You Might Be An Engineer If...You Played With These Toys

The Erector Set is just the starting point. These toys were the building blocks of the inquisitive engineering psyche.

Vintage Erector Set A.C. Gilbert Erector Set

This is a shot from one that is offered on eBay. So, if you mom threw yours out when you went off to college, you can replace it. (Image source: A.C. Gilbert)

Meccano Erector Super Construction Set

If you’re Gen X, you probably had this updated erector set. Makes me envy my little brother. (Image source: Meccano)

Tinkertoys

Mom always thought I was going to put my eye out with ne of the sticks. A stonemason named Charles Pajeau created the concept for Tinkertoys around 1910 after observing children playing with empty spools of thread, pencils, and sticks. (Image source: National Museum of Play)

Girder and Panel Set

We loved Kenner’s Girder and Panel l set because you could build modern-looking buildings and bridges. Way cooler than Lincoln Logs. I still admire the 1950s and 1960s buildings around town that look like the building I could construct with my Girder and Panel set. (Image source: Kenner)

Engino Deluxe Architecture Set

Another one for the Gen X’ers. It’s plenty cool. You get to build the Eiffel Tower and Sydney Bridge. (Image source: Engino)

The Beginnings of Lego

When Lego appeared it was   quite basic compared to what it became. Nonetheless, it was worth hours and hours of pre-engineering fun. (Image source: Lego)

Gilbert Chemistry Set

The early chemistry sets were incredibly cool. You got a teaspoon for measuring, a test tube, a test tube holder, a glass pipette tube for transference of liquids, a glass stirrer, a couple litmus papers in their own envelope and a bunch of glass bottles of powdered chemicals. The odors freaked out Mom. (Image source: Gilbert)

Mego’s Rocket Tubes

Micronauts was a North American science fiction toyline manufactured and marketed by Mego from 1976 to 1980. The Micronauts toyline was based on and licensed from the Microman toyline created by Japanese-based toy company Takara in 1974. (Image source: Mego)

Euler’s Disk

Euler's Disk, invented between 1987 and 1990 by Joseph Bendik, is a trademark for a scientific educational toy. It is used to illustrate and study the dynamic system of a spinning and rolling disk on a flat or curved surface, and it has been the subject of a number of scientific papers. (Image source: Toysmith)

Snap Circuits

The 1980s toys, Snap Circuits let you build nice projects such as AM radios, burglar alarms, doorbells, and more. You can even play electronic games. The parts were mounted on plastic modules that snapped together. (Image source: Elenco)

ThinkFun Gravity Maze

The 1970s ThinkFun Gravity Maze was a combination logic game, marble run, and STEM toy. It contained 60 challenges from beginner to expert, a game grid, 9 towers, 1 target piece, and 3 marbles. (Image source: ThinkFun)

Lionel’s Plastic Engineering Lab

This rare 1961 toy let you build and operate your own Lionel Electronic Lab. The idea was to control appliances with moisture, heat, and light detectors. You could “build a fire alarm with temperature detector, build moisture detector, build burglar alarm with light detector, develop missile control circuitry, explore electric circuitry and employ rapid action computer wiring.” I didn’t have one of these let us know if you did. (Image source: Lionel)