that can make us believe we are our own heroes of the battlefield
09:21little plastic soldiers have existed since the late 1930s and allowed kids to feel like they were their own world war ii heroes defeating the enemy and conquering make-believe battlefields
09:40i'm jeff immel and i'm the president of bmc toys we make new toys from old molds and bring them to a whole new generation to enjoy
09:48little green army men were inducted into the national toy hall of fame in 2014
09:53if you say little green army men everybody knows what you're talking about it's just become a ubiquitous part of childhood in our pop culture
10:00in the 1990s bmc toys acquired molds from the 50s and 60s to produce these historic plastic army sets
10:11bmc toys then teamed up with northeast plastics to operate the mid-century molds
10:18everything that you're seeing on the shelf right now is going to be original
10:22dies made for army figures vehicles things of that nature from the you know 50s 60s and a little bit of the 70s
10:30the molds are owned by bmc toys they have over 70 molds with us currently and it's still here living and breathing and functioning
10:38is pretty impressive you know they were making stuff back then that really stood the test of time
10:43this is the injection molding department so this is where we're manufacturing the plastic parts
10:47we run over 70 molds of different army configurations 20 30 thousand shots of this a year
10:55but those molds from the mid-century never included plastic army women
11:01that is until jeff emmel and bmc toys decided to do it in 2020.
11:08soon after i began selling plastic army men i got a letter from a little girl saying hey why don't we make girl army men
11:14about 18 months later bmc toys released a new line of army women
11:20featuring a female captain holding a handgun and binoculars
11:24a kneeling female soldier calling in an air strike among 30 other poses
11:29they come in three colors classic army green tan and pink
11:37classic toys like little plastic soldiers are not gender specific or era specific
11:43every new generation of kids inspires a love of classic toys
11:48some are so popular they have their very own day like play-doh
11:53every year on september 16th americans celebrate this classic toy
11:58that has reportedly sold upwards of four billion cans since its debut in 1956
12:04and we're at their manufacturing facilities in east long meadow massachusetts
12:09they're cranking out the colorful dough to keep up with the continued demand
12:14all right how does it go from being made to coming to our store
12:19so shortly it's going to be coming through our mixer
12:21out onto this first conveyor
12:22okay
12:23that's where our quality assurance comes into effect
12:25and they're going to take the temperature on that make sure we're hitting the right marks
12:28what is the ideal temperature for freshly mixed play-doh
12:32it's warmer than your average hot shower
12:35why
12:36the mixer doesn't bake it
12:37it's the hot water that makes it go through the process to turn it into dough
12:41so it's residual heat from the hot water
12:44yeah
12:45got it
12:46so as you can see here you can see the batch of dough the bright blue that we mixed
12:49and it's steaming
12:50it's like you can see the smoke coming off of it
12:52yeah
12:53and that's going to go into our first hopper which is our sheeter
12:55that's where we want to get that steam out of there and that heat
12:58the sheeter takes clumps of dough coming from the mixer
13:02and thins them out into one inch thick sheets to help cool them down
13:07we have the sheets going in the funnel then what?
13:09that's an extruder so that's going to push the dough through
13:12it's kind of like a little wheel in there
13:14think of like a mill on the river turning and bringing the water around
13:17so it pushes it through and then a knife cuts it
13:20and it turns into a little four ounce slug
13:23those four ounce chunks of play-doh
13:25a perfect amount for young imaginative hands
13:29then need to be canned
13:31so that's where all our cups are going to meet the dough right now
13:37amazing
13:38amazing
13:39now we're meeting the cans the dough and the lid
13:41to make that full can of dough
13:43but the lids are loaded by hand right?
13:46yep
13:47so if you take some play-doh home and it's not getting everywhere
13:50and you can put it away
13:52that lid, courtesy of Gavin
13:54so thank you America
13:56do it
14:01and for taking this selfie he gave me a surprise gift
14:06it's still warm
14:08it's still warm
14:09it's still warm
14:10it almost makes it more gooey and pliable
14:13that is amazing
14:14this was flour and pigment and salt and cornstarch just moments ago right up there with Troy
14:23and now I can do anything with it
14:27once they're filled and capped
14:29these cans of play-doh magic are sent through machines that check that they each weigh the standard four ounces and that they don't contain any metal
14:38cans are set onto a pallet and need to wait 24 hours to undergo another QC check to make sure they're chemically stable and meet the food grade non-toxic standard
14:53after that it's time to divide the cans into sleeves joining various color varieties into an assortment of bold and vibrant colors
15:03once we have all three of those sleeves we have a couple robots we call them the three stooges we got Larry, Curly and Moe
15:10these stooges are no joke
15:13Larry and Curly work to pick up the sleeves of play-doh and place them on the conveyor to feed Moe who puts them into cartons
15:20when we first started it felt like they were knocking heads and that's why we started joking about having the three stooges they're acting up all the time
15:26I love it
15:28In recent years play-doh sales are reported to have increased 20% per year
15:34to meet that rising demand there are several play-doh factories around the globe
15:39at this factory one batch of their average
15:43108,000 cans a day have now been packed and are ready to ship to retail stores
15:50but not all the play-doh made here ends up with consumers
15:55misfit chunks that don't meet Hasbro standards are tossed out
16:00and you'll never guess their fate
16:05oh what
16:07so now why is this in here
16:09well so this one was from our weigh scale
16:11this one was probably only two and a half maybe three ounces
16:13so it didn't hit our specifications
16:15so we can't go and just put that back in the hopper and rerun that
16:18right
16:19we go to a renewables company and they'll create renewable energy from it
16:22is that right?
16:23yep
16:24looking down at this glorious colorful mass of play-doh
16:27there's one thing I must do before I say goodbye
16:31I'm glad I didn't wear a watch today
16:42this is every bit as awesome as I thought it would be
16:45yes
16:46oh
16:47like a kid in a candy shop
16:48just one souvenir
16:49I'll get you a bucket to go
16:50that's all I need
16:51yeah
16:52oh
16:53classic toys like play-doh are blank canvases for the imagination to create infinite possibilities
16:58but some classic toys have only one objective to score big the pinball machine
17:05over the last decade or so interest in this classic toy has skyrocketed with a growing number of players and competitions worldwide
17:11and while the demand rises there is still only one manufacturer that stands high above the rest
17:28now while versions of pinball have existed since Ulysses S Grant was president in the 1870s today Stern is the world's oldest and largest manufacturer of a
17:35arcade quality pinball machines and in recent years Stern's revenue has seen year over year growing this year
17:51in the 1870s.
17:53Today, Stern is the world's oldest and largest manufacturer
17:57of arcade-quality pinball machines.
18:00And in recent years, Stern's revenue has seen year-over-year growth
18:05of up to 40%.
18:08Here at their 110,000-square-foot facility, they do it all,
18:12from designing the game to playtesting the final product.
18:16Each of these machines is a work of art.
18:19So to find out how they've managed to marry cutting-edge technology
18:23with nostalgia and fun, I'm going to talk to the founder
18:27and CEO himself, Gary Stern, to find out how they have become
18:31the pinball wizards.
18:34My father started as a game operator in the 30s in Philadelphia.
18:38And in 1947, he came to Chicago.
18:41For four decades, the Stern family worked with another
18:45famous pinball maker, The Williams Company.
18:48And in 1986, Stern branched off into their own company,
18:54which Gary continues to run to this day.
19:00Pinball machines became extremely popular in the 1930s.
19:04The pinball machines were being made in Chicago.
19:06About 140 different companies were manufacturing these.
19:09And they eventually got associated with the Chicago Mafia.
19:12Part of the issue was that they'd spit out payouts for the high-scoring players.
19:16And so it was considered gambling.
19:22In the 1940s, in the U.S., people started to be worried about children playing pinball.
19:28And Fiorello LaGuardia in New York declaimed against the robbing of school children's pocket money
19:34that should be used for buying lunch was going to pinball.
19:37So they were banned.
19:38The bans on pinball didn't stop people from playing.
19:43Much like Prohibition, speakeasy-type play areas were established underground for pinball to continue.
19:50The ban that kept pinball machines underground was finally lifted in 1976.
19:55When an expert pinballer by the name of Roger Sharp, in front of the entire New York City Council,
20:01Sharp pulled the plunger on a pinball machine and pointed down the middle lane.
20:05He said that because there was skill involved, he knew that he could get the ball to go down the middle lane.
20:11He hit it on the first time.
20:13And after that, it was a 6-0 vote, and pinball machines were legal again.
20:17So that's really the one pinball game that made the industry possible today.
20:22And long after that saving, the demand for this classic toy continues to rise.
20:28New machines from Stern can run a tab between $4,000 and $10,000.
20:35They're using some of the latest technology to keep the fun of this classic toy both challenging and nostalgic.
20:44To make a pinball machine, Stern starts here with a piece of wood, the play field.
20:51Stern veteran Kenny will show us how it's done.
20:55Basically, we start with a 2x4 piece of plywood.
20:58We take it over to our CNC machines that are, you know, programmed, and this is the output.
21:03So this thing makes every cut that will be on the play field in one pass?
21:08Your ramps, your ball guides, light fixtures, your inserts.
21:12If my holes are off a little bit, it's never going to work.
21:15I see.
21:16So you have to treat these 2x4 pieces of plywood with the utmost precision.
21:22Absolutely.
21:23If the slightest angle or hole is off during this process, the entire gameplay experience and assembly could be compromised.
21:33After a board has been precisely cut and sanded smooth, the inserts are installed.
21:40These are the colored coverings that illuminate once the lights have been connected under the board.
21:46This is a play field that we routed over there.
21:48Okay.
21:49It's all cleaned up, all smooth, ready to be inserted.
21:51These here are the inserts that we use.
21:53Well, those orange and those red look virtually the same.
21:58How do you tell which is which?
22:00Actually, they use a light table that we have over here for inspecting the boards.
22:03Wow.
22:04These colored inserts are what flash and light up, hinting to the player where to aim and how to score big.
22:12But the flashing lights are also the thing that attract a person to insert the coin.
22:18But not all classic toys require flashing lights to be entertaining.
22:23Some are just as amusing and just as classic using only one long metal wire.
22:30Classic toys often do not need batteries or bells and whistles to tantalize young or old minds.
22:40In fact, there's one toy that has been around for over 75 years with over 300 million sold.
22:48And it's only made up of one part.
22:51It makes the happiest sound.
22:53Everyone knows it's lengthy.
22:55This is where we make the slinky along with the shrinking dinks and the spin wheels.
23:04We still use some of the older equipment we used back in 1945.
23:08Let me show you around.
23:13This is our spool wire.
23:14They put 1,600 pounds on a spool, which makes approximately 3,200 slinkies.
23:20At Slinky's sole manufacturing facility, they're making approximately 25,000 to 30,000 slinkies daily.
23:28The yearly production is probably close to around 2 million.
23:31After we set the spool in place, the wire is fed up through the machine and then it goes through the straightener.
23:37Then it goes up to the flattening mill, which is where the magic happens.
23:41And that's where we give it its coil.
23:43There's a lot of classic toys that were born completely by accident, and Slinky is one of them.
23:48Richard James was in the Navy, and he had springs on a table, which were designed to keep equipment from breaking.
23:54Well, one of those springs fell off the table, and then it just, like, dropped down onto a book and then onto the floor.
24:00And he thought, that's pretty amazing.
24:02By the 1945 holiday season, Slinky was introduced at Gimbel's department store.
24:09When it debuted at the department store in Philadelphia, it was a huge hit.
24:13They sold 400 units, every one they had, in less than 90 minutes.
24:18Back then, a Slinky cost $1, about $14 in today's value.
24:25This is where the Slinky gets cut here into a specific length.
24:29Comes down the strip, then the operator puts a crimp on it.
24:33The crimp is there for safety reasons.
24:36Once an hour, we pull Slinkies off the belt, and then we make sure it stands up, and we check the crimps to make sure the crimps are tight.
24:43You stretch it out, it's about eight feet long, but there's 81 feet of wire here.
24:48We have to make sure we hear the sound of the Slinky.
24:51Every hour, approximately 1,500 Slinkies travel down this conveyor belt to be boxed.
24:59That means, every 2.4 seconds, a Slinky slides into its box.
25:05Along with the Classic Slinky, they also produce the Giant Slinky, which is 30% longer,
25:12the Junior Slinky, which is 25% the size of the Classic, and the Neon Multicolored Slinky.
25:20They also make that familiar happy face.
25:22This is Slink. He's the dog we have in Toy Story.
25:25After his debut, Slink became very popular, and sales went into the millions.
25:30I think the biggest draw towards the Slinky is just an interesting toy.
25:38That was a good one.
25:40While this Classic Toymaker uses tens of thousands of miles of wire per year,
25:45the Classic Pinball machine is jam-packed with a quarter of a mile worth of wire
25:51hidden underneath each of the artfully designed play fields.
25:56What are these called?
25:57It's a harness of cables.
25:58A harness of cables.
25:59It's roughly 30 to 50 of these per game.
26:03Is each bundle, each harness, is that for a specific game, or can they be used interchangeably?
26:09No, they're specific games.
26:10So each of you develop a new game, this whole process starts all over again.
26:14Oh, yeah. Oh, my gosh.
26:15There's almost 300 to 500 lines of wire.
26:19So this particular is a work instructions for the Avengers back panel.
26:24This is where you start.
26:25And then the numbers correspond to everything on the board over here.
26:29So it says start at one, which is over here.
26:31So we got the blue and white over here.
26:33Can I give it a shot?
26:34Yep.
26:35So we've got terminals two, three, and four.
26:37So it means it has to at least make it around.
26:39Yes.
26:40Spin it a couple times so it stays, and that's good.
26:42Like two or three times, and so we have to go to two, then bring it back down.
26:47Go to three, bring it back down.
26:49To that, you can use a zip-tie gun.
26:51We zip-tie the cables together, cut the cables, and we're good to go.
26:56By using some of the latest technologies and wiring systems, Stern has been able to enhance their machines with increasingly more features,
27:04like LCD displays, LED lighting, and new challenges.
27:09But some classic toys are just as entertaining, requiring not much more than two discs and a string wrapped around an axle.
27:18Some of the oldest toys in history happens to be the yo-yo.
27:21It's the only toy I know of that dates to 500 years B.C.
27:26Fast forward to the 1700s, we have King Louie pictured playing with a yo-yo.
27:33The yo-yo of today was brought to the U.S. by a Filipino immigrant in the 20s, Pedro Flores, and he was hand carving these things.
27:43He started peddling his handmade yo-yos to the kids around the Los Angeles area, and the goal was to get his own factory.
27:50And he sold enough yo-yos to the kids to where he got his factory, and within one year, he was producing 300,000 yo-yos a day.
28:00And it drew the attention of Donald Duncan.
28:02And so Donald Duncan of the Duncan Toys Company ended up purchasing the rights to yo-yo.
28:08I mean, back in the day, you know, walking the dog was fun, but I mean, these guys put five on a single hand.
28:13So, you know, it just goes to show you the imagination that we have.
28:16And that really relates to the fact that toys can really help us learn, and we can have fun at the same time.
28:24Classic toys conjure the wistfulness of some of the happiest days of life.
28:29But a celebration of classic toys wouldn't be complete without the one that sells 100 units every minute and more than 55 million per year.
28:40Whether you own one yourself or just practice experimental makeovers on one of these models, Barbie is a legend created by one of the founders of Mattel.
28:51So, the founder of Barbie is Ruth Handler, and Ruth was inspired by her daughter, Barbara.
28:57She watched her daughter play with paper dolls and imagined that there would be a more inspirational or aspirational way for her to imagine a world of possibilities.
29:06And in 1959, Barbie was born.
29:09Barbie, you're beautiful.
29:12Barbie was an instant hit, selling more than 300,000 dolls in the first year.
29:20The first dolls cost three dollars each, and clothes cost one to five.
29:25But Barbie of today has come a long way from the Barbie of 1959.
29:30Over the years, Barbie has held more than 200 occupations.
29:35Barbie has evolved over the years the way women have evolved over the years.
29:40She's always a perfect reflection of what's happening in the time that she's living.
29:47With over 24 different ethnicities, multiple different hairstyles, body shapes, and providing choice for girls and boys to play and inspire and imagine a world of possibilities.
30:01As Barbie continues to endure, there's another classic toy maker that's just as persistent.
30:08Advancing the thrills and delights of the play field, Stern Pinball.
30:16Before the toys and parts can be assembled onto a play field, they're inspected here by Andrew and the Quality Assurance Team to ensure each one brings the wow factor that is unique to pinball.
30:30So this is one of those 3500 parts that we inspect for every single game.
30:35I just recognized this guy.
30:36This is from the Jurassic Park game.
30:37This is.
30:38So what we're going to look for is cosmetic damage.
30:40And, you know, if it's missing paint on the teeth, that's something that people would notice.
30:43I never even thought about that.
30:45I mean, it's the same idea as with these spaceships back here.
30:47If one of the wings is a different shade, then it's just going to look weird on the game.
30:51Are you kidding?
30:52I can say that when you're playing and you notice a little difference in color, you never unnotice that.
30:57So the last thing that we want is for someone to buy a machine from us and see that little scratch.
31:01Then every time they go back to play, they can't focus on anything else, even though there are flashing lights.
31:05It's these parts that pique curiosity and draw people to put the quarter in.
31:12These details are important because Stern isn't only focusing on making machines to be housed in dark arcades.
31:19They're manufacturing machines for personal consumption too, which reportedly encompasses an estimated 45% of all pinball machine sales in the last two decades.
31:31Stern Pinball manufactures three to seven new titles or themes of machines annually.
31:39With each new line designed, they're using the newest technological advances to incorporate new features and challenges.
31:48In order for any of these things to work, every component needs to be executed exactly as designed, down to the smallest of holes where the wires and parts will be attached.
32:00Once a play field is dressed with its graphics, additional holes are pressed where all the wires and attachments will be connected.
32:08Ready to press?
32:09Let's press this guy.
32:10Let's press this guy.
32:11Go for it.
32:17And then we have to remove it.
32:19Oh, but now I see these little tiny holes.
32:21That's what they have.
32:22And that's the guide hole for different screws and...
32:24Yeah.
32:25The press, we're gonna have to drill.
32:26Every single one.
32:27The attention to detail has to now happen on both sides for it to finally come together as a machine.
32:35Once the connecting holes have been drilled into the play field, it's moved here, where the computer systems and electronic wirings are attached.
32:44I'd never in a million years thought this is what the underside of a pinball machine looked like.
32:51This complex entanglement of three to five hundred wires is hidden beneath the play field, but so exact that gameplay can be seamless.
33:02With 15 different themes in Stern's current lineup, Javier and the assembly team are up against the demands of cranking out thousands of machines per year with exacting accuracy so the player can focus on the challenges of the game and scoring big.
33:19Now that the play field has been confirmed to operate as designed, these pinball machines await the gleeful challengers hoping for high scores.
33:33Across 30 countries and in every American state, there are reportedly some 6,000 tournament-style pinball competitions held every year.
33:44Classic toys are the ones that can withstand the test of time and the rough and tumble of childhood's raucous good times.
33:52And there's one classic toy that has withstood 12 decades continuously, taking a child's and adult's wonder to far off places.
34:03Toy trains got their start in Europe in 1860, but Lionel's realistic model trains caught the eyes of consumers and set them apart from other toy train makers.
34:16The original Lionel train was made to showcase batteries in a window display, but it awed the public and became the focus.
34:25With the public demanding this new high-tech train for their homes, the Lionel Manufacturing Company was founded to meet the demand for this new toy.
34:37You think about controlling an electric toy train in a home in 1900, when many homes didn't have electricity, that was highly innovative.
34:46The company experienced rapid growth over the decades, and by the 1950s, Lionel was the largest toy train manufacturer in the world.
34:59In subsequent decades, with the rise of computers and video games, Lionel is working to integrate today's technology with their toy trains.
35:09One of the big things we've done is put Bluetooth in every single locomotive, so now you can run your locomotive with your phone.
35:17Go forward.
35:19You're now playing the role of conductor.
35:22All aboard.
35:24All aboard.
35:28As you're a child playing on the floor with your toy train, you're not in the living room anymore.
35:34You're climbing the mountains, you're going into Grand Central Station,
35:37you're picking up people and dropping off freight.
35:41It's truly innovative when you think about where this all started back 120 years ago.
35:48To this day, there are still millions of train enthusiasts.
35:52In fact, Neil Young is such a big fan of model trains that he was once part owner of Lionel trains.
36:00And Rod Stewart's model train wouldn't fit in most living rooms.
36:05His setup includes an elaborately designed 23-by-120-foot layout that'll take you back to the 1940s cityscapes of Chicago to New York.
36:20Back at Stern, I've been taken into a different world of play with a different classic toy.
36:28Now that we've seen a pinball machine come together, it's time I step up to the play field to see if I can meet the challenge.
36:39In a competitive battle for the highest score, who will reign supreme?
36:45I, Adam Richman, or one Gary Stern, owner of one of the most impactful pinball manufacturers in the world.
36:54We're going to play for beer.
36:56You'll be great.
36:57I'm twice your age.
36:58And your name is on the mission.
37:00This is your, you build a mission.
37:01What are you singing twice my age?
37:03You're Gary Stern.
37:04I mean, come on.
37:05Player one, you're up.
37:07It says it right there.
37:08This is embarrassing.
37:12In the last decade or so, interest in pinball has skyrocketed.
37:17And while Stern's ratio of personal sales have reportedly increased from 35 to 60% over three years,
37:26most buyers still prefer the coin operation feature anyway.
37:30Oh, I'm getting, I'm being hustled here.
37:32In search of that authentic and classic pinball experience.
37:37You're taking advantage of an old man.
37:41Ugh.
37:42Okay.
37:43Now the pressure's on because I'm old and slow.
37:46It's been a while since I've played this game.
37:48Let's see.
37:49Oh, yeah, I can't see a thing.
37:51The force is strong with this one.
37:54The key to pinball is controlling the metal ball that weighs almost half as much as a baseball
38:00against a complex backdrop of obstacles.
38:04Oh, I didn't pay attention. I almost missed that.
38:06Yeah, you didn't pay attention.
38:07I almost missed that.
38:08You only got a million points, that ball.
38:09But to master this craft of juggling a chaotically careening ball is to thoroughly enjoy the catching,
38:18the aiming, the scoring, and ultimately the glory of endless fun.
38:23Oh, no.
38:24Oh, no.
38:25He just crossed me.
38:26I can't believe it.
38:27Look at the score.
38:28To play with this toy is to drift into nostalgia that can only be created by classic toys.
38:37Oh, my God.
38:38It is as close as close can be.
38:41I had 7.4 million.
38:43He had 7.7.
38:45Well, thank you very much for the game and for the beer that I'm about to have.
38:48Honestly, thank you.
38:50Yes, exactly.
38:51If I'm going to be beaten by anybody, let it be by one of the greats.
38:56Much like these exquisite pinball machines themselves, underneath the glittering, colorful,
39:01fantastical exterior of any toy lies a whole lot of intricate technology, incredible engineering,
39:07and a whole lot of hard work done by a whole lot of hardworking people.
39:11Like the toy engineers at Lionel Trains, who are using the advancements of our generation
39:16to take a 120-year-old classic into the 21st century.
39:21Or the collaborative team-up between BMC Toys and Northeast Plastics,
39:27who are finding new ways to adapt vintage mechanics so that boys and girls alike
39:32can enjoy recreating their own stories of heroism.
39:36And like the makers of Slinky, who are continually reimagining a coil spring to give it personality and life.
39:46Sure, we all know the value of working hard and handling our responsibilities,
39:51but it's the stuff that makes us smile that makes the living worthwhile.
39:55So go out today and make some time to go play.
39:58As for me, I'm going to go buy Gary a beer.
40:06Yeah, that looks better than miles.
40:08I mean, I won like a school year.
40:10I like my skis Jujasa for articles, and my안.
40:12I guess I bought a beer.
40:15And so we never opened and do it as a store.
40:17I DVD every five Como Day to dock with Dolphin,
40:18I? I like my pick very pronouns.
40:20It doesn't seem to raiseなんです, doesn't matter.
40:22I'm going to come out now, I'm going to figure out what music I did with,
40:23but I don't know.
40:24In this dude, first time it's not to show up the fingers,
40:26detector from create small other things,
40:28but Google website uses to reach an hole.
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