The Secret Origins of 11 Childhood Things

Ever wonder where your favorite childhood things came from? The answer may surprise you. Many of the things we take for granted have secret origins that are dark, disturbing, or just plain weird. For example, did you know that Barbie was named after a real person? Or that Sesame Street was created to help inner-city kids? The truth about these and other childhood staples is often stranger than fiction. So the next time you watch a children's movie or play with a toy, remember that there's more to the story than meets the eye. You may never look at your childhood in the same way again.

We were all kids once; even Benjamin Button couldn't avoid childhood in the end. When you look back on your childhood things, you might feel a sense of nostalgia. But look back a little further, and you'll discover some of them started in very strange places.

Keep scrolling down and read more…

11

SECRET ORIGINS MONOPOLY MONOPOLY WAS ORIGINALLY CALLED THE LANDLORD'S GAME. COLL 200.00 SA IT WAS CREATED TO PROMOTE THE SINGLE TAX MOVEMENT- A CAMPAIGN TO ABOLISH ALL TAXES EXCEPT FOR ONE TAX ON LAND OWNERSHIP. CRACKED.COM — Source

10

SECRET ORIGINS MERRY-GO-ROUND THE MERRY-GO-ROUND OR CAROUSEL STARTED OUT AS A TRAINING DEVICE FOR HORSE-MOUNTED WARRIORS. THEY WOULD PRACTICE ACCURACY BY TRYING TO GET THEIR LANCE THROUGH A RING WHILE ON THE MOVING WOODEN HORSE. CRACKED.COM — Source

9

SECRET ORIGINS GAME OF JACKS JACKS WAS PLAYED IN ANCIENT GREECE, EXCEPT AT THAT TIME THE JACKS WERE TINY SHEEP BONES. FOR MOST OF HISTORY THIS GAME WAS KNOWN AS KNUCKLEBONES. CRACKED.COM — Source

8

SECRET ORIGINS RUBIKS CUBE THE FAMOUS PUZZLE CUBE WAS INVENTED BY HUNGARIAN ARCHITECTURE PROFESSOR ERNÖ RUBIK. НЕ WAS STUDYING THE PROBLEM OF INDEPENDENTLY MOVING PARTS WITHIN A MECHANISM. НЕ DID NOT REALISE THAT НЕ HAD CREATED A PUZZLE UNTIL THE FIRST TIME НЕ TRIED TO UNSCRAMBLE IT. CRACKED.COM — Source

7

SECRET ORIGINS HOPSCOTCH THE FIRST HOPSCOTCH COURTS WERE OVER 100 FEET LONG AND USED FOR MILITARY TRAINING IN THE EARLY ROMAN EMPIRE. ROMAN SOLDIERS RAN THE COURSE IN FULL ARMOR AND FIELD PACKS TO IMPROVE THEIR ENDURANCE AND AGILITY. CRACKED.COM — Source

6

SECRET ORIGINS SNAKES AND LADDERS SNAKES AND LADDERS BEGAN IN ANCIENT INDIA AS A HINDU GAME CALLED MOKSHA РАТАМ. 97 96 95 94 93 82 84 89 86 87 88 83 85 76 75 73 72 79 78 74 7 77 68 69 63 64 66 62 65 67 7 55 58 IT WAS DESIGNED TO TEACH HINDU RELIGIOUS CONCEPTS LIKE KARMA AND MOKSHA. CRACKED.COM — Source

5

SECRET ORIGINS BARBIE DOLLS BARBIE WAS BASED ON A SEXY GERMAN DOLL CALLED BILD-LILLI, WHICH WERE MARKETED TO ADULT MEN. BARBIE WAS THE FIRST AMERICAN DOLL FOR GIRLS WITH ADULT PROPORTIONS. BEFORE HER, DOLLS LOOKED LIKE BABIES. BILD-LILLI CRACKED.COM — Source

4

SECRET ORIGINS JINGLE BELLS BATMAN SMELLS THE PLAYGROUND SONG JINGLE BELLS, BATMAN SMELLS, DATES BACK TO 1967. THERE WERE MANY JINGLE BELLS PARODY SONGS AT THE TIME, BUT ONLY THIS VERSION HAS SURVIVED. CRACKED.COM — Source and Source

3

SECRET ORIGINS CHECKERS AN EARLY VERSION OF CHECKERS WAS PLAYED IN ANCIENT EGYPT ON A 5 BY 5 BOARD, CALLED ALQUERQUE. AROUND 1100 IN FRANCE, THE GAME WAS ADAPTED INTO MODERN CHECKERS BY PUTTING BACKGAMMON PIECES ON A CHESSBOARD. CRACKED.COM — Source

2

SECRET ORIGINS FRISBEES THE FIRST MASS-PRODUCED DISKS THAT PEOPLE WOULD THROW TO EACH OTHER WERE CAKE TINS, DURING THE 1800s. IN THE 1930s, A COUPLE IN LOS ANGELES STARTED A BUSINESS SELLING FLYIN' CAKE PANS, WHICH EVOLVED INTO THE MODERN PLASTIC FRISBEE DESIGN. CRACKED.COM — Source

1

SECRET ORIGINS PINK AND BLUE UP UNTIL THE 1940s, THE COLOR PINK WAS OFTEN USED FOR BOYS, AND BLUE WAS FOR GIRLS. RED WAS OFTEN THE COLOR OF MILITARY UNIFORMS, WHILE BLUE WAS ASSOCIATED WITH THE VIRGIN MARY. ALSO, THE WORD GIRL ORIGINALLY SIMPLY MEANT A CHILD. CRACKED.COM — Source

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