Let's dig up some amazing toy fads from decades past!
The 23 Craziest Toy Fads In History
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The Duncan Yo-Yo, 1929
The Duncan Toys Company purchased the Flores Yo-Yo Company from Pedro Flores, who brought the yo-yo to the United States from the Philippines in 1912. Thanks to putting on competitions throughout the country, Duncan popularized the yo-yo toy quickly, and it became a fad in no time. Check out these 12 awesome ideas for storing toys.
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Parker Brothers Inc. 1936 Monopoly Game
Back in 1935, Charles Darrow patented the real estate board game Monopoly, and by 1936, it became a popular present during the holiday season. It is now the most played board game in the world, according to Guinness. Fun fact: In 1941, the British Secret Intelligence Service had John Waddington Ltd., the licensed manufacturer of the game in the United Kingdom, create a special edition for WW2 prisoners of war held by the Nazis. Maps, compasses, real money and other objects to help them escape were tucked inside the games.
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James Industries Slinky, 1943
In 1943, mechanical engineer Richard James invented the Slinky by accident. While working on devising a spring to hold shipboard marine torsion meters steady, some of the samples fell off a shelf. James watched in amazement as the springs gracefully “walked” down, instead of tumbling. He and his wife Betty then developed a successful plan to turn his invention into the next big novelty toy. Have a little inventor on your hands? Check out these toys, books and gear for kids that encourage the DIY mindset from an early age.
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Hasbro Inc. 1952 Mr. Potato Head
Inventor George Lerner created a set of silly face parts as bonuses for cereal box promotions. Hasbro, Inc. acquired his creation in 1952, with the original package including eyes, a nose, mouth and ears. There were 28 different plastic facial features in all, as well as a Styrofoam head for kids to practice making wacky expressions.
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1959 Mattel Barbie
Look up “1959 Barbie” and you might be surprised to find that the original doll is being sold for thousands of dollars! Drawing inspiration from a doll she saw on a trip to Germany, Ruth Handler created Barbara Millicent Roberts in 1959. Check out these creepy Halloween decorations, including Barbie’s head on a bug!
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Milton Bradley Hungry Hungry Hippos, 1978
Also referred to as “the frantic marble munching game,” Hungry Hungry Hippos came to be in 1978. The Milton Bradley game was imported stateside from Japan by toy inventor Fred Kroll. Kroll also created the game Trouble. If you like taking a step back in time, check out these toilets throughout history.
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1980 Rubik’s Cube
Originally called the Magic Cube, the puzzle was created by Erno Rubik, a professor at Budapest’s Academy of Applied Arts and Design. Rubik often built geometric models, and one of them, a 27-piece cube was marketed in Hungary in 1977. By 1980, it was frustrating millions of Americans. It was licensed to the Ideal Toy Corp in 1980.
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Coleco Cabbage Patch Kids, 1983
One of America’s longest running doll lines, the Cabbage Patch Kids are soft sculptured doll-like creatures sold by Xavier Roberts. Roberts came up with the idea as a 21-year-old art student, when he utilized the quilting skills he learned from his mother and the historic technique of “needle molding” to develop his own line of fabric sculptures. The dolls were first manufactured by Coleco, then Hasbro, Mattel and eventually Wicked Cool Toys. You may also be interested in the most valuable finds in antiques roadshow history.
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1985 American Greetings/Kenner Toys Care Bears
The Care Bears, a fictional group of multi-colored bear characters, were originally created by artist Elena Kucharik in 1981 to be used on American Greetings cards. The characters went on to become a toy fad in 1985, which then inspired TV programs and films. Today, there are 218 Care Bears. Speaking of history, check out the incredible history of flags in every state!
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Nintendo GameBoy, 1989
GameBoy revolutionized video games, taking the game from the couch to the streets. The first eight-bit handheld video game system to utilize cartridges, GameBoy was the brainchild of long-time Nintendo employee Gunpei Yokoi. Check out these 25 cool game room ideas.
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1991 World POG Federation
POGs was a milk-cap game originally played for decades during breaks by Hawaiian dairy workers. At that time the game was called Menko. In 1991, teacher Blossom Galbiso reintroduced the game in her classroom in the form of a math game. The game involves players facing off by contributing the same number of cardboard pogs to a large stack, all placed face down. The first player aims, shoots and slaps down that slammer on the stack, with whatever pog flying out and landing face up now belonging to that player. As POGs evolved, “slammers” were introduced, which were thick and made of metal, rubber or plastic. You may also like these seven outdoor games you can make with stuff you already have.
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Playskool Barney Talking Doll, 1993
The Barney Talking Doll was created by Greg Hyman and distributed by Playskool. Released in 1993, it became one of the biggest fads during that holiday season. There have been at least four different versions of the doll produced throughout Playskool’s time making Barney toys. Whether it’s a hobby or you’re looking to make the perfect doll house for your little one, toothpicks can be a big help!
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Bandai Mighty Morphin Power Rangers, 1993-1994
Five diverse teenagers with superpowers flooded TV screens in the early ’90s, creating a major ad that turned into a line of toys featuring the Power Rangers. Along with their giant robotic dinosaurs, called Zords, they fought evil aliens. Check out these 14 shocking discoveries plumbers have found in pipes, including a doll’s head!
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1996 Tyco Tickle Me Elmo
From at least one stampede of parents that left a store employee in the hospital, to two women being arrested in Chicago for fighting over the doll, it’s safe to say 1996 was a big year for Elmo. The doll would chortle when squeezed once, and shake and laugh hysterically when squeezed three times in a row. These home trends of the ’90s include some we’d rather forget and some that still work. See the 30 home trends kids of the ’90s remember.
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Bandai Tamagotchi, 1997
This egg-shaped computer offered kids a fun way to “parent” a digital pet. The toy even required feeding and poo-cleaning. There have been 70 million Tamagotchis sold to date.
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1998 Tiger Electronics Furby
The Furby — a furry robot that could talk and blink its eyes — became a major fad in 1998. Originally retailing for $35, the toy skyrocketed to $100 thanks to the craze. More than 40 million Furbies were sold during the three years of its original production, and 1.8 million alone were sold in 1998. Here are a few things you should know about recycling electronics.
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Razor USA Scooters, 2000
Over 5 million of the first Razor scooter were sold in the six months following its launch in 2000. Dan Green made the scooter even more popular in its first year by landing the first back flip ever on it. The following year, the Razor was named Toy of the Year. If you like to get outside, check out these 19 crazy-cool backyard putting greens.
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Microsoft Xbox 360, 2005
Microsoft’s Xbox 360 may have beat Sony to the punch, but the brand caused major controversy over its supply shortage. Production of the console took place just 69 days prior to its launch. Smart shoppers made use of Microsoft’s mistake, with 40,000 units ending up on eBay within a week! You may also be interested in the most famous invention from every state (including Microsoft!).
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2006 Sony PlayStation
Sony’s response to Microsoft’s Xbox 360 had people camping out for days to buy one in person. It was the first console to use Blu-ray Disc as its primary storage medium, and the first PlayStation to integrate social gaming services.
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Apple iPod Touch, 2007
Apple’s iPod Touch was the first touchscreen and web-enabled iPod, and it cost a fraction of the price of an iPhone. It made a splash for being the first iPod that was more like the iPhone than the iPod NJano or iPod Video. Have an old iPod you want to recycle? Here’s how to recycle just about anything.
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Apple iPad, 2010
Apple paved the way for tablets back in 2010. The device was a game changer for those looking for on-the-go tech features. You could seamlessly switch between movies, music, web surfing and more. The first-generation iPad was unveiled by Apple CEO Steve Jobs, and the fad only took off from there, with Apple selling 300,000 iPads in day one. In a month, this had increased to a million. If you’re on your iPad a lot, check out these home improvement and remodeling apps for DIYers.
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2012 Nintendo Wii U
The first “eighth-generation” video game console made history as the first Nintendo device to offer HD graphics. The predecessor to Wii, Wii U featured a primary controller called the Wii U GamePad, which had an embedded touchscreen, and combined directional buttons, analog sticks and action buttons.
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Fidget Spinners, 2017
In 1993, Catherine Hettinger came up with the concept of fidget spinners as a way to stop Palestinian kids from throwing rocks at police. Unfortunately for her, her patent expired in 2005. And while they’ve now been available for two decades, the product became a major fad in 2017. Hettinger attempted to sell the design to several large toy companies, but because of her expired patent, other companies were able to sell their own versions. Today they are marketed as gadgets that can help with ADHD, autism, anxiety, stress and as a general distraction for people of all ages. Feeling stressed? Here are 10 things that will make you happier at home.
Disclosure: This post is brought to you by Family Handyman editors, who aim to highlight products and services you might find interesting. If you buy them, we get a small share of the revenue from the sale from our commerce partners. We frequently receive products free of charge from manufacturers to test. This does not drive our decision as to whether or not a product is featured or recommended. We welcome your feedback. Have something you think we should know about? Contact us, here.
