Over on Instagram, we've been taking pictures of things and offering up slightly amusing facts about them. So far we've toured a grocery store and public library. Next up: Toys R Us!

For our latest field trip, I dragged along my three-year-old daughter Charlotte. She was paid in coloring books and a Bubble Guppies DVD. This will all be in my expense report. Let's get to the facts!

The Super Soaker was invented by NASA engineer Lonnie Johnson. It was originally called the Power Drencher.

*



When he was asked where all the other females were, Smurfs creator Peyo said this: "Smurfette is your mother, she is your sister, she is all women."

*



In 1970, Ernie reached #16 on the Billboard Hot 100 with the timeless hit "Rubber Duckie."

*



Eleanor Abbott invented Candy Land as a diversion for children recovering from polio.

*



Barbie has worked as a Rockette, a rapper, and an Air Force Thunderbird Squadron Leader. And now, a creepy video camera.

*



Jaleel White ("Steve Urkel") was the voice of Sonic in the Sonic the Hedgehog cartoon.

*



Joel Glickman came up with the idea for K'Nex while playing with drinking straws at a wedding.

*



In 1991 Wayne Allwine, the voice of Mickey Mouse, married Russi Taylor—the voice of Minnie.

*



The FAO in FAO Schwarz stands for Frederick August Otto, who founded the company with his brothers. Toys R Us acquired the company in 2009.

*



On its website, Toys R Us admits the company's name "draws ire from parents and teachers alike for its grammatical incorrectness."

*



When Milton Bradley introduced Twister in 1966, critics denounced the game as "sex in a box."

*



Lincoln Logs were invented by Frank Lloyd Wright’s son.

*



The patient's name in Operation is Cavity Sam.

*



On the 1980s ThunderCats cartoon, Cliff Huxtable's dad (Earle Hyman) was the voice of Panthro. Panthro must have been sold out today.

*



Before Pixar settled on Toy Story, other names suggested include Made in Taiwan, Moving Buddies, and Toyz in the Hood.

*



And before deciding on Buzz Lightyear, Pixar considered calling their spaceman Lunar Larry.

*



Back in 2008, Little Tikes sold 457,000 Cozy Coupes, making it the best-selling car in America. (This one was built by Santa.)

*



According to Crayola, the average kid wears out about 730 crayons by his or her 10th birthday.

*



Jesse "The Body" Ventura was born James George Janos. This action figure was probably purchased at Toys R Us in 1987. You can test your knowledge of WWF action figures in this quiz.

If you're on Instagram, we're @mental_floss. Leave a comment and let us know where we should go next!