The Toys That Made Us: Season 1 & 2 Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		4.5
Video		3.5
Audio		4.0
Extras		2.5
Overall		3.5

The Toys That Made Us: Season 1 & 2 Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Martin Liebman October 13, 2019

The Toys That Made Us would have worked had it only included some perfunctory background and settled on collectors digging through their own toy boxes and displays, telling stories of play in their youths, the thrill of the collector's hunt in adulthood, and stitching together a narrative centered on personal reflection and reaction. It would have been an enjoyable nostalgia trip even if it were just videotaped play sessions and close-detail explorations of childhood favorites. But Creator Brian Volk-Weiss, who is himself a toy collector and connoisseur, builds something more in-depth than a simple stroll down memory lane. He digs deeply into the stories behind the toys, traveling to the board room rather than just the play room, to the factory floor rather than the living room floor. From legalities to LEGOs, from intellectual heavy lifting to He-Man, the series explores the story behind the toys, filling in the blanks from before they were in children's hands and flooding back memories as if they still were in hand.

The Toys That Made Us is a nostalgic trip through time back to the heyday of 1980s toy lines through the perspective of time, exploring what the toys were, how they were manufactured and marketed, why they succeeded, and how they have made the transition from rough-and-tumble playthings to highly prized collector's items. The story is told through eight brands which were either influenced by other properties or have become massive multi-tentacled and multigenerational behemoths that have crossed over into other universes. Subject toy lines include Star Wars, Star Trek, Transformers, G.I. Joe, Barbie, LEGO, He-Man, and Hello Kitty.

Star Wars-themed toys have, per the show, made double the revenue of the films in their theatrical runs. Probably nothing more sums up the financial and cultural importance of toys quite like that statement. And it's why The Toys That Made Us is such an important program. While the full-forward onrush to get many of these toys to the market has long since ended, the cultural saturation and mass market appeal has left an indelible footprint on history rather than a mere footnote in the larger story of the timeframe's entertainment. And the show is, then, hardly niche. If it's niche in any way, it's niche in its target age group -- forty somethings who grew up with these toys -- rather than in its appeal to what some might believe to be a smaller subset of fans and collectors. There's broad opportunity for retrospective education and nostalgia, and the show explores both in their proper perspectives, building the story behind the toys deeply and connectively rather than simply showing them on the screen, something anyone with access to a computer, a camera, and a box of toys the attic could accomplish.

One of the more interesting and important concepts the show addresses is the entirely subjective and unscientific observation so many forty somethings make and share today, that the modern toys their children enjoy fall well short of the excellence of the playthings hailing from "back in the day." In retrospect, the show rightly points out, the decades-old toys conjure up visions and recall memories of dormant joy rather than memories of any less than perfect manufacturing processes, faithfulness to a particular look or feel, or a consideration of overall quality that, except in exceptional circumstances, was never a consideration above the fun factor of recreating scenes from Star Wars or making new memories with a Barbie. Contemporary collectors still enjoy the toys -- there's no hiding the glee when some of the interviewees bring out an old favorite and give it a spin in the hand -- and it's in their expressive eyes and the clarity of their hearts where the toy's true value appears. Most of the interviewees are loathe to share financial details behind acquisitions, happy to share the emotional connection before the financial considerations.

Still, one of the great joys is simply soaking in backgrounds and desks and exploring all of the toys, many of which are of course vintage, that appear throughout the series. Some toys are obviously a focal point, but more so, often, it’s the story rather than the toys themselves which are central. The show finds a fantastic balance in each episode between information delivery and eye candy, some of which can admittedly be bittersweet on both ends, as audiences reminisce over days long gone or when creators lament toys that didn’t work on the market for one reason or another (thanks Episode I). The show blends in some fun archival footage, largely in the way of vintage television commercials, but is mostly concerned with a larger verbal retrospective that is seeped in sentimentally and honed in the lens of history.

The Toys That Made Us: Season 1 & 2 Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

The Toys That Made Us: Seasons 1 & 2 features a consistent quality of presentation across both Blu-ray discs. New interviews are from a digital source. The image is fine, with enough sharpness, detail, screen clarity, and color fidelity to please, both when looking at interviewees and as the camera explores some of the toys and collectibles within some of the more expansive, elaborate, and visually expressive collections. For detail or colors this won't be mistaken for a major Hollywood production but everything is in fine working order, with sharpness aplenty, showing human subject skin details and interesting points of construction and wear on the toys. Banding occasionally appears across solidly colored walls and bursts of noise are infrequent but heavy when visible. The image is certainly not dynamic but it's largely proficient and capable given the style and subject matter.

The Toys That Made Us: Season 1 & 2 Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

The Toys That Made Us: Seasons 1 & 2's DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 lossless soundtrack, the only audio option available (English SDH subtitles are also included), handles duties admirably. The track is of little sonic note because the show's sound design is very straightforward. The track is dialogue heavy, with narration and interviews coming across clearly and perfectly imaged to the front-center position. Music usually plays behind the spoken word. It's perfectly clear and well spaced. The opening title theme is the most energetically effective and obviously detailed in the program. The odd sound effect presents with good positioning across the front, both for discrete placement and wider expression. The track is a nice complimentary fit. It conveys the show's audio needs without overwhelming any area.

The Toys That Made Us: Season 1 & 2 Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

The Toys That Made Us: Seasons 1 & 2 contains all of its supplemental content on disc three, including several featurettes (which are mostly extended interviews) and a number of deleted scenes. The set ships in DigiPack packaging. Disc One appears on its own hub on the left while season two's disc and the bonus features disc may be found staggered-stacked on the right. There is a complimentary solid color purple interior. The DigiPack ships inside a larger box that includes a small plastic 80s television set with the show's title on the screen. There is also a slot on the back so fans can hang it on the wall off a nail.

• Featurette with Show Creator Brian Volk-Weiss (1080p, 8:22): From his own collectables room, Volk-Weiss introduces the show's structure, the assembly process, fan reaction, key moments from the first two seasons, his favorite toys, and more.
• Barbie 80's Marketing (1080p, 1:42): A deleted scene that explores the process of reinvigorating flatlining Barbie sales. Why it's not included with the other deleted scenes (see below) is a mystery.
• More Stories that Made Us: GI Joe the Story of Cobra (1080p, 1:22): A quick look at Marvel's role in creating a villain for Hasbro's G.I. Joe line.
• More Stories that Made Us: Selling the Show (1080p, 1:11): A lightning-quick look at the lengthy process of getting the show from conception to creation.
• Jim Swearingen Extended Interview (1080p, 7:29): Swearingen discusses seeing Star Wars, spending an hour with George Lucas, movie and toy tie-ins, and working in toy design.
• Peter Cullen Extended Interview (2080p, 6:33): The voice of Optimus Prime discusses his fame, the Transformers franchise, his personal Transformers toys, his real-life relationships with Frank Welker, and working with Hasbro.
• Todd McFarlane on LEGO (1080p, 2:54): McFarlane discusses how he fills the niche spaces between large brands and the longevity of construction toys.
• Todd McFarlane on Star Trek (1080p, 8:09): McFarlane on collecting Star Trek, the series' evergreen status, the importance of character detailing and recognizability, and Trek fandom.
• Hideki Yoke/Takara Tour (1080p, 10:50): A fun behind-the-scenes tour of where Takara's toys come to life, from conception to production.
• Deleted Scenes (1080p): Each scene is preceded by the same little introductory vignette. Included are Star Wars Inflatable Lightsaber (0:56), Star Wars The Falcon Mold (1:24), Star Wars VLIX (1:31), Star Wars Peg Warmers (1:15), Star Wars Revenge of the Jedi (1:33), He-Man Wonderbread (2:09), Barbie a Bad Case of the Worms (1:42), Star Trek (1:57), and Transformers G2 (0:53).

The Toys That Made Us: Season 1 & 2 Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

For the target audience -- adults in their 40s who grew up in the late 1970s and throughout the 1980s, who played with so many of the toys featured in the program -- there may be a very real sense of melancholy with the nostalgia, but aren't the two often inexorably connected in the first place? It's great to revisit these brands and relive so many memories, but it's also proof of life's forward movement and for most in the audience it'll be a realization of that truth rather than a revitalization of want for the products. Still, it's a highly effective and sometimes even deeply moving tribute to a generation's playthings, interwoven in the prism of a larger popular culture that was then and in many ways remains today. The Toys That Made Us: Seasons 1 & 2 features perfectly fine video and audio presentations. Supplements are not exhaustive by any measure and largely add up to deleted scenes and extra interviews. Very highly recommended.