The Toys That Made Us

The old footage and topics discussed are interesting but the show is unfortunately ruined by the editing. Constant use of the same clip over and over in an attempt to be funny. It's like a Tim and Eric episode that's trying to also be a documentary. I wish it stuck to the facts and history instead of trying so hard to entertain. It drove me crazy that every time someone seemed to have something interesting to say, they would cut mid sentence to an annoying past clip from someone earlier in the show. Or the narrator would say something like "but that didn't work out the way they wanted" and then they would show a clip of the creator of the toy just sitting there. It was just really poorly edited, I can't stress that enough.

I liked best the episode about He- Man. The makers state that they knew that they had a totally ingenious idea and tyhat the kids would not stand a chance when He-Man shouted "I have the power!" And they are totally right, because I remember back when I was a kid in the 80's and play fought with my brother I would pretend I was He-Man and shout the same thing. The good thing about this documentary is that we get the inside story on how the figures and dolls were made and then we also get to see how in the end sales figures dropped and they entered obscurity. Of course among collectors many of them still are treasured.

The editing and the narrator are so corny and almost unbearable.

Few days ago I was checking the new additions on Netflix when I saw these series. I added them to my viewing queue, but it was just last night as I started watching.

Honestly, these are of the most exciting documentaries ever. Why - because it's all about our childhood! And we've all been kids!

Aside of it, the series are really well done. I just have nothing to comment on - as a documentary, they have a very well defined structure and topic following. Sure, they miss some details, but for a 50 minute format it is very well done.

So far I've seen only the first 3 episodes - Star Wars, Barbie and He-Man. They are all so exciting. I am a 42y old male and as a kid I loved Star Wars and I still do, just never had SW toys, however as a kid I did have He-Man toys and I loved them. I totally relate to the series and honestly can't wait to see the other episodes.

As for Barbie - I am a male, never been into Barbie, but these series are pretty much like VH1 Behind the Music series - so well done, that you really don't care what the episode is about - you just watch it, as you know it will be interesting and there would be something to learn. And indeed, the Barbie episode was absolutely interesting to watch!

Today I saw two episodes one after another, cannot remember doing such thing for a documentary, ever. My only problem is, they say these are 8 episode series and I see on IMDB they list 8 episodes, while Netflix Canada shows me only the first 4 and I am very disappointed. Hope they will import the other 4 episodes soon! I don't know who should I message about this, but hope somebody from the crew would pay attention to my problem here and would ring their phone. I would try to contact Netflix Canada anyway.

So, I would totally recommend these series to anyone, young or old, boy or girl, who used to have at least one toy in their life. Probably the most exciting series on Netlix in the last 6 months, after Stranger Things 2. My opinion, but I don't think I am far from the truth.

12/29/17. Maybe 3 1/2 stars! An enjoyable look at how much strategic planning goes into creating a successful toy franchises! Many times we only link toys to our childhood, but the memories of childhood can last a long time when it is associated with a toy we loved! Worth catching. A fun watch!