Combine a light box with colored plastic pegs and a pegboard and the result is Lite Brite®, a creative toy first introduced by the Hasbro toy company in 1967. For a generation of post-Baby Boom children, Lite Brite® was a welcome addition to other electrified toys such as the Easy Bake Oven® and vibrating football tables. Lite Brite® also had the added appeal of working best in the dark, an interesting place for young children to explore. Stencils included with the set took much of the guesswork out for younger artists, while the open pegboard and wide spectrum of colored pegs appealed to older children and even adults.
A Lite Brite® light box was usually powered by a single high wattage incandescent bulb judiciously placed out of the reach of young hands. Various stencils contained in the Lite Brite® kit could be attached to the pegboard, which encouraged children to place the appropriate colored pegs around the outline of their favorite animals, flowers or other fanciful designs. Once all the pegs were firmly in place, the finished project could be enjoyed by all, especially in a completely darkened room.
While a Lite Brite® set did provide hours of entertainment for children, it could also be a little challenging for parents at times. Lost pegs were often discovered by vacuum cleaners later, and replacing the light bulbs contained inside the display box often became a parent's responsibility. The small, colorful pegs were also appealing to very small children, which occasionally led to accidental but non-toxic ingestions. As long as older children remained diligent about picking up stray pegs and turning off the light box, however, Lite Brite® was a relatively safe toy.
Hasbro still manufactures Lite Brite® sets, although they have made a few modifications along the way. Modern sets could have pegboards on the top and sides of a cube, for example, and the color spectrum has been expanded to include more pastel and fluorescent shades. There is also a Lite Brite® set which combines traditional peg lighting with elements of Spin Art® — a blank piece of paper is attached to a spinning table and the young artist applies various fluorescent paints to create abstract designs. Future generations may still be able to enjoy the simple fun of creating colorful pictures with the help of a Lite Brite® set.
