Great Big Book of Really Cool Patent Drawings for Baby Boomer Toys

The files of the United States Patent and Trademark Office are a treasure trove of fascinating art work. Practically all of the more than six million U.S. patents issued since 1790 include one or more drawings of the invention. While primarily technical and utilitarian, these drawings are an art form in themselves. They're intriguing in their detail, and many are positively Art Deco. Patents cover almost anything, from significant inventions like the telephone, airplane, radio, and light bulb, to the just plain weird, like a device for signaling from the grave in case you wake up six feet underground after being accidentally buried alive. This book focuses on one particular type of invention -toys and games popular with Baby Boomers when they were kids. From Barbie to the Hula Hoop to Mr. Potato Head to the View Master, these toys were all part of growing up in the Fifties and Sixties. And don't forget the Red Ryder "You'll Shoot Your Eye Out" air rifle. These images evoke a simpler time, before video games and cell phones, when Chatty Cathy and electric football were the highest of high-tech.