The heyday of He-Man and ThunderCats may have been long gone, but the 1990s offered a huge number of incredible toys, games and gadgets that we were itching to try out.
Nowadays, of course, kids just have iPads and mainline Youtube into their highly influenceable brains. But we’re taking a break from the doldrums of the modern day to reflect on the very best toys that the 90s had to offer.
15. Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles
Renamed Teenage Mutant Hero Turtles in the UK in order to protect young minds from the terrifying word ‘ninja,’ these heroes in a half-shell completely took over our cinemas and homes in the late 80s and early 90s.
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14. Thunderbirds’ Tracy Island
The toy version of the Thunderbirds’ base of operations Tracy Island was so popular upon its release in 1993, that many had to settle for a below-par cardboard version that parents cobbled together based on a clip from Blue Peter.
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13. Furby
An astonishing 40 million Furbies were sold within three years of hitting toy shop shelves in 1998, and these bizarre beasts are still extremely popular today.
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12. Perfection
A far more primitive version of Perfection was first introduced back in 1973, but it wasn’t until the early 1990s that we finally got our hands on what has to be one of the most stressful games of all time.
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11. Teksta the Robotic Puppy
The best selling Argos toy during Christmas 1998, Teksta the Robotic Puppy (also known as Tekno the Robotic Puppy) had over 160 emotions and functions and became so popular that it even featured on the cover of Time Magazine.
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10. Polly Pocket
Visit any modern-day toy store and you’ll very quickly see that Polly Pocket is back with a vengeance – but it was nearly four decades ago that the miniature doll made her first appearance after a gentleman called Chris Wiggs designed a tiny house for his daughter, Kate, to play with.
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9. Stretch Armstrong
There have been around 67 different versions of Stretch Armstrong since it first went into production in 1976, but the bendy strong man has always been made out of latex rubber filled with gelled corn syrup, enabling him to stretch to a size of up to five feet.
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8. Power Rangers
The Mighty Morphin Power Rangers invaded the west in 1994 and very quickly became one of the most sought after toy ranges of all time, generating an unfathomable $6 billion in sales by 2001.
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7. Electronic Dream Phone
A bit like the popular game Guess Who? but with teen heartthrobs, Electronic Dream Phone was extremely popular with many young girls during the 1990s.
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6. Moon Shoes
Why anyone would choose to purchase shoes that made you feel like you were struggling to walk in low gravity we’re not entirely sure, but Moon Shoes, which were originally made of metal when they were first introduced during the 1950s, still somehow managed to be a great deal of fun.
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5. Baby Born
Switch to any children’s TV channel and you’ll still see Baby Born being advertised heavily, but this doll – who could cry and urinate, truly the most appealing parts of having a child – was first introduced back in 1991.
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4. Trolls
Created way back in 1958, Troll dolls very quickly became one of the biggest toy fads of the 1960s, and depending on your opinion of these strange little soft-haired creatures, you’ll either be glad or horrified to find out that they’re still going strong today!
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3. Mouse Trap
It’s one of the most well-known board games of all time, but the crazy contraption made of injection-moulded plastic tended to underperform when the cage was eventually triggered…
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2. Giga Pets
Digital Doggies were unfavourably compared to their fad predecessor, the Tamagotchi, but they were nonetheless a hot ticket item back in the late 90s.
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1. Doodle Bears
The adorable Doodle Bears were cuddly little creatures that you could draw on without your parents getting even the slightest bit upset, due to the fact that your primitive scribblings could very quickly be washed off, leading to many hours of happy, furry doodling.
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