Top toys of the decade: 1900 through today
But each decade brings to life a new genre of hot toys. Coupon Box rounded up the top-selling toys from 1900 through today, for a fun look back at the toys that kids of all ages clamored for.
1900s: Crayola Crayons
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According to Crayola, in 1903 Binney & Smith realized there was a need for safe, quality, affordable wax crayons, so the company produced the first box of eight Crayola crayons. It contained red, orange, yellow, green, blue, violet, brown and black sticks and sold for a nickel. Lionel trains and teddy bears were also popular.
1910s: Raggedy Ann Dolls
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A doll and a literary character, Raggedy Ann reflected trustworthiness, kindness and spunk. Ann also had a brother, Andy. In the 1910s, Tinkertoys, Lincoln Logs and Erector Sets were also top toys.
1920s: Madame Alexander Dolls
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Madame Alexander dolls were the first to have "sleep eyes," the technology that closes a doll's eyes when its head is tilted back. Also popular: die-cast metal toys and yo-yos.
1930s: Monopoly
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The first Monopoly pieces were made of materials from the home of its creator, Charles Darrow. Oilcloth covered the board, the cards were handwritten and the houses and hotels were made from wooden scraps. In the 1930s, View-Master 3-D viewers, the game of Sorry and Betsy Wetsy dolls were also top-selling toys.
1940s: Magic 8 Ball
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This popular toy was first marketed as a paperweight, so the creators had to rebrand the Magic 8 ball as a toy. Candy Land, Tonka trucks, Slinky, Clue and Scrabble were also popular in the 1940s.
1950s: Mr. Potato Head
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Mr. Potato Head was the first toy to be advertised on television, and still remains a top-selling toy. Other favorites of this decade? Barbie, Lego building sets, Play-Doh, Frisbees and Hula Hoops.
1960s: Etch A Sketch
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More than 100 million Etch A Sketch toys have been sold since its release. In 1998, it was inducted into the National Toy Hall of Fame. Twister, Easy-Bake Oven and Hot Wheels were among the top toys of the 1960s.
1970s: Star Wars Action Figures
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According to retrojunk.com, the toy company Kenner, predicting that "Star Wars" would do poorly in theaters, didn't manufacture the original toys in time for the movie's release in May 1977. Hot sellers included Weebles, Six Million Dollar Man toys and Stretch Armstrong action figures.
1980s: Rubik's Cube
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According to Rubiks.com, about one out of every seven people on Earth has tried to solve the Rubik's Cube. That's a billion people. Cabbage Patch Kids, Atari, My Little Pony, Smurfs, Care Bears and Transformers were also popular toys of the 1980s.
1990s: Game Boy
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In 1993, cosmonaut Aleksandr Serebrov took his Game Boy into space. The console orbited the Earth 3,000 times before safely returning with its owner. The console was eventually auctioned off for $1,200, according to theguardian.com. Other popular toys in the 1990s included Pokemon, Beanie Babies, "Toy Story" figures, Teletubbies and Power Rangers.
2000s: Nintendo Wii
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When the Wii was new, there were many incidents of broken TVs and monitors caused by flung Wii remotes, according to the site neatorama.com. Animatronic toys, FlyTech Dragonfly and the 20Q electronic puzzle game were also popular.
2015: Star Wars BB-8 Droid
Credit: Brookstone
Kids can explore the "Star Wars" galaxies with the BB-8 App-Controlled Droid. It can obey voice commands and more; $149.99 at select Brookstone stores and brookstone.com.
