The Toys That Made Us

The Toys That Made Us
Title screen
GenreDocumentary
Created byBrian Volk-Weiss
Directed by
Narrated byDonald Ian Black
Country of originUnited States
Original languageEnglish
No. of seasons3
No. of episodes12
Production
Executive producers
  • Brian Volk-Weiss
  • Tom Stern
  • Cisco Henson
  • Anne Carkeet
  • Edwin Zane
Running time43-51 minutes
Production companyThe Nacelle Company
Original release
NetworkNetflix
ReleaseDecember 22, 2017 (2017-12-22) –
present
Infobox instructions (only shown in preview)

The Toys That Made Us is an American documentary television series created by Brian Volk-Weiss.[1] The first four episodes of the series began streaming on Netflix on December 22, 2017,[2] and the next four were released on May 25, 2018.[3] The eight-episode documentary series, as it was originally touted, focuses on the history of important toy lines. The first four episodes focus on the Star Wars, He-Man, Barbie, and G.I. Joe toy lines[4][5] with subsequent episodes featuring LEGO, Transformers, Hello Kitty, and Star Trek,[6] which aired on May 25, 2018.[7] On July 19, 2018, it was announced at San Diego Comic-Con that the show had been picked up for a third season, with episodes featuring Power Rangers, professional wrestling, My Little Pony, and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, and was released to Netflix on November 15, 2019.[8][9]

In November 2019, Netflix released a spin-off series, The Movies That Made Us, focusing on the development of classic films.[10] In July 2024, Nacelle announced that the show was renewed for a fourth and fifth season, with episodes featuring Superhero Toys, Nerf, Pokémon, American Greetings, Hot Wheels, Ghostbusters, Polly Pocket, and Fast Food Toys.[11][12]

  1. ^ "A toy story for nerds like us—Netflix's The Toys That Made Us doc drops next week". Ars Technica. Retrieved 3 January 2018.
  2. ^ "New on Netflix in December: 'The Crown,' 'Fuller House,' and more". EW.com. Retrieved 2017-12-05.
  3. ^ Hall, Charlie (2017-12-29). "Netflix's The Toys That Made Us explains how Star Wars changed toys forever". Polygon. Retrieved 2018-01-02.
  4. ^ "Here's What's New to Stream in December on Amazon, Netflix, and Hulu". Vogue. Retrieved 2017-12-05.
  5. ^ "Netflix Series THE TOYS THAT MADE US to Premiere on December 22nd - Outright Geekery". Outright Geekery. 2017-11-21. Archived from the original on 2018-10-11. Retrieved 2017-12-05.
  6. ^ The Toys That Made Us season two will feature Lego, Star Trek and more, Charlie Hall, polygon.com Posted January 10, 2018, Retrieved February 8, 2018.
  7. ^ "What's coming soon to Netflix UK in May 2018?". VOD News. April 24, 2018. Retrieved April 24, 2018.
  8. ^ Moore, Kasey (September 4, 2019). "'The Toys That Made Us' Season 3 Coming to Netflix in November 2019". What's on Netflix. Retrieved September 4, 2019.
  9. ^ "Toys That Made Us Season 3 Will Feature Power Rangers, Wrestling, TMNT, and My Little Pony". Bleeding Cool News. July 19, 2018. Retrieved July 19, 2018.
  10. ^ "[Trailer] Netflix's "The Movies That Made Us" Shines the Spotlight on 'Ghostbusters' & More on November 29!". Bloody Disgusting. November 26, 2019. Retrieved November 26, 2019.
  11. ^ Tapp, Tom (July 25, 2024). "Nacelle Announces Seasons 4 & 5 Of The Toys That Made Us". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved July 25, 2024.
  12. ^ "The Toys That Made Us is Returning to Netflix to Make Us Nostalgic All over Again". 28 July 2024.