Candy Canes and Silver Lanes – The Invention of a Holiday Favorite

The holiday season is nearly upon us, and that means it's time to indulge in a favorite sugary wintertime delight – candy canes! Whether they're decorating storefronts, adorning Christmas trees or filling up stockings above the fireplace, candy canes are sure to be a prominent reminder of the month ahead. But did you ever wonder when candy canes were invented, or how they came to be so familiar in the winter landscape?

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ABC to Air American Inventor Reality TV Show

Simon Cowell and FremantleMedia, the producers of American Idol, are searching for America's next great invention! American Inventor, a new network primetime reality show appearing on ABC, will reward one inventor with a one million-dollar prize!

Read more about ABC's American Inventor Reality TV Show

Parenting Products & Innovations Awards Program Now Accepting Entries

Let parents know about your invention! Time is growing short to enter innovative parenting products into this year's annual "Best Resources for Parents" Awards Program. Now celebrating its eighth year, the National Parenting Publications Awards (NAPPA) Parenting Resources division is an awards program recognizing the best in parenting product innovations, such as baby gear, maternity and breastfeeding products, and gadgets. The competition is open to new products and innovations, as well as "How To" tapes, videos, Web sites and publications.

Learn more about the NAPPA 2006 contest

How was the toy train set invented?

Joshua Lionel Cowen originally designed a miniature train set as a retail window decoration. When people asked to buy the train instead of the window merchandise, he decided to go into business selling train sets. In 1900, Cowen founded Lionel Toy Trains, which still produces the staple American toy.

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