Facebook Twitter Instagram YouTube
    Nostalgia Central
    • Home
    • Blog
      • Lists
    • Television
      • TV by Decade
        • TV – 1950s
        • TV – 1960s
        • TV – 1970s
        • TV – 1980s
        • TV – 1990s
      • Comedy
      • Drama
      • Kids TV
      • Variety
      • News & Sport
      • Advertisements
    • Music
      • Music by Decade
        • Music – 1950s
        • Music – 1960s
        • Music – 1970s
        • Music – 1980s
        • Music – 1990s
      • Artists – A to K
        • Artists – A
        • Artists – B
        • Artists – C
        • Artists – D
        • Artists – E
        • Artists – F
        • Artists – G
        • Artists – H
        • Artists – I
        • Artists – J
        • Artists – K
      • Artists – L to Z
        • Artists – L
        • Artists – M
        • Artists – N
        • Artists – O
        • Artists – P
        • Artists – Q
        • Artists – R
        • Artists – S
        • Artists – T
        • Artists – U
        • Artists – V
        • Artists – W
        • Artists – X
        • Artists – Y
        • Artists – Z
      • Artists – 0 to 9
      • Genres
      • Music on Film & TV
      • One-Hit Wonders
      • Playlists
      • Online Radio
    • Movies
      • Movies by Decade
        • Movies – 1950s
        • Movies – 1960s
        • Movies – 1970s
        • Movies – 1980s
        • Movies – 1990s
      • Movies – 0 to 9
      • Movies – A to K
        • Movies – A
        • Movies – B
        • Movies – C
        • Movies – D
        • Movies – E
        • Movies – F
        • Movies – G
        • Movies – H
        • Movies – I
        • Movies – J
        • Movies – K
      • Movies – L to Z
        • Movies – L
        • Movies – M
        • Movies – N
        • Movies – O
        • Movies – P
        • Movies – Q
        • Movies – R
        • Movies – S
        • Movies – T
        • Movies – U
        • Movies – V
        • Movies – W
        • Movies – X
        • Movies – Y
        • Movies – Z
    • Pop Culture
      • Fads
      • Toys & Games
      • Fashion
      • Decor
      • Food & Drink
      • People
      • Technology
      • Transport
    • Social History
      • 1950s Year by Year
      • 1960s Year by Year
      • 1970s Year by Year
      • 1980s Year by Year
      • 1990s Year by Year
      • Events
    Nostalgia Central
    Home»Pop Culture»Toys & Games
    Toys & Games 2 Mins Read

    Whee-Lo

    Share
    Facebook Twitter Pinterest WhatsApp Reddit Email

    Toys of the 1950s often look very simplistic compared to modern ones, yet many toys from this era have endured and continue to populate toy store shelves today.

    wheelo9The reason lies in the timeless design of these toys, built on a genuine idea instead of a passing fad.

    An excellent example is Whee-Lo, a simple but fascinating item that has entertained children of all ages for almost five decades.

    Maggie Magnetic, Inc. produced the first Whee-Lo toys in the early 1950s.

    The toy was very straightforward in its design, consisting of a red plastic wheel with a magnetized axle and a j-shaped, two-pronged piece of curved wire.

    Just this minimalist set-up offered plenty of mesmerising entertainment.

    wheeloThe fun began when you placed the wheel within the wire loop, then angled it so the wheel rolled toward the curved end.

    The combination of the magnet and the momentum kept the wheel spinning as long as you were willing to tip the wire loop back and forth.

    Whee-Lo toys did quite well with kids thanks to their ability to provide hypnotic fun, an element of the toy that made it a perfect accessory for otherwise dull activities like car rides and waiting for the school bus.

    Parents liked them because they kept kids occupied with a quiet source of enjoyment, and teachers liked them because Whee-Lo toys illustrated scientific principles like kinetic energy, gravity and rotational energy. It was truly a toy with something to please everyone.

    The Whee-Lo quickly became a staple of toy stores and continues to be available today. Skilcraft currently makes the original Whee-Lo toy, while companies like Binary Arts Corporation make Whee-Lo-styled toys like Wizmo.

    No matter what the name is, this is one toy that truly lives up to its timeless tag and will no doubt entertain children with its spellbinding fun for many years to come.

    Related Posts

    • Breakout
      Breakout
      Designed by future Apple Computer founder Steve Jobs (though Apple co-founder Steve Wozniak reportedly did the bulk of the work),…
    • WWF Action Figures
      WWF Action Figures
      Action figures had many faces in the early 80s - the blonde brawn of He-Man, the buzz-cut ruggedness of G.I.…
    • Space Invaders
      Space Invaders
      Backed by a thudding bass beat, dozens of invaders from another world descended on our planet in 1978. Within months,…
    • Major Matt Mason
      Major Matt Mason
      "Mattel’s Man in Space!" Space exploration was the dream of many a young mind in the late 1960s, and Major…
    • Video Games
      Video Games
      Encouraged by the success of Atari, other companies tried dipping their joysticks into the home video game market in 1976. Coleco…
    • Arcade Games
      Arcade Games
      Early 1950s fore-runners of arcade games included photo booths which became a national craze and shuffle games which moved beyond…
    • Tank
      Tank
      Into a world of Pong clones rolled a pair of tanks, firing artillery shells that rocked the arcade game world.…
    • Video Pinball
      Video Pinball
      Despite some industry fears, video didn’t kill the pinball star. Flipper-fuelled action had been an arcade mainstay since long before…

    Share. Facebook Twitter Pinterest WhatsApp Reddit Email
    Previous ArticleWeebles
    Next Article Wizzzer

    Comments are closed.

    Follow us
    • Facebook
    • Twitter
    • YouTube
    • Instagram
    You May Also Like
    • Ricky and The Magic Trolley
      1 9 5 2 (USA) 15 minute episodes This early Californian […]
    • Get Up and Go!/Mooncat and Co
      1 9 8 1 – 1 9 8 5 (UK) 20 minute episodes Beryl Reid and […]
    • Martin
      1 9 9 2 – 1 9 9 7 (USA) Comedian Martin Lawrence starred […]
    • Turtle’s Progress
      1 9 7 9 – 1 9 8 0 (UK) 7 x 60 minute episodes Six months […]
    • Dirty Dancing (1987)
      It’s the summer of 1963. Johnny Castle (Patrick Swayze) is […]
    • Tall Story (1960)
      Tall Story is dated, but deliciously so. June Ryder (Jane Fonda […]
    Twitter Feed
    Please note


    Nostalgia Central covers the period 1950 to 1999 and contains some words and references which reflect the attitudes of those times and which may be considered culturally sensitive, offensive or inappropriate today.
    Popular Tags
    1969 1970 1971 1972 1973 1975 1976 Action Figures Amicus Arcade games Australia Beach movies Beatles Blaxploitation Board games Britpop Canada Crime Disco Disney Doo-Wop Elvis Presley Girl groups Glam Goth Hammer Heavy Metal Irwin Allen Labels Merseybeat Mod revival Motown New Romantic New Wave NWOBHM Oi! One-hit wonders Power Pop Pub rock Punk Radio Scotland Ska Soul music Surf music
    Search Nostalgia Central
    Copyright © 1998, 2022 Nostalgia Central
    • About
    • Contact
    • FAQ

    Type above and press Enter to search. Press Esc to cancel.