Lite-Brite

History

Lite-Brite was invented by Burt Meyer, Dalia Verbickas, and Joseph M. Burck at Chicago toy and game design company Marvin Glass and Associates, which licensed the invention to Hasbro. Meyer led the project, Verbickas posited the idea of using a translucent material to direct colored light, and Burck designed the toy itself. Lite-Brite was named one of the top 100 toys of all time by Time magazine in 2011. It was inducted into the National Toy Hall of Fame in 2022.

Description

Lite-Brite allows the artist to create a glowing picture by punching multicolored translucent plastic pegs through opaque black paper. Using a standard light bulb, the light is blocked by the black paper except where the pegs conduct the light. When lit, the pegs have an appearance similar to that of LEDs.

There are eight peg colors: red, blue, orange, white (clear/colorless), green, yellow, pink, and violet (purple).

Because pushing the pegs in punches out the letters on the paper, each sheet can be used only once. Color-by-letter templates were sold with the set so that children could create characters from licensed works including Mickey Mouse, Scooby-Doo, My Little Pony, and Transformers among others. Blank black sheets were also available for those who wanted to create their own images.

Changes

Over the years, Lite-Brite was offered in different forms including a flat-screen version, Lite Brite touch version, a 3D cube, and an FX edition that spins and plays music. The Lite-Brite LED Flat Screen comes in several colors, is LED lit, and is portable, running on three AA batteries. The Lite-Brite 3D cube (called the Four-Share Cube) was LED-lit on four of the six sides of the cube, allowing a child to play with friends or save three of their designs while working on a fourth. The FX Edition is no longer on Hasbro's website.

References

References

1. "Lite-Brite: Retro". Skooldays.com.
2. (31 August 2015). "Art and Creativity with Lite-Brite".
3. "The Idea Man," ''The Toys That Built America'', Season 2, Episode 3, Six West Media Group, 2022
4. Townsend, Allie. (February 16, 2011). "All-TIME 100 Greatest Toys - TIME".
5. "Lite-Brite - The Strong National Museum of Play".
6. "Toy Transformations at WomansDay.com - History of Toys". [[Woman's Day]].
7. Zageris, Larissa. (2024-10-28). "An Old Toy You May Have From Your Childhood Could Be Worth A Lot Of Money".
8. "Lite-Brite – Nostalgia Central".
9. "Handie Art Station > Background > Old Technology: Lite Brite". Segue.atlas.uiuc.edu.