Around Christmas time, we may become nostalgic about the holidays from when we were kids. The 1980s were a wild and whacky decade. From mullets to perms, from neon to shoulder pads and everything in between, the 80s were truly something else. The toys from this decade were just as brilliant and bizarre. They had the ability to make or break our holidays.
Cabbage Patch Kids are still widely available today. The brand is one of the longest-running doll franchises in the US and was one of the most popular toys in the 1980s. The dolls came in many different styles and many accessories, clothes and shoes can be bought separately.
These small wide-eyed and chubby-cheeked figures caused havoc around the Christmas period. Parents were left fighting each other in stores in order to get them for their children. Over 3 million Cabbage Patch Kids were sold in the US alone in December 1983.
Glo Worm was a soft, stuffed toy shaped like a worm with green pyjamas and a matching nightcap. When squeezed, the toy’s smiling face would light up in a soft glow. 1986 brought the release of Glo Snail, Glo Butterfly, Glo Cricket, four years after the original toy’s release.
Big Wheels were released in 1969 and became popular in the 1970s, but it was in the 1980s that they became huge. Both boys and girls would have loved to zoom around on these Harley look-alikes, pedalling as hard as they could.
These tricycles came in an array of colours and themes, such as Wonder Woman and Superman Hot Cycles. There was even an Aqua Blaster Big Wheel that had a water gun for all your mischievous needs. It wasn’t long before many other brands began to produce their own models of this tricycle, which would almost always be referred to as a Big Wheel even if it was made by a different brand.
In 1984, a huge franchise was born with the release of Transformer toys. Children and teenagers alike still adore this line today. The idea was that the Transformers could morph from cars, weapons or animals to robots and back again.
These “Robots in Disguise” flew off the shelves at Christmas in the 1980s. The brand went onto produce movies and video games based on the characters that were also hugely popular in the mid-noughties to present day. Mark Wahlberg, Laura Haddock and Anthony Hopkins starred in the most recent film in 2017.
Care Bears originally featured on greetings cards in 1981, but in 1983 they became the adorable plush teddy bears we know today. These lovable bears flew off the shelves for Christmas in the 1980s. They came in an array of colours, with each bear having its own symbol on its tummy that represented their personality.
From 1985-1988, these bears stared in their own television series, as well as three feature films. 2002 saw a new line of bears, followed by three more computer-animated films.
Masters of the Universe was a franchise based around He-Man and Skeletor on the planet Eternia. It was a hit television series. A toy line was soon introduced in 1982. 1983 brought a second line.
These toys grew in popularity. The franchise expanded to comics and even a film in 1987. Today, He-Man merchandise can go for a lot of money online, sometimes even hundreds of dollars. A rare Savage He-Man can go for over $1000.
What toys do you remember from the 1980s? Let us know down in the comments!
