Toy nostalgia is a powerful feeling. It can take you back to your childhood, to the days when toys were simpler and life was less complicated. If you’re looking for some great retro toy ideas, this is the place for you! We’ll talk about some of our favorite old toys from decades past: 50s Toys, 60s Toys, 70s Toys, 80s Toys. What are your all-time favorites?
Chances are, you’ll find at least some of them in the blog posts below.
1950s Toys
From cap guns to talkie dolls, the 1950s marked a new era in toys, when manufacturers targeted Baby Boomers with enticing, realistic, and high-quality baubles that would have blown minds in generations past.
1960s Toys
Following on the success of the 1950s, toy makers pushed forward with even more playtime innovations in the ’60s, raising expectations and introducing several toys that remain popular all these years later (Easy-Bake Ovens, Colorforms, etc.).
10 Toys from the 1960s that Haunted Every 1970s Kid
Vintage Baby Dolls of the 1960s: Cradle of Playtime
1970s Toys
The 1970s saw an explosion the popularity of television and movies, with color sets in more households than ever and the summer blockbuster raising the bar on film earnings. Not surprisingly, toy makers wanted in on the action, and started pumping kids playrooms full of movie- and television-based trinkets: action figures, character lunch boxes, movie-themed games, and much more.
And, of course, there were tons of toys that had nothing to do with the old moving picture machines … goodie like Barbie stuff, the G.I. Joe universe, Spirographs, Lite Brite, Stretch Armstrong, and on and on and on.
11 Weird 70s Toys: The Good, the Bad and the Ugly
10 Popular 70s Baby Toys That Still Make Your Gums Ache
70s Boys Toys: A Time Machine to a Different Era
Oscar Goldman Doll — 3 Ways It’s WAY Cooler than You Remember
Coleco Electronic Quarterback: Grade School Stickup Victim
10 Ways to Slay the Super Joe Terron, Beast From Beyond
The Persistence of the Six Million Dollar Man Action Figure
How to Pogo-Stick Your Cousin Over His House and into Local Lore
10 Popular 70s Baby Toys That Still Make Your Gums Ache
Top 70s Arcade Games: 18 Video Trailblazers
5 Reasons to Be Glad You Didn’t Get a Romper Stomper Toy
11 Forceful 70s Star Wars Toys that Started It All
Vintage Baby Dolls of the 1970s: Groovy Little Mini-Me’s
10 Ways to Slay the Super Joe Terron, Beast From Beyond
The Unlikely Story of the Original Lincoln Logs
70s Batman Toys: Groovy Pow!-er Playthings
Classic Toy Trucks for Boys: Constructing Childhood Memories
1980s Toys
The 1980s were righteous…bitchin’…gnarly…the basis for this entire website, in fact.
And 1980s toys fit right in, offering something for everyone — even your annoying little sticky-faced sister.
Weird 80s Toys that Made ‘Brainstorm’ Look Boring
18 Popular 80s Boys Toys that Will Make You Feel Like a Kid Again
10 Gnarly 1980s Ride-On Toys You Would Still Drive Today
13 Essential 1980s Ghostbusters Toys to Satisfy Your Inner Gatekeeper
1980s McDonald’s Toys that Changed Your Life and Burgers Forever
Top 10 80s Toys — a Totally Tubular List
5 Popular Toys from the 1980s that Still Haunt Your Dreams
How Much Is a My Buddy Doll Worth?
How the Dukes of Hazzard Matchbox Car Made Me an Inside Recess Hero
5 Reasons to Be Glad You Didn’t Get a Romper Stomper Toy
G.I. Joe Figures of the 1980s: Gnarliest American Hero
6 Ways a Stomper 4×4 Toy Changed My Life Forever
Vintage Baby Dolls of the 1980s: Rubber-Faced Memories
6 Ways a Stomper 4×4 Toy Changed My Life Forever
The Ultimate Rubik’s Cube Beginner Method in 6 Easy Steps
80s Girl Toys: A Retro Pinterest Board?
80s Batman Toys Packed a Gnarly Kapow!
1990s Toys
By the 1990s, toys had evolved into whiz-bang affairs that often featured circuitry and lights and sound, but plenty of the old standbys were still popular, either in their original form or updated for a new decade. What kid doesn’t love Hot Wheels cars or Monopoly, after all?
Vintage Baby Dolls of the 1990s: They’re HOW Old??
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Did you know that some old toys are worth good money, too? Here is a quick primer on some hot (but ancient) playthings from Good Housekeeping.
