One doesn’t think about it much as a child, but kids’ toys tend to be really strange, and it’s sometimes surprising that they were ever created to begin with (like Dino-Riders). Remember Lincoln Logs? Turns out they were created by an architect’s son – John Lloyd Wright – and included instructions for a model of Lincoln’s cabin. Play-Doh, as you might suspect, was originally a household cleaner designed to pick dirt off of wallpaper (no doubt its ingredients were quickly made safe and non-toxic for children). The Slinky, meanwhile, was accidentally invente by a Navy engineer who knowcked a spring off a shelf. And Trolls – the greatest toys ever – were invented by a fisherman in Denmark who couldn’t afford to buy his daughter a less creepy doll. Get the full details on these and man more childhood playtime favorites with mental_floss’s listicle of The Origin Stories of 10 Classic Toys.