IT’S RARE A festive period escapes a fad toy.
Some Christmases have been defined by the must-have toy of the year – with fights breaking out the length and breadth of the country among disgruntled and harassed parents who need to get their hands on a Hatchimal come hell or high water – and then there are the toys that remain popular for more than just the festive period.
Here we take a look at the toys that made the biggest impression on us at the DailyEdge.ie.
Tickle Me Elmo
If you’re an 80s kid, you’ll know there was at least one Elmo fanatic in your crew, and when Tickle Me Elmo landed in the mid 90s, all bets were off.
Beanie Babies
Who could forget the photo of that divorced couple dividing out their Beanie Babies in front of a very bemused judge back in the late 90s?
Furbies
They were creepy AF, and yet everybody wanted to get their hands on them at the end of the 90s.
Tamagotchis
They were the pet you kept inside a teeny-tiny computer, and forgot to feed until they finally shuffled their way to the pearly gates.
Baby G watches
As the new millennium loomed, us 90s kids knew we couldn’t even fathom entering it without an enormous watch weighing down our wrist.
Mr Frostie
Seriously, who ever ended up with one of these? It was top of our list (year in and year out) and yet we never got our hands on one.
Bratz
Launched in 2001, these dolls were the new millennium’s answer to the Barbies and Sindys of days gone by. Christ, they even had their own TV series and video game.
Candyfloss maker
In the early noughties, a candy floss machine was one of the hottest toys in town. Although, with many of us requesting it as teens, we refused to refer to it as a toy. It was an essential, frankly.
Rollerblades
The mid 90s saw a rollerblade craze sweep through Ireland, and if you weren’t zipping past your gaf on eight wheels, you were on all fours learning how to do so. Back in the day, rollerblades were for life, not just for Christmas.
Slinkies
You spent half your time firing them down the stairs, and the other half untangling them behind the couch after your mother warned you you wouldn’t be getting another one if you dared tangle the latest one.
Buzz Lightyear
With Toy Story captivating children all over the world back in 1995, it was hardly surprising that one of its most beloved characters became one of the most coveted items on the planet the following Christmas…. and for years afterward.
The Tellytubbies
In the late 90s, the Tellytubbies were everywhere. And if you were of a certain age, your outfit wasn’t complete unless you were clutching one of them under your arm.
