1. Lincoln Logs John Lloyd Wright, son of architect Frank Lloyd Wright, invented this classic building set. The original instructions included plans for a replica of Abraham Lincoln's cabin, obviously, but also directions for building Uncle Tom's cabin. 2. Tinkertoys After a stonemason saw kids building things with pencils and spools of thread, he got the idea for Tinkertoys. 3. Hula Hoops Hula Hoops have been around forever in various formats, but the official Wham-O toy was invented in 1958. The inventors promoted it by going around to playgrounds and parks, giving children samples and showing them how to use it. That marketing campaign probably wouldn't work today.