Top 102 Toys

e*Train Issue: Apr 2002 | Posted in: Combined Eras

by Bob Mintz

Okay, the new millennium didn’t officially start until January 1st 2001. Hopefully, we will avoid Y2K + 1 computer issues and we can now present the 102 most memorable toys of the 20th century
Which came first?
Betsy Wetsy or Chatty Cathy?
When we think back on our childhood, toys figure prominently. Ask a baby boomer about that first Barbie doll or Matchbox car, and watch his or her eyes light up. Anyone who was a child in the ’70s has fond memories of taking a spin on a Big Wheel or tugging on Stretch Armstrong. And the children of today are sure to look back fondly on their Gameboys and Beanie Babies.

The following timeline shows the year of introduction for the most beloved toys of the century. There are a few exceptions: Yo-yos, for example, originated centuries ago in the South Pacific but weren’t introduced to Americans until Donald Duncan began manufacturing them in 1929.

An amazing number of these toys are still in production; others are brought down from Grandma’s attic for the next generation to discover. Still others endure in the minds of those who played with them.

Take this trip down memory lane with us, and see if your face doesn’t break into a grin.

Flexible Flyer sled (early 1900s)
Lionel trains (1901)
Teddy bear (1902)
Crayola crayons (1903)
Rook (1906)
Kewpie (1911)
Buddy L cars/trucks (1912)
Erector sets (1913)
Raggedy Ann (1914)
Tinker toys (1914)
Lincoln logs (1916)
Marble King marbles (1920s)
Madame Alexander dolls (1923)
Duncan Yo-yo (1929)
Radio Flyer wagon (1929)
Playskool Cobbler’s bench (1930)
Buck Rogers Sonic Ray Gun (1930s)
Monopoly (1935)
Red Ryder BB gun (1939)
View Master (1939)
Nok Hockey (1939)
Model airplanes (early 1940s)
Chutes and Ladders (1943)
Slinky (1945)
Tonka toys (1946)
Electric football (1947)
Scrabble (1948)
Cootie (1948)
LEGOs (1949)
Silly Putty (1949)
Candyland (1949)
Clue (1949)
Mr. Potato Head (1952)
Pez dispensers (1952)
Matchbox cars (1953)
Play-Doh (1955)
Burp guns (1955)
Betsy Wetsy (1955)
Ant farms (1956)
Frisbee (1957)
Fisher Price Corn Popper (1957)
Green plastic army men (late 1950s)
Skateboards (1958)
Hula Hoop (1958)
Barbie (1959)
Troll dolls (1959)
Little people (1959)
Risk (1959)
Chatty Cathy (1960)
The Game of Life (1960)
Etch-A-Sketch (1960)
Slip n’ Slide (1961)
Easy-Bake Oven (1962)
Schwinn StingRay (1963)
G.I. Joe (1964)
Operation (1965)
See N Say (1965)
Super Ball (1965)
Slot cars (mid 1960s)
Twister (1966)
Ouija board (1967)
Battleship (1967)
Lite Brite (1968)
Hot Wheels (1968)
Model rockets (1969)
Nerf ball (1969)
Big Wheel (1969)
Atari Pong (1972)
Baby Alive (1973)
Sit n’ Spin (1973)
Dungeons and Dragons (1973)
Rubik’s Cube (1974)
Stretch Armstrong (1976)
BMX dirt bikes (1977)
Star Wars action figures (1977)
Mountain bikes (1979)
Little Tikes Cozy Coupe (1979)
Merlin (1980)
Rollerblades (1980)
Smurfs (1981)
He Man/Masters of the Universe (1982)
Cabbage Patch Kids (1983)
Nintendo (1983)
Trivial Pursuit (1983)
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles action figures (1984)
Transformers (1984)
Lazer Tag (1986)
American Girl dolls (1986)
Koosh (1987)
Pictionary (1987)
Barney (1988)
Gameboy (1989)
Super Soaker (1991)
Beanie Babies (1993)
Sony Playstation (1995)
Pokemon (1995)
Tickle Me Elmo (1996)
Tamagotchi (1997)
Furby (1998)
Teletubbies (1998)
Sega Dreamcast Game Console (1999)
Razor scooters (2000)
Sony Playstation 2 (2001)

Shop Amazon and Help TCA

TCA members who shop at Amazon.com can have each of their normal purchases generate a modest payment to TCA! And it won’t cost you anything!

The Train Collectors Association is now a participant with AmazonSmile, which is a special website operated by Amazon that lets customers enjoy the same wide selection of products, low prices and convenient shopping features as on Amazon.com.

The difference is that when customers shop at AmazonSmile (smile.amazon.com), the AmazonSmile Foundation donates 0.5% of the price of eligible purchases to the charitable organizations selected by customers.

The process is simple. Just search for and select Train Collectors Association when you sign up and shop at smile.amazon.com.

You use your regular Amazon.com username and password, but when you log in to smile.amazon.com, you’ll see that you are supporting TCA with your purchases:

Note that if you just log in to the regular amazon.com, this benefit does not operate.

There are no costs to either you or TCA, but TCA benefits!

This is a great way for TCA to earn extra cash to offset costs, so sign up today to help support TCA.

* Note: TCA is not a party to any of your Amazon transactions, and does not endorse any products or vendors.

Helping TCA with your ebay purchases when you use PayPal

If you’re an ebay user and have a PayPal account you use to make payments, you can designate a donation for TCA when you’re checking out — any amount, small or large.
If you’re a regular seller on ebay, you can pre-designate a percentage of your sales to be donated automatically in your name to TCA as long as the purchaser pays with their PayPal account.

In both cases, you will receive a donation receipt from the PayPal Giving Fund, and enjoy applicable tax advantages.

How to do it:

Click on the image above, or use this link. This will take you to ebay, where you will see the following page (log in to ebay if you are not already):

This offers TCA as an option. Click on the “Add to My Charities” button where indicated with the red arrow. Thereafter, when you make a purchase, at checkout you will be offered the option to make a donation to TCA in any amount of your choosing. Small amounts add up, larger ones are great! It’s always up to you!

The option will appear at the lower part of your checkout page, something like this:

If you’re a regular seller on ebay, you can allocate a portion of your sales proceeds to be donated to TCA. Look at the green arrow marked “Optional” above to see how to do it. Details on how ebay calculates the donation may be read here. This is a wonderful way to share the financial benefits of your hobby with the organization that promotes it!

An added benefit to TCA is that these donations are not subject to normal processing fees, so that makes your donation work harder!

* Note. TCA is not a party to any of your eBay transactions, and does not endorse any products or vendors. PayPal issues the receipts to you for your donation, not TCA.

Top 102 Toys

Search By:

Sort By:

Have Train Stories to Share?