History's Best Selling Toys of 1938

Hats off to 1938! Few toys commanded as much fanfare and nationwide excitement as Beach Ball. Alongside sensationally popular hits like Army Men and essential classics, consumers eagerly embraced the swell Yankee ingenuity and home-front craftsmanship. Pioneering outfits from industry leaders like Jonathan DeLonge and Bergen Toy & Novelty Co. set the standard for quality, producing celebrated items that swept main street from coast to coast as genuine top-flight hits. Browse our definitive retrospective below to rediscover the genuine articles of the era.

1. Beach Ball

   Released in 1938 by Jonathan DeLonge

   On June 1, 1938, a new icon of summer fun was born. Californian Jonathan DeLonge is credited with finalizing the design and production of the modern, inflatable beach ball on this day. The timing was perfect. The 1930s saw a rise in American leisure culture, with seaside resorts and public beaches becoming increasingly popular destinations for families seeking escape and recreation. Before DeLonge's invention, beach toys were often heavy and cumbersome. His lightweight, brightly colored, and easily portable sphere arrived as the perfect accessory for the burgeoning beach culture, offering an affordable and accessible form of entertainment that perfectly captured the carefree spirit of a day by the water.

2. Army Men

   Released in 1938 by Bergen Toy & Novelty Co.

   On January 1, 1938, the landscape of children's play was quietly revolutionized with the debut of plastic toy soldiers by the Bergen Toy & Novelty Co. (Beton). While metal toy soldiers had been collectibles for decades, this date marks the beginning of their mass-market, affordable plastic counterparts in the United States. In a world teetering on the brink of another major conflict and just emerging from the Great Depression, these small figures were a product of their time. They offered an inexpensive and accessible way for children to engage in imaginative play that mirrored the growing military consciousness of the era, making them an instant and enduring classic.