Who hasn't played a game of Go Fish, rummy, Uno, Old Maid or poker? The only surprise is that it took until 2010 for playing cards to be inducted into the Toy Hall of Fame. With origins in China, India, and Egypt, playing cards became widely known in Europe after the 1600s. Tax laws forced card makers to design the ace in specific ways, to prove the playing card tax was paid. The first American card decks were printed after the Revolutionary War, and looked very similar to the cards we use today.