All Work and No Play. . .

Although the 1960s were a decade of great social upheaval, Americans still knew how to have fun. A series of fads captured the public's imagination briefly. Toys, hobbies, and dances that everyone could enjoy may have helped Americans keep their sense of community at a time when the country seemed to be splintering.

Toys and Crayons.

Several toys caught on with kids and grown ups alike during the decade. The yo-yo, an ancient weapon from the Philippines that had been marketed as a toy in the United States by Donald F. Duncan since 1923, suddenly surged in popularity in 1961 when Duncan's team of yo-yo experts began giving demonstrations on children's television shows. Over a period of two months New Yorkers bought 4 million yo-yos, and residents of Nashville, a city of 322,000 people, bought 350,000. Wham-O, the toy manufacturers who gave Americans slinkies and...