In early America, most children had only a few toys and parents receivedadvice from family and friends on the best ways to make and use toys. By the early 1900s the Industrial Revolution was producing a new world of toys and giving more parents the wealth to buy them. Mass media also sang the praises of these new factory-made, store-bought toys, but that began to change as early as the mid1900s when the mass media was used to inform parents of the many dangers of childrens toys. Many encourage violence, sexism, racism, and some are actually unsafe and unhealthy.

The development of childrens toys from early America to the present time and the shifting opinions of them expressed by parents and the mass media throughout this time are the main subjects of this book. The first sectiondiscusses the many problems with toys, while the second puts these problems in historical perspective. How have these problems changed, and are still changing today? Might todays toys be about to enter a time when they will be better than ever? The third section argues that many media toy watchers are biased toward the negative, giving toys more of a black eye than they deserve, and considers the the challenges that face todays parents as they try to choose the best toys for their children.