The Best Christmas Toys From 1980-Present

The Rubik's cube saw 350 million in worldwide sales.

The first Lego train set didn’t contain road wheels or a track- features that were added the following year.

The Schwinn Sting-Ray bicycle was the #1 bike of choice at this time.

Originally named 'Little People, sales of CPK numbered 115 million worldwide.

Transformers were originally created by Japanese company Takara before Hasbro bought them in 1984.

The Care Bears were originally featured on greeting cards before becoming book characters, TV characters, and finally stuffed animals.

Teaser adverts were what hyped Lazer Tag up, despite being pretty pricey upon introduction.

The Koosh Ball was created by Scott Stillinger for his young children because it was easier to hold and throw than other balls.

The 'Fright Features' series was so desirable because of the way the character's tongues and eyes bulged when squeezed.

Several other versions were released upon the Game Boy's initial drop in Japan, which saw 300,000 units sold.

The very first action figures were based on the original comic books, which featured far darker and more adult themes than the later cartoons.

Sega tried to sell the Game Gear as a cooler Game Boy, but was eventually ultimately beat out by the latter due to it’s shorter battery life and lack of original titles.

The Hasbro toys initially came under fire for making the characters look too ‘cartoony’, but are now valuable collectible items.

The Talkboy was a result of a letter-writing campaign by fans of the Home Alone 2 movie who HAD to have the cassette recorder Macaulay Culkin used in the film.

A Power Rangers black market developed to sell individual action figures to parents when the series became so popular that stores couldn’t keep the toys in stock.

Pogs likely originated in Hawaii in the 1920’s, where kids played games using bottle caps from the popular local POG juice drink.

The Tickle Me Elmo was so desirable that two people were arrested in a Chicago Wal-Mart for fighting over the toy.

Since the “pets” generally died within half a day, the toys were banned in schools after kids started bringing them in to care for them.

1.8 million Furbies were sold in 1998, a number that jumped to a whopping 14 million the next year.

The RPG games were always released in pairs, the first being the Red and Green pair.

Because the Razor Scooter was loved by children and adults, it quickly became a new sport.

Bratz were popular because they were so drastically different (while also being strangely similar to) Barbie dolls.

Beyblades were originally manufactured in Japan and based off a manga series of comics.

Robosapiens were technically the first robots to be mass produced and sold, despite technically being toys.

The DS quickly became the Game Boy’s successor due to its dual screen, wireless network, and compatibility with older games.

The Roboraptor’s movements were based on realistic biometrics.

Leap Frog manufactured The Fly to help children with schoolwork and discontinued it in 2009 when sales flopped.

The console and exercise bike helped educate kids while simultaneously teaching them healthy habits.

The arcade inspired dance machine featured High School Musical characters and allowed for haircut and outfit customization.

This strategy game was based off a Japanese anime series and was followed by a Nintendo DS game which was met with equal success.

The camera featured build in editing software and the ability to add animations.

When water was added to these test tubes, little baby aliens were revealed with an LED ‘beating heart’ and had to be kept alive by alternating exposure to sunlight and darkness.

Nerf Guns were originally developed in 1969, with over four million Nerf balls being sold that year.

The newest generation of Furbies featured digital integration via companion app and the ability to learn their owner’s language.

Of course somebody thought to develop a smartwatch for kids. The Kidizoom contains a motion sensor and camera, as well as a variety of apps and games for kids to play.