The Cyber Archive.
From the most popular toy of the decade to the best-selling games console in history,
we count 15 of the most popular toys in the 2000's, between the years 2000 and 2009.
Number 15.
Razor Scooter. These metal framed, folding scooters where first distributed in 1999 but
became extremely popular from the year 2000, when Freestyle scootering was a popular extreme
sport. Razor USA also released a Pro model that was the preferred scooter for many years
by most freestyle riders. Scooters have been around for at least 100 years and like most
trends, they normally make a comeback ever few years.
Number 14.
iPod. The first line of iPods were released in 2001. Although portable digital audio players
had been around since 1979, most didn't reach the public domain and those that did weren't
that popular due to their bulky size and incompatible file formats. After the development and standardization
of the MPEG compression formats in the 90's, MP3 was published in 1995. Apple released
their stylish iPods with a massive marketing campaign and have managed to dominate almost
the entire digital music player market since 2004.
Number 13.
Bratz Dolls. These fashion dolls were originally released in 2001 by MGA Entertainment. They
reached global sales of over $2 Billion in 2005 and by 2006 Bratz had managed to corner
40% of the fashion-doll market. Criticized for their sexually provocative clothing and
the poor labor conditions in manufacturing the dolls in China, they still managed to
make a movie, TV series, music albums and video games. MGA Entertainment acknowledged
that Bratz have since lost their magic due to poor quality dolls, dysfunctional management
and controversy, and overhauled the franchise for 2014.
Number 12.
Nintendo DS. Following on from the huge success of the Game Boy from previous years, Nintendo
released the DS in 2004. This handheld games console had a new dual screen and was backward
compatible with the old Game Boy Advance games. As one of the screens was a touchscreen, the
entire promotion revolved around the word 'Touch' and 'Touching is good'. Combining
all versions of the Nintendo DS models, they have sold well over 150 million units, making
it the best-selling handheld games device to date, and the second best-selling console
of all time.
Number 11.
BeyBlades. These spinning top games were based on the Manga anime series Beyblade, which
was inspired by a traditional Japanese spinning top called a Beigoma. The spinning tops usually
came with a launcher device or a rip cord to eject the tops into an arena, where they
could strike each other. The tops had different edges so the collisions were never the same
and the last top spinning was the winner. First released in 2000, these became one of
the most popular toys in the world until 2005.
Number 10.
PSP, the PlayStation Portable. This handheld games console, made by Sony, was released
in 2004 in Japan and elsewhere in 2005. With the ability to connect to the PlayStation
2 and 3 together with a fairly decent hardware spec, they became extremely popular worldwide.
When Sony released a slimmer, lighter version in 2007, sales increased by nearly 200%. Although
it came with a fairly high price tag, the PlayStation Portable still made it into the top 10 best-selling
games consoles in history.
Number 9.
Elmo Tickle Hands. These fluffy red hands of Elmo from Sesame Street, were released
in 2009 by Fisher-Price. When a person wearing the fuzzy red gloves touches a surface, the
gloves vibrate and Elmo giggles. When Elmo's nose is pressed, he sings a song called Tickle
Hands Groove. So not only could you keep your kids hands warm in the winter, but adults
could play with them too. It's easy to see why these became one of the most popular toys
for Christmas in 2009.
Number 8.
iPod Touch. Originally released in 2007, a few months after the first iPhone was released,
the iPod touch included a touchscreen and could be used as a music and video player,
digital camera, handheld game device and a PDA. They can connect to the internet via
Wi-Fi and does not use cellular data, so was cheaper to purchase than iPhone. They quickly
became popular with children that weren't allowed a mobile phone. Being updated with
a new model every couple of years, so far Apple have sold well over 100 million iPod
Touch's.
Number 7.
Zhu Zhu Pets. Formerly called Go Go Hamsters in the UK, these were a line of robotic hamster
toys made in the US. The name comes from the Chinese Mandarin word ZhuZhu, meaning little
pig. These things were a craze during the 2009 Christmas holidays. The toys originally
retailed for $9, but because of shortages for a time they were selling for well over
$60. They were so popular they've even made video games and film called Quest for Zhu.
Number 6.
Tekno the Robotic Puppy. Also called Teksta Puppy, this was originally launched in 2000.
With over 160 functions these robots could be taught to respond to voice commands and
perform various tasks like fetching and playing tricks. With inbuilt sensors it could understand
visual commands and react to its environment, it even went to sleep by itself. Capturing
the imagination of parents and kids by offering a small technological peek into the future,
these robots went on to sell over 40 million units by 2004.
Number 5.
Robosapien. Released in 2004, this toy robot came pre-programmed but could also be controlled
remotely with either an infrared remote, a PC or a PDA. The toy's remote control unit
had 21 different buttons and could relay 67 different commands. It could grasp objects
with its hands and had a voice synthesizer. It was extremely popular for Christmas in
2004 and sold over 1.5 million units in that year alone.
Number 4.
PlayStation 2. Released in 2000, the PS2 was a sixth-generation games console made by Sony
to compete with Sega Dreamcast, Microsoft Xbox and Nintendo GameCube. Comparing it to
the Xbox that sold a mere 24 million units, the PlayStation 2 sold well over 155 million
units and over 1.5 billion copies of PlayStation 2 games have sold, making it by far the best-selling
video game console in history.
Number 3.
PlayStation 3. This games console, made by Sony, was third in the PlayStation console
series and competes with other seventh-generation console like Microsoft Xbox 360 and Nintendo
Wii. This is the first console to use Blu-ray discs as its primary storage medium. Released
in 2006 it sold over 80 million units but because of the high development cost for games
on the system, game developers preferred the better selling Xbox 360 and Nintendo Wii.
Number 2.
Xbox 360. This games console, made by Microsoft, was second in the Xbox series and competes
with other seventh-generation consoles like the Sony PlayStation 3 and Nintendo Wii. Released
in 2005 the Xbox 360 managed to sell slightly better than the PlayStation 3, selling 84
million units. Although not the best-selling console of its generation, the Xbox 360 was
deemed more influential than the PlayStation by emphasizing digital media, online gaming
and the popular game achievement awards.
Number 1.
Nintendo Wii. Another seventh-generation games console that competes with the Xbox 360 and
PlayStation 3. Although the Wii was released after the other two in 2006, it leads that
generation's sales and popularity. Selling over 101 million units, this console was extremely
popular because of the inclusion of the entire family. With various accessories, including
the Wii Fit board, everyone in the family could play games from the youngest to the
oldest. With an extremely broad demographic and clever marketing, the Nintendo Wii became
the most influential games console in history.
And that's it for this naughty's countdown. Don't forget to like and share this video
if you enjoyed it and as always thanks for watching.