TV Guide Picks Toys We Grew Up With
as Top Holiday Special
Toys We Grew Up With, a holiday special produced by Thea Flaum Productions (now Grand and Noble Productions) for Home & Garden Television was selected by TV Guide as one of five programs highlighted in its "Holiday Viewing Guide."
The one-hour prime time special was first broadcast right before Thanksgiving on November 24, 2002 with an encore performance on December 13, 2002. It has aired during every Christmas season since. The show was produced by Dan Lombardi, Senior Producer at Thea Flaum Productions (now Grand and Noble Productions).
TV Guide November 19, 2002
Lite-Brite, Etch A Sketch, Hot Wheels-they're the toys that baby boomers loved best. These time-honored playthings-along with Play-Doh, Lincoln Logs and Legos-get their nostalgic due on HGTV's Toys We Grew Up With. Combining vintage TV spots with contemporary man-on-the-street interviews, the special makes the case that toys and games that are both fun and educational never lose their appeal. "When people watch this show, they're going to call their moms and say. 'Do you have any of our old toys?'" says senior producer Dan Lombardi, 33, who still has his GI Joe dolls. He points out that fewer choices in toy aisles in previous generations led to greater loyalty: "The toys meant more to us because we spent more time with them." On the hour-long show, toy historians and designers discuss the appeal of such favorites as Mouse Trap and Simon, while toy lovers decide which makes the tastier cake, the Kenner Easy-Bake Oven or the Holly Hobby Oven. Toys also provides some staggering statistics. "Did you know that three Barbie dolls are sold every second worldwide?" Lombardi asks. No, but that's a lot of tiny uncomfortable shoes.
-Frank DeCaro