Toys From The '80s And '90s We Should Bring Back

Sarah Kester
Kevin with Talkboy
Retro pond | John Hughes Productions

Ah, the ‘80s and ‘90s. They were a wondrous time, weren’t they? (For people who remember them). 

Big hair, rock ’n roll, boy bands ⁠— these are just a few things to sum it up. Another thing that made these decades special? The toys!

There were so many to choose from, whether that was Tamagotchis, Easy Bake Ovens, or Furbys.

Consider this our petition to bring back these nostalgic '80s and '90s toys!

Polly Pocket

Polly Pocket
instagram | adeenagrubb

Ah, the simpler times! There were so many versions of this toy, like ones with a castle or a water park and slide.

Only downside: if you dropped a piece on the ground, it would take forever to find it again.

Tamagotchi

There's a reason this toy is making a comeback: it was so fun to play with!

Many of us learned about responsibility while trying to keep our virtual pet alive by caring for, feeding, and cleaning up after it.

Mini parachute army men

Parachute army men
reddit | u/ZnKayy

The sky was the limit with this inexpensive toy! Literally. You could throw it in the air in your playroom and watch the army men fall down.

Or, you could get really creative and throw them out of the window and use a bucket to retrieve them.

Lite-Brite ('80s version)

Lite-Brite
Giphy

This game was fun and relaxing, all in one. You would work on your artwork (or an immature message for your siblings) and then turned off the light to see it shine. The commercial for it was hella fun, too.

Tiger Electronic handheld games

When this toy came out, portable games were rare and far between. This made this toy stand out, as did the many games you could play on it, like football and baseball.

View-Master ('90s version)

View Master toy
Reddit | SnipeyMcSnipe

Thanks to technology, a toy that lets you see slides isn't very exciting nowadays.

But back then? Kids loved to look at their Scooby-Doo slides. It's a good thing this toy stopped getting made, though. Can you imagine the advertisements on every third slide?

Sky Dancers

Sky Dancers
instagram | me_love_toys

These dancing fairies had a mind of their own! Remember, the viral video of the girl who got one for Christmas? As soon as she let it rip, it flew into the fireplace.

Waterful Ring Toss ('80s version)

This game might remind some '80s and '90s babies of the dentist's office. They often had them to distract kids.

It was both exciting and frustrating to get a ring on the pole only for it to fall off.

Sticky hands

Sticky hands
reddit | u/deleted

These were fun to play with by flinging them onto anything and everything. This could be your mom, sibling, or the family dog (sorry, Fluffy). You had to enjoy them while they lasted, though, as most got dirty pretty quick.

The map for toy cars

The map for toy cars
Giphy | ABC Network

There were just so many possibilities with this toy! You could follow the rules of the road or go speeding around super fast. This eventually turned into many people driving around in Grand Theft Auto instead.

Skip-It

Skip-It
Giphy

This was the toy that you wrapped around your leg and hopped around to get a high score. So essentially, it was exercise disguised as a toy. But, it was still fun!

Betty Spaghetty

Betty Spaghetti
reddit | u/SlothQueen_98

Ah, the nostalgia! A lot of people learned how to braid with this toy that had super long hair.

Of course, a lot of people also liked ripping the hair right off her. Sorry, Betty!

Talkboy

Kevin with Talkboy
Retro pond | John Hughes Productions

This nifty cassette recorder was originally created as a prop for the 1992 film Home Alone 2: Lost in New York.

Kevin used it to change his voice so he could book a hotel. Since so many kids wanted it, Tiger Electronics made it for real.

Bop It

Bop It
reddit | The WB

You want to know about stress? Try your hand at the Bop It game, which was first invented in 1996. It involves reacting fast to the commands the Bop It says so you can bop, twist, and pull your way to victory.

Wuv Luv

While the idea of a toy giving birth now is creepy, it was so fun as a kid! You would rub the furry back of the Wuv Luv until it was really to give birth and pop out an egg.

Hot Wheels

Hot Wheels
Giphy | Guava Juice

By the dramatic commercials the company had, you would've thought that these cars were from The Fast & the Furious! There were so many cool accessories you could buy, like ramps that made your car fly.

Game Boy Color

Game Boy Color
instagram | yellow_yoshi_

After playing Pokémon on the black and white Game Boy, it was a major step up to get a colored one. These deserved all the hype; you could bring them anywhere and play a variety of different games.

Furby

Furby
Giphy | Jess

These furry creatures practically dominated the '90s! Unlike the Tamagotchi, which was virtual, the Furby was a pet that you could actually pet. They came in so many colors and special editions, including the Mini Furby.

Easy Bake Oven ('90s version)

Easy Bake Oven
Good Housekeeping | Good Housekeeping

You were clearly loved if you had one of these things! Those who had it liked to use it every day to make all sorts of treats.

There was even a boy version that involved making creepy crawlers, like bugs to scare people with.