Mike
I was a kid in the ’80s and ’90s, back when toys didn’t need Wi-Fi, apps, or touchscreens to blow our little minds. We had to use our imagination—and man, did we go all in.
I had the brand-new plastic stuff every kid wanted back then, sure, but I also inherited some seriously weird (and awesome) toys from the ’70s thanks to older siblings and cousins. Half the time I didn’t even know what the toy was supposed to do—I just made it up as I went.
Looking back, some of these throwback toys seem totally ridiculous… but at the time? They were everything. If you grew up in that pre-iPad era, you’re about to get hit with a big ol’ wave of nostalgia.
1. Nerf guns were the most fun you could have until you lost all of the darts in about 10 minutes.
2. The Operation board game. This is where my anxiety all started.
3. It seems silly now but the View Finder would blow our little minds.
4. Water fights in the summer were the best.
5. Troll dolls had a hold on an entire generation of us. We all practiced cutting hair on these.
6. The roller skate are responsible for more childhood trauma than the Catholic church.
7. No batteries needed to sing karaoke like a robot.
8. Yo-yos were fun if you could master them, and also keep them for getting tangled up. I bet I could still “walk the dog.”
9. Sometimes we made our own toys out of paper. This fortune teller would have a friend pick a color, then a number, then say something like “You smell.” on the inside. What a fortune.
10. These were awesome until the ball turned into a frayed bunch of fluff.
11. Clacker balls were awesome, and you couls also throw them at your cousin’s feet and trip him.
12. I thought Hippos ate marbles until I was about 12.
13. Just be sure to rinse out your friend’s spit before blowing into these badboys.
14. Cup stilts for making yourself 6 inches taller and eventually rolling your ankle. Loved these.
15. This fishing game was so fun. I’d honestly still like to play with this.
16. The stunts we’d pull in these little cars were worthy of an episode of Jackass.
17. The balancing bird would blow me away as a kid.
18. Like LEGOS, but they didn’t hurt when your mom stepped on them. My mom trew away my LEGOS so I had these.
19. Everyone had a Pogo-ball.
20. A slightly less fun clacker toy you couldn’t hogtie your cousin with.
21. Us older generations had an obsession with marbles. Especially these cat eye ones.
22. Pre-video games but harder than any of them.
23. This can would moo when you flipped it over and honestly it was very satisfying.
24. Like an acid trip in a toilet paper tube.
25. The Bop-It legitimately made your memory better.
26. Sending a slinky down some stairs was awesome, but once it tangled that was the end.
27. Our iPads were a little less fun.
28. Flipping these badboys into cup was awesome and prepared us for the drinking games in college.
29. Your parent won’t let you have a dog? This was the next best thing.
30. The Furby was in every home. These still kinda creep me out.
31. Polly Pocket was a toy I was jealous of. We didn’t get a little boy version until years after.
32. Violence is never the answer? Wrong.
