Made in Hong Kong | sage journalism professor | little manufacturing help

When I was a kid, I played with G.I. Joes, Matchbox cars and plenty of other toys that captivated my attention and kept me out of my mother's hair for a while. If I had ever bothered to look closely at them, I probably would've seen this stamped on them: "Made in Hong Kong."

And, like a sage journalism professor once told me, there's a story there.

That tale is told in the book "Toy Town," which is what Hong Kong became in the decades after World War II. Santa may deliver the toys, but he surely has gotten a little manufacturing help in the former British colony.

Like all terrific reads, "Toy Town" has all the elements to keep you turning page after page: Refugees in a postwar world making good ... crushing setbacks ... dizzying success ... fierce rivalries ... pioneering can-do attitudes.

And if that wasn't enough, there also are Cabbage Patch Kids, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and a cast of other toys that you'll instantly recognize.

Find out more here, and then pick up a copy for yourself here. Just tell 'em G.I. Joe sent you.