Timeless Toys is simply explained as an encyclopedia of all things toys and games. Tim Walsh expertly covers toys of different decades and different companies, adding in the stories of how each toy and game came to be and how each inventor was inspired to create their masterpiece. There’s over 420 color photos of classic toys and another 130+ additional images of vintage ads, patent drawings, and historical photographs. Plus, for every toy that Walsh himself was involved in the development of, tons of behind-the-scenes insider knowledge.

For the most part, the book follows a chronological timeline, but of course it begins with an Author’s Note and Introduction. Following this, Walsh talks about the different toys and games of the 1900s-1920s, including Teddy Bear, Crayola, Raggedy Ann, and Radio Flyer. After that, he takes a look at the 1930s-1940s, when Monopoly, Scrabble, Candy Land, and Clue came to be. Next, in the 1950s, Walsh talks all things Silly Putty, Magic 8 Ball, Mr. Potato Head, Play-Doh, Yahtzee, and of course, Barbie.

Before moving on to the 60s and 70s, Walsh discusses WHAM-O and Marvin Glass, two very successful game companies that brought the world Frisbee, Hula Hoop, Slip ‘n Slide, and Super Ball, and Mouse Trap, Operation, Lite-Brite, and Simon, respectively. After that brief intermission from the timeline, Walsh talks about the toys and games of the 1960s and 1970s, including Nerf, Uno, Etch A Sketch, The Game of Life, Twister, and Lego. Finally, visiting the 1980s and 1990s, Walsh covers Rubik’s Cube, Trivial Pursuit, Jenga, Cabbage Patch Kids, Super Soaker, Pictionary, and Beanie Babies.

The perfect way to reminisce back on toys of the past, an intriguing coffee table book, a informative reference book: Timeless Toys is a wonderful book to gift to yourself or a dear friend. In fact, the Wall Street Journal called it “an illustrated compendium of America’s 20^th Century favorites.”

Tim Walsh is the one of the most knowledgeable and involved experts in the toy and game industry that there is. Aside from being the author to both this book and WHAM-O Super-Book, he also celebrates different toy and game designers on his YouTube channel through a series called Where’s The Fun From? Plus, he’s designed or co-developed almost too many games to count, including TriBond, Blurt!, Mad Gab, Feed Fuzzy, You’ve Been Framed, and many more. And somehow, he also finds time to be the Chairman of the Young Inventor Challenge Advisory Board.

For more information on Tim Walsh, visit his POP Profile.