From coverage of political elections to economic conditions to international conflicts, many of the broadcasts archived in the Vanderbilt Television News Archive’s collection can be quite heavy. However, amidst the traditional news coverage are numerous stories that explore American culture. To spotlight examples of these stories, the staff of the TV News Archive compiled a highlight reel of segments from the collection about the toys most in-demand by children and teens throughout the years.
The collection includes a wide range of reports on the popularity of different types of toys, such as name-brand dolls including Barbie, Bratz, and Labubu, or electronics like the Super Nintendo Entertainment System and Tamagotchi. With the increasing popularity of certain toys, newscasters often highlight criticism from parents and other stakeholders who are concerned about the impact specific toys are having on children. Some news reports include interviews of parents and psychologists commenting on the impact of certain toys on a child’s development, like the effect of violent graphics in video games or the influence of dolls on self-image.
Below is a complete list of records for the segments featured in the highlight reel, ranging from 1970 to 2007. More information about how to view these complete segments can be found on our Access Information page.
“Christmas / Electronic Toys and Games.” CBS, Saturday, December 8, 1979. ID:261978 https://tvnews.vanderbilt.edu/media/CVXwFVXbDM/jHiwJOwB2e
“Talking Toys.” CBS, Friday, August 15, 1986. ID:311501 https://tvnews.vanderbilt.edu/media/5mBs8HSyVT/KSRGL9tPeF
“Nintendo Addiction.” NBC, Monday, June 11, 1990. ID:575566 https://tvnews.vanderbilt.edu/media/RZAKamzRAB/dMSQNe3JdG
“Economy: Toy Industry / Hong Kong.” ABC, Friday, November 29, 1991. ID:132424 https://tvnews.vanderbilt.edu/media/ihk3nC2IOw/f9jnNKIT9k
“Eye on America (Video Games).” CBS, Monday, April 13, 1992. ID:343761 https://tvnews.vanderbilt.edu/media/a8kOhTnqrm/WxJ7Foxj0t
“Video Game Ratings.” CBS, Tuesday, May 25, 1993. ID:350662 https://tvnews.vanderbilt.edu/media/y059g02I06/CmL6Nmh9AM
“Market Watch.” CBS, Tuesday, May 11, 1999. ID:387369 https://tvnews.vanderbilt.edu/media/F6xQ3C2bZp/lxY6E6YCxF
“Christmas Toys / Elmo.” NBC, Monday, December 16, 1996. ID:610367 https://tvnews.vanderbilt.edu/media/NwErfwREaU/zjv0Vdf42L
“Toy Cars.” ABC, Monday, December 21, 1970. ID:8854 https://tvnews.vanderbilt.edu/media/Go7ADd8FKa/qnTvHZ5xDm
“Barbie Doll / Handler Death.” ABC, Sunday, April 28, 2002. ID:698801 https://tvnews.vanderbilt.edu/media/l8o6m24LOM/WVsrOl0qHk
“Barbie Doll.” ABC, Monday, December 5, 1988. ID:113675 https://tvnews.vanderbilt.edu/media/n4DOAwxDpB/O0dUwQsjeb
“Holiday Toys.” CBS, Sunday, December 8, 1996. ID:367806 https://tvnews.vanderbilt.edu/media/B5BjeNyqhC/SlKpT4Jcsn
“Christmas Toys / Elmo.” NBC, Monday, December 16, 1996. ID:610367 https://tvnews.vanderbilt.edu/media/NwErfwREaU/zjv0Vdf42L
“Tamagotchi Toy / Virtual Pet.” ABC, Tuesday, June 10, 1997. ID:173603 https://tvnews.vanderbilt.edu/media/RYboPyabQF/8WIe7cMAlP
“Fads / Beanie Babies / Pokémon.” ABC, Wednesday, September 1, 1999. ID:188230 https://tvnews.vanderbilt.edu/media/R4grPfqSAb/D4HerwQabo
“Holiday Shopping / Internet / Schatz Interview.” CNN, Saturday, November 29, 2003. ID:743016 https://tvnews.vanderbilt.edu/media/rX70RN9Pkn/PR6nqOswbZ
“Segment 7 (Barbie & Ken Break Up).” CNN, Thursday, February 12, 2004. ID:748391 https://tvnews.vanderbilt.edu/media/RP7844h4vY/7wRJUMcuKz
“Dolls / “American Girl” / Culture Clash.” ABC, Thursday, February 3, 2005. ID:778752 https://tvnews.vanderbilt.edu/media/v86T01prol/BTzC6g3Ahi
“We Report, You Decide.” Fox News Channel, Friday, March 30, 2007. ID:926727 https://tvnews.vanderbilt.edu/media/PNky1jxwPC/qvWYxGhsuq