A recent Duracell Christmas ad says, “there’s nothing better than being a kid on Christmas
morning until you become a parent.”
Seeing the light in their eyes when they open a present is special, but so is giving them
a toy you loved when you were their age.
Fads come and go, and the hottest buy of your generation may not be on the shelves anymore.
If you can find it and give it away, it elicits a special kind of memory that nothing can
match.
Keep watching to learn why the most popular Christmas toys by year are instant nostalgia.
1950’s The Magic 8 Ball was the hit of 1950.
It was created by Albert Carter, the son of a professional psychic, and his brother-in-law
Abe Bookman.
They were inspired by the Syco-Seer, a ball with two dice.
They tried several different versions until they created the successful one the world
knows today.
In 1951, art students Harry and Patricia Kislevitz decided to do something about the high cost
of the paint.
They were interested in colorful vinyl and created Colorforms.
They clung to smooth surfaces and could be reused.
Kids loved them, and they only cost $0.25.
George Lerner’s goal was to get children to eat their vegetables.
He originally included face parts to put on them in boxes of cereal.
Hasbro bought his idea and turned it into Mr. Potato Head.
It became the hit toy of 1952.
Model cars were more than a promotional product by 1953; they were popular toys.
Most were made of plastic.
An architect named Alfred M. Butts invented a crossword game during the Depression.
He’d come up with names such as CrissCross Words and Lixko but then licensed it to James
Brunot who called it Scrabble.
Sales didn’t pick up until 1954 and the rights were sold to Hasbro.
The invention of Silly Putty is a mysterious accident.
One explanation says the government wanted to create a synthetic rubber substitute.
They thought it was useless when it couldn’t hold its shape and was prone to melting.
It became a hit toy sold in tiny eggs, and its price of $1 has hardly changed since 1955.
Another mysterious substance that became a hit toy is Play-Doh.
Joe McVicker learned that children didn’t like the feeling of modeling clay, so he sent
a wallpaper-cleaning product to schools as a substitute.
It became a hit in 1956 and is oh-so-satisfying for children and adults to run their fingers
through.
Water balloons are such a staple of summer fun that it seems like they’ve always been
around, but they weren’t a hit toy until 1957.
Edgar Ellington invented them in Britain while trying to make a waterproof sack of latex
and cotton.
He was so frustrated when it leaked that he threw it against the table, and the rest was
history.
Hula hoops are another toy that hasn’t been around as long as you’d think.
They were popular in Australia for years, and Alex Tolmer wanted to make his version.
He sold it to the American company Wham-O who named it after the popular Hawaiin dance
hula.
They gave it away to children in South California and featured it on the Dinah Shore Show, and
the advertising worked.
It came out in 1958 and sold 25 million units in two months.
Ruth Handler created the first Barbie Doll in 1959 as a 3D version of her daughter’s
paper dolls.
That one doll blew up into a massive brand that’s undergone several changes throughout
the years to be more realistic and inclusive. 1960’s
Andre Cassagnes invented the Etch-a-Sketch, which was originally called L’Ecran Magique
or Magic Screen.
The Ohio Art Company bought the rights for $25,000 and renamed it.
Thanks to great marketing, it sold 600,000 units in its breakout year of 1960.
It was one of the first toys to be inducted into the National Toy Hall of Fame.
The Slip ‘N Slide was created by Robert D. Carrier who saw his son and his friends
sliding down wet pavement.
He had experience with synthetic fabrics and made a plastic slide for them to go down,
and it was the hit toy of 1961.
Ernest Thornell saw his daughter dragging her phone around.
That gave him the idea to add wheels and a few buttons for extra entertainment.
Original models of the Chatter Telephone from 1962 were made of wood, but modern ones are
plastic.
The Easy-Bake Oven was here for children who wanted to make edible works of art.
It sold half a million units in its breakout year of 1963 and over 5 million in 5 years.
Betty Crocker even made miniature mixes to use with it.
Hasbro made sure to market G.I.
Joe to boys, dropping the term “doll” and going for “action figure” instead.
He’s also changed in appearance since 1964 but remained “masculine.”
Walter Morrison and Warren Frascioni sold Plastic Saucers or Pluto Platters at county
fairs, and toy company Wham-O bought the rights in 1955.
These Frisbees were soon a staple of every home and college campus.
Milton Bradley was worried that a physical game like Twister might send the wrong message.
It didn’t catch the market until Johnny Carson played it on TV with Eva Gabor in 1966.
Lite-Brite was a simple toy; a back-lit grid with a black sheet of paper that let children
create images by poking holes.
Perhaps that’s what made it so brilliant.
It’s been a hit since 1967, and newer editions let you create pop-culture figures such as
Darth Vader and Scooby-Doo.
Mattel’s co-founder Elliot Handler wanted another product that appealed to boys like
G.I.
Joe.
That came in the form of Hot Wheels.
The original 1968 line included 16 cars.
Lego comes from two Danish words meaning play well, and they continue to pay well since
the first sets came out in 1969.
They started with a set of red and white blocks and have now inspired films, theme parks,
and more.
1970’s NERF is an anagram for non-expanding recreational
foam.
The Nerf football came out in 1972 and was the best-selling in the company’s lineup.
Weebles proved the effectiveness of a great catchphrase like “Weebles wobble, but they
don’t fall down.”
They were strange, egg-shaped figures that every child wanted by 1971.
Merle Robbins owned a barbershop but loved card games and wanted to improve the game
of Crazy Eights.
He succeeded with Uno.
It was the must-have game of 1972 and is now one of the best-selling card games of all
time.
Shrinky Dinks showed children the magic of polystyrene plastic in 1973.
They shrunk and hardened after baking in an oven, and children loved it.
Skateboarding truly began in 1958 but took off in 1974.
Urethane wheels smoothed out what was once a bumpy ride.
One of the most surprising toy crazes began in 1975.
Gary Ross Dahl was drinking with friends and thought of how a rock would be an ideal pet
because it required no effort.
Marketing and timing made it a massive success.
Stretch Armstrong was a figurine made in 1976 from a special blend of plastic, rubber, and
gel.
His limbs could stretch and bend up to four times their size.
The first Star Wars film, Return of the Jedi premiered in 1977, but toy company Kenner
had no idea how popular it would be.
They gave eager kids certificates to redeem at a later date when the action figures were
ready.
By 1978, figurines of Luke, Leia, R2, Chewie, Han, and Darth Vader came out.
They sold in the millions until 1985.
One of the first home game consoles, the Atari 2600, came out in 1977.
Its titles included Frogger, Pac-Man, Space Invaders, and more.
Ralph Baer helped create that essential console and came up with Simon in 1979.
He took cues from the Atari game Touch Me and made a toy that gave you color cues you
had to touch in sequence.
1980’s The Rubik’s Cube debuted in 1980.
It was created as a teaching tool by a Hungarian professor.
but found its footing in 1981.
It sold 100 million units from 1980-1983, and even a 12-year-old’s guide on how to
solve it sold 1.5 million copies.
He-Man and the Masters of the Universe hit TVs in 1981 and, like most hit cartoons, kids
wanted action figures.
A series came out and did its best to compete with Star Wars and G.I.
Joe.
He-Man could throw punches and was two inches larger.
My Little Pony’s first figures came out in 1982.
Like other toys on this list, they were made unique with names and emblems on their bottoms.
You could even groom their hair.
The Cabbage Patch Kids became the must-have toy in 1983 after appearing on an episode
of Real People.
They sold over 3 million units.
They were adorable dolls with unique names on their bottoms.
Supply never met demand.
Parents rioted at toy stores and fended each other off to get one.
They even inspired the Christmas classic Jingle All the Way.
The Transformers franchise began in 1984.
It started with action figures that could shift from aliens to motor vehicles.
That has since spread into comic books, movies, shows, games, and more.
Disney Imagineer Ken Forsee used technology from Disney parks to make a storytelling teddy
bear, Teddy Ruxpin.
He had a cassette tape and a moving face to make him feel lifelike.
He was expensive at $70 but remained the top-selling toy from 1985-1986.
The NES or Nintendo Entertainment System came when home gaming console sales were in a slump.
Nintendo’s North American division agreed to only be paid for units that were sold.
It wasn’t the system that saved the industry but the game Super Mario Bros. in 1986.
Jenga hit the shelves in 1983 but didn’t become a hit until 1987.
It’s a simple but addictive board game that only requires you to remove blocks from a
tower one by one without knocking them down.
Robert Grebler allegedly helped bring it to America and built the tallest tower ever at
over 40 levels.
Danish fisherman Thomas Dam created the Troll Dolls based on Scandinavian folklore.
American toy companies made their own version that gained popularity and became a hit toy
and decoration by 1988.
The Game Boy was released in 1989.
It wasn’t the first handheld gaming console of all time, but it was easy to use and had
a large library of games.
1990’s
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles became a hit animated series and got a live-action movie
in 1990.
It was a major box-office hit, and the action figures were also selling like hotcakes.
The SNES or Super Nintendo Entertainment System improved on its predecessor.
It also began the “console wars” between Nintendo and Sega.
The Talkboy first appeared in the 1922 film Home Alone 2: Lost in New York.
The main character Kevin McAllister used it to record voices.
A home version was later released, along with spinoffs such as Talkgirl.
Would you believe that the Super Soaker was invented by a Nasa engineer?
He was working on a heat pump that could use vaporized water pressure and noticed it could
send water across a room.
He built a prototype out of PVC pipe and an empty soda bottle then eventually came out
with the version we know today in 1993.
Mighty Morphin Power Rangers was part of the Fox Kids afternoon blocks in 1993.
They had a successful toy line by 1994 and are beloved today.
Tickle Me Elmo was another toy that incited riots in 1996.
A Canadian Walmart employee was even hospitalized after the stampede.
It sold 1.2 million units that year alone.
Beanie Babies broke out in 1997, but they managed to use online FOMO, or fear of missing
out to drive up their sales when the internet was still young.
Collectors believed they were valuable because of their limited quantity, and eBay accounted
for 10% of their sales at one time.
100 million were sold with Mcdonald's Happy Meals in two weeks!
Their value eventually went down and the craze died.
Tamagotchis came out in 1997 as the medium between a pet rock and an actual pet.
These virtual pets needed consistent attention to keep from dying.
Furbys debuted in 1998.
They looked like characters from the 1984 film Gremlins and also spoke in a mysterious
language but managed to pick up on certain English phrases.
Pokemon is one of the most enduring franchises of all time.
Its trading cards hit the market in 1999 after its first Game Boy game and anime were a success.
They’re still popular among children and adults.
What was your favorite toy as a child?
Let us know in the comments below.