{"id":141099,"date":"2021-12-25T12:15:22","date_gmt":"2021-12-25T17:15:22","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/ipwatchdog.com\/?p=141099"},"modified":"2021-12-14T11:40:53","modified_gmt":"2021-12-14T16:40:53","slug":"christmas-2021-iconic-patented-toys-games-update-trademarks","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/ipwatchdog.com\/2021\/12\/25\/christmas-2021-iconic-patented-toys-games-update-trademarks\/id=141099\/","title":{"rendered":"Christmas 2021: Iconic Patented Toys and Games Update \u2013 and Trademarks Too!"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"https:\/\/depositphotos.com\/7717590\/stock-illustration-santa-claus-with-gifts.html\"<\/a>Its Christmas time again and IPWatchdog is back at it, compiling a list of iconic patented toys and games. This year, we have added some iconic trademarks to round out the list. This tradition was originally made popular in 2018, and updated in 2019, with a holiday feature by IPWatchdog Founder Gene Quinn: The Most Iconic (and Patented) Toys and Games of All Time<\/a>. The original post included iconic toys such as \u201cthe Video Game Console, Barbie doll, Monopoly, Rubik\u2019s Cube, Battleship, Super Soaker, Hoola Hoop, Slinky, Play-Doh, Easy Bake Oven, Game-Boy Frisbee, YoYo, Lego blocks, Transformers, Tricycles, Bicycles, Scooters, Tonka trucks, Rocking Horse, Twister, Simon, Magic 8 Ball, Erector Set, Etch A Sketch, Bunch-o-Balloons and Mr. Potato Head.\u201d Last year, an updated list was published: More Iconic (and Patented) Toys and Games: A 2020 Update<\/a>, including updates to the prior list such as the Red Ryder BB gun, Teddy Ruxpin, Little Tykes Toy Coupe, Koosh Ball, Furby, Mousetrap Game, Lite-Bright, Stretch Armstrong, Lincoln Logs, and Skip-It.<\/p>\n

Here are a few more that have brought smiles to the faces of so many on Christmas Day over the years.<\/p>\n

Elf on the Shelf<\/h2>\n

\"\"The Elf on the Shelf Christmas tradition has been around since about 2004, when Carol Aebersold filed two trademark applications, one for the words \u201cThe Elf on the Shelf\u201d and one for this elf drawing<\/a> of the beloved Elf on the shelf. It was registered for goods such as elf dolls and children’s books, sold as a unit. The stylized version of \u201cthe Elf on the Shelf\u201d was filed in 2008 and assigned U.S. Registration No. 3,553,223<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\"\"According to tradition and the story the accompanies the Elf on the Shelf doll, the elves are Santa\u2019s helpers, and they keep an eye on children and report back to Santa each night when they fly back to the North Pole. Each morning, children are delighted to wake up to find their elf in a new spot in the house. Parents have become an active part of the tradition by \u201chelping\u201d the elves find new places to hide or play around the house. Countless articles have been devoted to ideas for making your Elf on the Shelf the most interesting elf<\/a> in the neighborhood, such as making your elf a sled out of candy canes or tangling your elf up in dental floss.<\/p>\n

Mounted Mechanical Fish<\/h2>\n

\"\"In the late 1990s and early 2000s, it was rare to find a person who did not know of or own a mechanical singing fish mounted on a plaque. Those who were very lucky even woke up on Christmas morning to find one under the Christmas tree!\u00a0 The one pictured to the left was the subject of U.S. D440,525<\/a>, issued April 17, 2001 to Think Tek, Inc. Think Tek\u2019s mechanical mounted fish was marketed as the Boogie Bass and sung songs and played back phrases while moving around and opening and closing its mouth. Several other similar products were introduced around the same time period, but none of them, including Think Tek\u2019s patented version, was nearly as popular as the Big Mouth Billy Bass, which is protected by trademark Registration No. U.S. 4,944,012<\/a>. Big Mouth Billy Bass is arguably the most successful product ever produced by Gemmy Industries. The animatronic singing fish played Al Green\u2019s \u201cTake Me to the River\u201d and \u201cDon\u2019t Worry, Be Happy.\u201d According to an interview statement<\/a> by Al Green, the use of his song in the popular singing fish had earned him more royalties than any other recorded versions of the song.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Chatty Cathy Talking Doll<\/strong><\/h2>\n

\"\"No list of iconic toys is complete without a talking doll! The Chatty Cathy Talking Doll was introduced in the early 1960s and was marked with patent number U.S. 3,017,187<\/a>, titled \u201cMultiple Speech Phonograph.\u201d\u00a0 The patent related to a phonograph that may be embodied in a doll. According to the patent, a child may cause the doll to speak or pronounce a number of different sentences by pulling of a drawstring. The first Chatty Cathy Talking Doll had blue eyes and blonde hair and she randomly recited 11 phrases, such as \u201cI love you,” and “Tell me a story.”\u00a0 Such talking dolls have been the subject of many little girls\u2019 dreams (and possibly some nightmares as well). Recently, Chatty Cathy served as the inspiration for a talking doll character named Gabby Gabby<\/a> in Toy Story 4. Gabby Gabby had a dark side that is said to be inspired by another spin off of Chatty Cathy, an evil doll named Talky Tina<\/a>, who appeared in a 1963 \u201cTwilight Zone\u201d episode.\u00a0Chatty Cathy is also the subject of several dead trademarks and one pending U.S. Trademark Application, U.S. 88,620,210<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Speak & Spell<\/h2>\n

\"\"The Speak & Spell was created by Texas Instruments and sold between 1978 and 1992. U.S. Patent No. 4,516,260<\/a> for an \u201cElectronic Learning Aid or Game Having Synthesized Speech\u201d is one of Texas Instrument\u2019s patent\u2019s directed to the Speak & Spell. What began as a three-month feasibility study<\/a> with a $25,000 budget became the invention of the Speak & Spell, \u201cmarked the first time the human vocal tract had been electronically duplicated on a single chip of silicon\u201d and a primitive version of the synthetic speech technology that drives things like Alexa today. The Speak & Spell remained poplar throughout the late 1970\u2019s and 1980\u2019s and was boosted by its appearance in the movie \u201cE.T<\/strong>. the\u00a0Extra-Terrestrial\u201d<\/strong> where it was used by E.T to \u201cphone home.\u201d<\/p>\n

Pogo Stick<\/h2>\n

\"\"For over 50 years, the perfect gift for any energetic and determined child has been a pogo stick. The first modern two-handed pogo stick was issued in February 1955 to G.B. Hansburg as U.S. Patent No. 2,793,036<\/a>. The object of the \u2018036 invention was to provide a pogo stick that was \u201cneat, compact and durable and not likely to become deranged even with long use, which may be made from relatively inexpensive components and readily assembled at low cost, and which in addition to functioning in the manner of a conventional pogo stick, may readily be set for adjustment of its recoil to an amount which depends upon the weight of the user, to prevent injury to the latter due to excessive recoil action.\u201d<\/p>\n

Dominos<\/h2>\n

\"\"Dominos is an iconic game that has been played by young and old for many years. One particular colored set was patented on May 29, 1883 as U.S. Patent No. 278,646<\/a>, wherein each number was distinguished by a separate color. As shown in Figure 1, the spots are distinguished by different shading or coloring. Alternatively, the spots may be colored alike and the spaces between the spots may be distinguished by different shading or coloring.<\/p>\n

Flying Ring<\/h2>\n

\"\"The flying ring, patented on October 16, 1973 as U.S. Patent No. 3,765,122<\/a>, is a ring shaped flying toy including an annular skirt and a central circular opening. When the ring is \u201ctossed by a person and caused to spin about its axis while traveling through the air, an air stream flowing over the toy’s leading edge will be guided by the deflector surface downwardly into the central opening and thereafter directed beneath the toy’s trailing edge to support the trailing edge in flight.\u201d<\/p>\n

View-Master<\/h2>\n

\"\"Originally, the View-Master was developed as much for adults as for children. The device described in U.S. Patent No. 2,189,285<\/a> was marketed from 1939 to 1950 and was sold alongside View-Master reels, which featured scenery of interest to adults. Claim 1 of the \u2018285 patent recited, in part, \u201c[a] disk \u2026 having fourteen windows formed therein in each of which is mounted a transparency, means for viewing a pair of diametrically opposite transparencies simultaneously, means for moving said disk to expose in alternate succession whereby a cycle of views can be shown in repeated succession without inversion.\u201d\u00a0 In the late 1940s the View-Master Model C<\/a> was marketed towards children and was the subject of U.S. Patent No. 2,511,334<\/a>, titled \u201cStereoscopic Viewer.\u201d The \u2018334 patent issued to Wilhelm Gruber in June 1950. The patent was directed to \u201ca stereoscopic device adapted for viewing stereoscopic pictures arranged in circular or disc form, whereby the disc can be inserted and removed with a minimum amount of effort, skill or care on the part of the user.\u201d In particular, the device was designed to be easy to use for a child. View-Masters continue to delight adults and children alike and are still available from many retailers.<\/p>\n

Sock Monkey<\/h2>\n

\"sockThe Sock Monkey has been an iconic toy for generations, and was made using a particular type of socks called \u201cNelson<\/a> Red Heel Rockford Socks,\u201d for which Nelson Knitting Company was awarded trademark Serial No. U.S. 71,532,152<\/a>. On July 14, 1953, Helen Cooke was awarded Design Patent No. 170,008<\/a> for a sock doll design, which claimed the classic Sock Monkey. Cooke filed suit against a man named Stanley Levy for selling dolls of a design not made by Cooke. Levy contacted Nelson Knitting Company and the Company gathered evidence that others had been making similar dolls for over two years prior to the filing of Cookes\u2019 patent. Cooke eventually settled the case against Levy and sold the sock monkey doll patent to Nelson Knitting for $750 in 1955. Nelson began including instructions for making the Sock Monkey on every package of Rockford Red Heel Socks.<\/p>\n

\"Vintage<\/a><\/p>\n

Images Source: Deposit Photos<\/em><\/p>\n

Image 1 Author: Verzhy<\/em>
\nVector ID:7717590<\/em><\/p>\n

Image 2 Author: AlisaFoytik<\/em>
\nImage ID: 34452823<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Its Christmas time again and IPWatchdog is back at it, compiling a list of iconic patented toys and games. This year, we have added some iconic trademarks to round out the list. This tradition was originally made popular in 2018, and updated in 2019, with a holiday feature by IPWatchdog Founder Gene Quinn: The Most Iconic (and Patented) Toys and Games of All Time. The original post included iconic toys such as \u201cthe Video Game Console, Barbie doll, Monopoly, Rubik\u2019s Cube, Battleship, Super Soaker, Hoola Hoop, Slinky, Play-Doh, Easy Bake Oven, Game-Boy Frisbee, YoYo, Lego blocks, Transformers, Tricycles, Bicycles, Scooters, Tonka trucks, Rocking Horse, Twister, Simon, Magic 8 Ball, Erector Set, Etch A Sketch, Bunch-o-Balloons and Mr. Potato Head.\u201d Here are a few more that have brought smiles to the faces of so many on Christmas Day over the years.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":109927,"featured_media":141110,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"content-type":"","footnotes":"","_links_to":"","_links_to_target":""},"categories":[266,3,37020,191,41],"tags":[1140,41582,72221,49],"yst_prominent_words":[38566,15244,55061,16234],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/ipwatchdog.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/141099"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/ipwatchdog.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/ipwatchdog.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ipwatchdog.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/109927"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ipwatchdog.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=141099"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/ipwatchdog.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/141099\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ipwatchdog.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/141110"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/ipwatchdog.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=141099"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ipwatchdog.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=141099"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ipwatchdog.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=141099"},{"taxonomy":"yst_prominent_words","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ipwatchdog.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/yst_prominent_words?post=141099"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}