Almost as soon as World War II ended, America found itself embroiled in another kind of war. This time tensions didn’t run hot; they ran cold. By the mid-1950s the United States and the Soviet Union were officially locked in a Cold War that would last decades, and just like the world war the country had just endured, this war touched all aspects of American lives.
Children regularly practiced “duck and cover” drills in school, practicing what to do in the event of a nuclear bombing. Television shows and movies were replete with themes based on the “good guys” facing off against the “bad guys.” Even toys focused on Cold War values, with war toys continuing to be popular choices for boys.
For girls there was Barbie, introduced by Matel in 1959 as a “textbook of lessons on proper behavior” for girls. Board games like “What Shall I Be?” came in versions for boys and girls, with the girls’ version focused on “helping” professions like nursing and teaching. Easy-Bake Ovens and other toys targeted toward girls subtly reinforcing the ideal that a woman’s place is in the home, or at most, in just a few professions.
Boys got action figures like G.I. Joe and his compatriots. G.I. Joe was invented by Stan Weston and pitched to Hasbro as a military action figure for boys, making his debut in February 1964 (just five short years after Barbie). Plastic models of military tanks, guns, and more lined toy store aisles. While the idea that girls should be growing up prepared to take on household management duties reigned supreme on one side of the toy aisle, the not-so-subtle idea that boys should grow up prepared to fight and defend their country took precedence on the other.
The idea of “good guys” versus “bad guys” could be seen in everything from comic books to realistic reproductions of M-16 rifles to the advent of the “space cowboy,” as the race to space took a prominent role in Cold War politics. Both boys and girls were inundated with the idea of “us versus them,” with science- and education-based toys centering around nuclear board games and Geiger counter toys. One, the A.C. Gilbert Company’s Geiger counter toy, even came with a bottle of uranium ore children could use to test with the machine.
Wherever you looked during the Cold War, toys were part of the propaganda, encouraging and even cementing the idea that we had to be prepared—that at any time, the Soviet Union could attack and that all Americans needed to know their place and how they could contribute to a war effort. Learning more about Cold War-era toys is a fascinating look at how America used children’s toys to indoctrinate generations of youth in world politics and their role in American society.
Come learn more about America during the Cold War era this summer at the Wright Museum. For the first time in its history, the Wright Museum will share a one-of-a-kind exhibit covering the Cold War era. This exhibit will explore how World War II laid the groundwork for the tension-filled decades that followed. The “From Spies to Satellites: The Cold War Era” exhibit will run from June 1 – September 1, 2025 and will feature objects on loan from the International Spy Museum in Washington, D.C. as well as a dynamic collection of espionage and space-race-themed pop-culture objects from SuperMonsterCity. Plan your summer trip to the Wright Museum now!
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The information in this blog post comes from the following websites. For an in-depth look at American toys and childhood during the Cold War, check out The Politics of Childhood in Cold War Americaby Ann Maire Kordas.
“When Barbie Dated G.I. Joe: Analyzing the Toys of the Early Cold War Era”
“The Attleboro Sculptor Behind G.I. Joe: Philip Kraczkowski & Hasbro’s First Action Figure”
