Archives: Useless Facts

Mickey and Minnie Mouse appeared together in the very first Disney short “Plane Crazy” on May 15, 1928 and have been together ever since.  Walt Disney probably never imagined at the time, that the little drawing of a mouse would go on to be probably the most recognizable and iconic cartoon character on the planet. What he also could never have imagined is that there are two people behind the scenes that very few people know about, who met because of these two mice and their lives were intertwined with Mickey’s and Minnie’s for a very long time happily ever after! Can you figure it out?

The first toy advertised on television was Mr. Potato Head, invented by George Lerner in 1949 and first manufactured and distributed by Hasbro in 1952. While the original toy featured individual plastic “pushpin” parts that could be pushed into real potatoes, in 1964, based on numerous complaints of kids holding on to rotting vegetables and new government regulations, Hasbro started including a plastic potato “body” with the toy.  Hasbro then started manufacturing Mrs. Potato Head and soon there was a car and boat trailer to add as accessories.

The Mr. and Mrs. Potato Head characters appeared in Toy Story and a Mr. Potato Head balloon has even joined the annual Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade.  Just this past year, Hasbro announced it would be dropping the “Mr.” and “Mrs.” honorifics and will be promoting the toy simply as Potato Head, although the individual Mr. and Mrs. Potato Head characters will still live on!

 

 

What was the first toy that was advertised on television?

The Australian 50 cent piece, depicts an Emu and a Kangaroo holding the Australian coat of arms!  The Emu is a flightless bird indigenous to Australia and is the second largest living bird.  Kangaroos, also indigenous to Australia, are well known for hopping on their hind legs. They have long tails (used for balance) and like most marsupials, female kangaroos have a pouch called a marsupium in which the babies (joeys) finish their postnatal development.

 

 

Which two animals are on the Australian 50 cent coin?

 

Henry VIII, the monarch most commonly remembered for his succession of wives, had six:   Catherine of Aragon (who was his brother’s widow), Anne Boleyn, Jane Seymour, Anne of Cleves, Catherine Howard, and Catherine Parr.

How many wives did Henry VIII have?

Bennett Cerf, editor, publisher and founder of Random House challenged Dr. Seuss to write a book using no more than 50 different words. The result: Green Eggs and Ham.

 

At least one Dr. Seuss book was the result of a challenge. Who made the challenge and what was the book?

Wilson Phillips is the vocal group that performed at at the wedding in the motion picture Bridesmaids.