How Many of these toys did you have?
What is the big must have for your child this Christmas?
Parents are on a mission to get this year’s must-have Christmas toys, but it can be hard to remember which ones seemed so important in years gone by.
Do you remember these classics? What made them the thing that every child HAD to have?
They’re the kind of gifts mums and dads were forced to queue up for at 6am to ensure you would get your hands on the must-have present of the year.
Some will remind you of a simpler time when all a kid needed was a sticker book, while other modern sell-out items show just how far spending has escalated over the years.
Scroll down to rummage through the virtual Christmas stocking below and see how many of them you can recall…
1985: Optimus Prime (£16.87)
He might not have been as slick and polished as today’s Hollywood version, but back in the ’80s this toy Optimus Prime was the must-have cartoon hero action figure.
1986: Football Stickers. (10p per pack)
Got. Got. Neeeeed! That was the sound of the playground as kids everywhere switched stickers before, during and after the World Cup ’86 in Mexico. That was the year of Maradona’s ‘Hand of God’ goal against England. Enough said.
1987: Sylvanian Families set (£6.97)
Kids went potty when the TV animation came to life and hit stores. You could kit your little animals out in their own tiny clothes and buy them a house to live in. The toys are still produced today and enjoyed by kids all over the world.
1988: Ghostbusters Proton Pack (£19.87)
Ghostbuster gifts were huge in the late 80s. The Fire House HQ was another popular present, as was the Slimer gunk you could buy and drip through the grates. The life-sized replica ‘Proton Pack’ was the dream piece of kit, while others settled for the tiny action figure versions, below, to take on the Stay Puft Marshmallow Man.
1989: Batman Batmobile (£9.94)
Forget the modern monster of a Bat Mobile with its 007-style features. THIS was the original, as featured in the 1989 Batman movie starring Michael Keaton as the Caped Crusader.
1990: Teenage Mutant Hero Turtles (£3.78)
“They’re heroes in a half shell…and they’re green.” Every kid sang the theme tune and rushed home after school to watch the cartoon and play with their turtle toys (and blimp, below, if you were lucky). The show’s popularity probably sparked a spike in national pizza sales too as it was all the characters ate.
1991: GameBoy (£69.94)
For games fans of a certain age, the 8-bit GameBoy was an absolute revelation. This writer can still hear the Tetris theme music in his ears today from way too many hours spent playing it as a kid.
1992: Thunderbirds Tracy Island (£32.87)
Parents queued for hours in the hope of landing one of these. Thunderbirds had just made a TV comeback and was in demand.
BBC1’s Blue Peter famously ran a make-your-own segment for those unlucky enough not to bag a real one. It used items including a grocery box, newspapers and drinking straws to construct a replica.
1993: Barbie Dolls (From £10.97)
Barbies have always been one of the most popular Christmas gifts for girls and in 1993 they beat all of the competition. Perhaps it had something to do with the release of the Barbie Dream Motor Home that year?
1994: Power Rangers Figures (£4.74 each)
Spandex suits weren’t just invented for stag dos. This American series became a sensation in the ’90s and featured teenagers who would morph into superheroes to battle bizarre baddies.
1995: POGS (49p per pack)
These ‘milk caps’ became ultra collectible and playgrounds were full of kids swapping them. The idea was you flipped the POGS like tiddlywinks but most people didn’t really bother with the playing. It was all about which ones you had.
1996: Toy Story Buzz Lightyear (£23.87)
The release of the original Toy Story sent this toy soaring to the top of the ‘I-want-one-of-those-mum’ chart.
1997: Teletubbies £27.39 and Tamagotchi (£9.99)
Two toys shared the No1 spot in 1997. Teletubbies became a huge hit with the younger generation, while teenagers went la-la for the virtual Tamagotchi pets from Japan. If you still own an original Tamagotchi they can be worth a lot of money today.
1998: Furby (£24.87)
The interactive pet pipped Yo Yo’s to the crown in 1998. The gifts became a huge hit despite only launching in the October. Stores around the country were inundated with parents looking to snap one up.
999: Who wants to be a Millionaire? (£23.78)
Everybody wanted a bit of ‘Fastest Finger First’ back in 1999 and Chris Tarrant took over the nation’s living rooms as the interactive board game version of the show became the must-have present.
2000: Teksta Robotic Dog (£38.74)
Thousands of kids kicked off the new Millennium with a pet dog to look after. The robotic pups responded to sound, light and infra-red.
2001: Bob the Builder (£19.97)
“Can we fix it? Yes we can!” Pre-schooler Christmas stockings were packed full of Bob the Builder toys in 2001 as Scoop, Muck and Dizzy bulldozed the oppostion.
2002: Bratz Dolls (£24.99)
Barbie isn’t the only doll in the Christmas Gifts Hall of Fame. Bratz – dubbed the dolls with ‘a passion for fashion’ – exploded onto the scene in 2002.
2003: Beyblades (£5.99)
Battling spinning tops took over schools this year. Beyblades were yet another cartoon craze from Japan which captured the imagination of UK kids.
Who could forget this iconic little humanoid robot? The Robosapien boasted NASA technology and had kids of all ages in a real frenzy. It won the Toy of the Year crown, above, as well as being the best-seller.
2005: MP3s, PSP and Xbox 360 (From £9.99 to £299.99)
Personal gadgets and gaming consoles dominated sales in 2005. It was the year Apple introduced the iPod Shuffle, but many cheaper alternatives became big hits too. Sony’s PSP handheld gaming device was another winner, alongside the larger Xbox 360 console.
2006: Nintendo Wii (From £129.99 to £169.99)
Before 2006, the most active gamers had ever got was pummeling the pad while playing the Winter Olympics on the Mega Drive. The Wii got everybody up off the sofa to swing and swipe their way around their front room controlling the on-screen antics with their Wii remote.
It also caused many embarrassing live broadcasts as news anchors and reporters tried to get in on the craze.
2007: In the Night Garden Iggle Piggle (£34.99)
The nation’s littluns had a big impact on the sales charts in 2007 as Night Garden newbie Iggle Piggle became the No1 selling gift.
2008: High School Musical Dance Mat (£17.99)
As if the fans of High School Musical needed an excuse to break into a song and dance…this had schoolkids of all ages jazz-handing up and down the country.
2009: Go Go Pet Hamsters (£9.99)
These battery-powered hamsters became so popular stores were selling out on a daily basis. Parents rushed to buy the tiny pets, which benefited from not needing to be fed or have their hutch cleaned.
2010: Toy Story 3 DVD (£4.99)
The third movie became a surprise hit in 2010, helped largely by a huge price cut in the run-up to Christmas.
2011: Leapfrogs LeapPad Explorer Tablet (£79.99)
This inspirational interactive and educational learning toy proved a popular alternative to the more expensive tablets on the market.
2012: Skylanders Giants (£52.89)
Skylanders took the UK by storm and have continued to grow in popularity with games players since. The toys – which you place on a platform and see come to life in a computer game – still thrives and is one of the most lucrative technology franchises on the planet, worth billions of pounds.
2013: FURBY™ Boom (£45.99)
This tiny toy scored highly in the cute stakes and its advanced features won the hearts of the family. The more the user speaks to their Furby, the more it speaks back!
2014: FROZEN Snow Glow Elsa (£34.99)
Frozen fever swept the nation in 2014 as pretty much anything relating to the Disney movie sold out everywhere. Frozen outfits, dolls, lunch boxes and more became must-haves for youngsters.
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