Weeble
Encyclopedia
Weebles is a trademark for several lines of children's roly-poly toy
s originating in Hasbro
's Playskool
division on July 23, 1971. Tipping an egg
-shaped Weeble causes a weight located at the bottom-center to be lifted off the ground. Once released, gravitational force (called torque
) bring the Weeble back into an upright position, though inertia
causes the toy to wobble briefly before coming to a standstill. Weebles have been designed to have a variety of shapes, including some designed to look like people and like animals, among others.
The popular catchphrase, "Weebles wobble
, but they don't fall down", was used in advertising during their rise in popularity in the 1970s and during the relaunch in the 2000s. It also appeared in the 2010's relaunch.
The Weebles 1971-2011 Price Guide and Index Book lists and shows every Weeble model made over the past 40 years. There are 21 peelable / 83 regular / 12 tumbling = 116 Weebles in total including all egg shaped sizes and variations made during 1971-1983. In 2010 Hasbro started making a new line of larger egg-shaped Weebles and has so-far produced 42 new Weebles as of July 2011.
A wide range of accessories were available for the Weebles including vehicles, buildings and furniture. Some sets had a theme to them, such as the Weebles circus set.
(to allow the Weeble to roll) and from the central vertical axis
the shape must be nearly cylindrically symmetrical
(that is, any plane cut through the vertical axis line must produce close to the same profile). Next, the shape must be filled with two basic types of unmixed solids
, and the volume
of the lighter solid must be greater than that of the heavier solid. Next, the overall shape must have constant positive curvature
. Next, the relationship between the heavy solid and the light solid must be such that any orientation of the object off of the vertical axis line must cause the object's centroid
to raise and to become offset. Lastly, the object must have only one position in which it can achieve stable mechanical equilibrium
.
Combining these characteristics produces a basic Weeble. In theory, it is not possible to have a Weeble with a centroids that is too low to achieve a stable mechanical equilibrium as long as moving the object into any position away from this equilibrium causes that centroid to both go up and to no longer occur along the vertical axis.
INDEX TO ALL WEEBLES PLAYSETS (1971-1983)
There are 44 weebles sets that include at least 1 weebles figure and a vehicle or larger sets made between 1972-1982.
A new line of Weebles was created in 2004 that were not egg-shaped but rather shaped like different animals. These were produced for a couple of years.
Weebleville (2004–2005)
Storybook World (2006)
New Generation (2010-present)
Roly-poly toy
A roly-poly toy, round-bottomed doll, tilting doll, tumbler or wobbly man is a toy that rights itself when pushed over. The bottom of a roly-poly toy is round, roughly a hemisphere. Many roly-poly toys are hollow, with a weight inside the bottom. It has a center of mass below the center of the...
s originating in Hasbro
Hasbro
Hasbro is a multinational toy and boardgame company from the United States of America. It is one of the largest toy makers in the world. The corporate headquarters is located in Pawtucket, Rhode Island, United States...
's Playskool
Playskool
Playskool is an American company that produces educational toys and games for children. It is a subsidiary of Hasbro, Inc., and is headquartered in Pawtucket, Rhode Island.-History:...
division on July 23, 1971. Tipping an egg
Egg (biology)
An egg is an organic vessel in which an embryo first begins to develop. In most birds, reptiles, insects, molluscs, fish, and monotremes, an egg is the zygote, resulting from fertilization of the ovum, which is expelled from the body and permitted to develop outside the body until the developing...
-shaped Weeble causes a weight located at the bottom-center to be lifted off the ground. Once released, gravitational force (called torque
Torque
Torque, moment or moment of force , is the tendency of a force to rotate an object about an axis, fulcrum, or pivot. Just as a force is a push or a pull, a torque can be thought of as a twist....
) bring the Weeble back into an upright position, though inertia
Inertia
Inertia is the resistance of any physical object to a change in its state of motion or rest, or the tendency of an object to resist any change in its motion. It is proportional to an object's mass. The principle of inertia is one of the fundamental principles of classical physics which are used to...
causes the toy to wobble briefly before coming to a standstill. Weebles have been designed to have a variety of shapes, including some designed to look like people and like animals, among others.
The popular catchphrase, "Weebles wobble
Wobble
Wobble or wobbles can mean:* Wobble, to shake, or wiggle.* Wobble or wobbling effect, an artifact in video known as screen tearing* Wobble base pair, a type of basepair in genetics translation...
, but they don't fall down", was used in advertising during their rise in popularity in the 1970s and during the relaunch in the 2000s. It also appeared in the 2010's relaunch.
The Weebles 1971-2011 Price Guide and Index Book lists and shows every Weeble model made over the past 40 years. There are 21 peelable / 83 regular / 12 tumbling = 116 Weebles in total including all egg shaped sizes and variations made during 1971-1983. In 2010 Hasbro started making a new line of larger egg-shaped Weebles and has so-far produced 42 new Weebles as of July 2011.
A wide range of accessories were available for the Weebles including vehicles, buildings and furniture. Some sets had a theme to them, such as the Weebles circus set.
Design principle
A Weeble is shaped like an egg-- in order for the physics principles to work as intended, the shape must have a bottom which is a more or less smooth (unfaceted) hemisphereHemisphere
Hemisphere may refer to:*Half of a sphereAs half of the Earth:*Any half of the Earth, see Hemispheres of the Earth, see:...
(to allow the Weeble to roll) and from the central vertical axis
Cartesian coordinate system
A Cartesian coordinate system specifies each point uniquely in a plane by a pair of numerical coordinates, which are the signed distances from the point to two fixed perpendicular directed lines, measured in the same unit of length...
the shape must be nearly cylindrically symmetrical
Rotational symmetry
Generally speaking, an object with rotational symmetry is an object that looks the same after a certain amount of rotation. An object may have more than one rotational symmetry; for instance, if reflections or turning it over are not counted, the triskelion appearing on the Isle of Man's flag has...
(that is, any plane cut through the vertical axis line must produce close to the same profile). Next, the shape must be filled with two basic types of unmixed solids
Solid
Solid is one of the three classical states of matter . It is characterized by structural rigidity and resistance to changes of shape or volume. Unlike a liquid, a solid object does not flow to take on the shape of its container, nor does it expand to fill the entire volume available to it like a...
, and the volume
Volume
Volume is the quantity of three-dimensional space enclosed by some closed boundary, for example, the space that a substance or shape occupies or contains....
of the lighter solid must be greater than that of the heavier solid. Next, the overall shape must have constant positive curvature
Constant curvature
In mathematics, constant curvature in differential geometry is a concept most commonly applied to surfaces. For those the scalar curvature is a single number determining the local geometry, and its constancy has the obvious meaning that it is the same at all points...
. Next, the relationship between the heavy solid and the light solid must be such that any orientation of the object off of the vertical axis line must cause the object's centroid
Centroid
In geometry, the centroid, geometric center, or barycenter of a plane figure or two-dimensional shape X is the intersection of all straight lines that divide X into two parts of equal moment about the line. Informally, it is the "average" of all points of X...
to raise and to become offset. Lastly, the object must have only one position in which it can achieve stable mechanical equilibrium
Mechanical equilibrium
A standard definition of static equilibrium is:This is a strict definition, and often the term "static equilibrium" is used in a more relaxed manner interchangeably with "mechanical equilibrium", as defined next....
.
Combining these characteristics produces a basic Weeble. In theory, it is not possible to have a Weeble with a centroids that is too low to achieve a stable mechanical equilibrium as long as moving the object into any position away from this equilibrium causes that centroid to both go up and to no longer occur along the vertical axis.
List of playsets
Numerous playsets were made and marketed in the USA throughout the 1970's including a Haunted House, Western Theme Set, Weekender, Circus, Mickey Mouse Playsets and others. Playsets often came with certain figures, though these could also be purchased separately.INDEX TO ALL WEEBLES PLAYSETS (1971-1983)
There are 44 weebles sets that include at least 1 weebles figure and a vehicle or larger sets made between 1972-1982.
- PLAYSET #1 CAR AND CAMPER $100
- PLAYSET #2 PLAYGROUND $60
- PLAYSET #3 BOAT $75
- PLAYSET #4 AIRPORT $100
- PLAYSET #5 CAMP ABOUT $75
- PLAYSET #6 COTTAGE $100
- PLAYSET #7 MARINA $100
- PLAYSET #8 WEST $110
- PLAYSET #9 TREEHOUSE $90
- PLAYSET #10 WAGONMASTER $50
- PLAYSET #11 WESTERN ADVENTURE TRAIN $110
- PLAYSET #12 WIGWAM $75
- PLAYSET #13 TREASURE ISLAND $125
- PLAYSET #14 WEEKENDER $75
- PLAYSET #15 TARZAN JUNGLE HUT $125
- PLAYSET #16 WINNIE THE POOH PLAYSET AT POOH CORNER $125
- PLAYSET #17 TUB-SUB $75
- PLAYSET #18 MICKEY MOUSE CLUBHOUSE $100
- PLAYSET #19 HAUNTED HOUSE $200
- PLAYSET #20 WOBBLE RACE TRACK $85
- PLAYSET #21 MICKEY MOUSE MAGIC KINGDOM $125
- PLAYSET #22 SCHOOL BUS $40
- PLAYSET #23 CIRCUS $120
- PLAYSET #24 RAGGEDY ANN AND ANDY TRAIN $175
- PLAYSET #25 WINNIE THE POOH HUNNY TREE $125
- PLAYSET #26 GHOST VAN $75
- PLAYSET #27 WINNIE THE POOH CIRCUS $150
- PLAYSET #28 SUPER WEEBLE HERO $125
- PLAYSET #29 WEEBICLES $40
- PLAYSET #30 WEEBICLES $40
- PLAYSET #31 WEEBICLES $40
- PLAYSET #32 WEEBLES TRAIN $110
- PLAYSET #33 DAIRY TRUCK $100
- PLAYSET #34 FIRE TRUCK $125
- PLAYSET #35 PLAYHOUSE $90
- PLAYSET #36 BERT’S CONVERTIBLE $40
- PLAYSET #37 BERT’S CONVERTIBLE #2 $40
- PLAYSET #38 BIG BIRD’S PLANE $40
- PLAYSET #39 COOKIE MONSTERS SAILBOAT $40
- PLAYSET #40 ERNIE’S HELICOPTER $40
- PLAYSET #41 BIG BIRD’S TUB SUB SUBMARINE $75
- PLAYSET #42 BERT AND ERNIE’S PLAYGROUND $40
- PLAYSET #43 GOOD WEEBLES BLIMP $50
- PLAYSET #44 TUMBLING FUN HOUSE $80
A new line of Weebles was created in 2004 that were not egg-shaped but rather shaped like different animals. These were produced for a couple of years.
Weebleville (2004–2005)
- Weebleville Town Center
- Weeschool
- Wegetable Stand
- Weebles Barn Dance
- Weehicles (four sets)
- Weemobile
- Wescue Wagon
- Weegoaway Camper
- Weebly Wobbly Tree House
- Figures
- Mini Weebles Pals (larger figures)
Storybook World (2006)
- Hansel and Gretel's Wobbly Adventure
- Jack and Jill's Wobbly Adventure
- Goldilocks' Adventure Cottage
- Cinderella Carriage
- Weebly Knight & Ogre Adventure
- Weebalot Castle
- Figures
New Generation (2010-present)
- Musical Treehouse
- Wobble-Go-Round
- Figures
- Weebles on the Bus
- Bobblin' Boat
- Wobblin' Wings
- Turnin' Whirlin' Racers
- Turn 'n Tumble Home
- Rock 'n Wobble Playground
Cultural references
- In 1977, Weebles were satirized on an episode of British comedy Are You Being Served. The staff of the mens and ladies fashions department are transferred to the toys department where they are given demonstrations of all the toys, including "Wibbly-Wobblies." As with the double entendreDouble entendreA double entendre or adianoeta is a figure of speech in which a spoken phrase is devised to be understood in either of two ways. Often the first meaning is straightforward, while the second meaning is less so: often risqué or ironic....
nature of the series, a character noted that "you have to have two or they won't wobble."
See also
- Roly-poly toyRoly-poly toyA roly-poly toy, round-bottomed doll, tilting doll, tumbler or wobbly man is a toy that rights itself when pushed over. The bottom of a roly-poly toy is round, roughly a hemisphere. Many roly-poly toys are hollow, with a weight inside the bottom. It has a center of mass below the center of the...
- Weebl and BobWeebl and BobThe Everyday Happenings of Weebl is a Flash cartoon series created by Jonti Picking and co-scripted by Chris Vick .-Main summary:...
- Okiagari-koboshiOkiagari-koboshiis a Japanese traditional doll. The toy is made from papier-mâché and is designed so that its weight causes it to return to an upright position if it is knocked over...
- Daruma dollDaruma dollThe , also known as a Dharma doll, is a hollow, round, Japanese traditional doll modeled after Bodhidharma, the founder of the Zen sect of Buddhism. These dolls, though typically red and depicting a bearded man , vary greatly in color and design depending on region and artist...
- GömböcGömböcA gömböc is a convex three-dimensional homogeneous body which, when resting on a flat surface, has just one stable and one unstable point of equilibrium. Its existence was conjectured by Russian mathematician Vladimir Arnold in 1995 and proven in 2006 by Hungarian scientists Gábor Domokos and Péter...