The Most Successful Toys of All Time

Christmas is rapidly approaching and the traditional flurry of festive adverts promoting the latest toys is imminent. While gifts today tend to be increasingly high-tech and expensive, in years gone by, Christmas presents were often much simpler.

We take a trip down memory lane and remember some of the most successful toys of all time - even though the manufacturers wouldn't have realised it back in the day, these relatively simple toys have stood the test of time and many are still in great demand to this day.

Cabbage Patch Kids

Although still in production today, the earlier Cabbage Patch dolls from the 1980s are worth a fortune and discontinued models can often be seen on collectors' sites. First produced in 1983, the quirky dolls, with their soft bodies and scrunched-up faces, enjoyed the most successful launch in the history of the toy industry. Within the first 12 months, almost three million Cabbage Patch Kids were sold, each one coming with its own adoption papers and a birth certificate.

Rubik's Cube

Since its launch four decades ago, more than 350 million Rubik's Cubes have been sold across the globe. Invented by Budapest architecture professor Erno Rubik, this toy went on to become one of the best-selling puzzles of all time. There are literally millions of different ways to twist and turn the cube and many a Christmas morning has been spent trying to master the art of the Rubik's Cube. Annual tournaments are still held to see who can solve the puzzle the quickest!

View-Master

The forerunner of today's virtual reality headsets, the View-Master was launched way back in 1939 at the World's Fair in New York, USA. It was invented by Harold Graves, the president of Sawyer’s Photographic Services, who provided people with a means of viewing photographs of tourist attractions in 3D. Walt Disney was so impressed with the toy that it was given a licensing agreement. Enabling people who couldn't make it to New York to see a 3D image of the Statue of Liberty (as if it was standing right there in front of them), in the days before the Internet, this was a source of great fascination for adults and kids alike.

Barbie

As one of the most recognisable dolls on the planet, Barbie has been a firm favourite for over 50 years. With over a billion dolls sold, this toy is still high on the Christmas list of many.

Star Wars figurines

When the first Star Wars movie was released in 1977, the collecting of figurines became cool. Since then, every year's blockbuster film has come up with a line of toys to accompany the movie. Star Wars' 1977 marketing campaign enabled people to buy empty boxes with coupons that they could redeem for collectible themed figurines - thus collecting toys was opened to a new market. The early Star Wars toys are worth a fortune today. Similarly, Marvel toys are also highly collectible, as are Star Trek figures.

Chatty Cathy

Dolls that talk can be traced back to Chatty Cathy, who was manufactured by Mattel from 1959 until the mid-1960s. She was the very first doll who would say many phrases, such as, "I love you," or "Let's play house," when kids pulled her drawstring. Dolls such as Chatty Cathy were the precursors of other talking toys such as Teddy Ruxpin in 1986. This was the first interactive stuffed animal who talked - children inserted a cassette tape into his back and he would speak, paving the way for other talking stuffed toys such as Furby and Tickle Me Elmo.

Lego

Probably the most recognisable toy across the globe, Lego was the brainchild of a carpenter from Denmark who started making wooden toys in 1932. His company took on the name “Lego” in 1934 – derived from the Danish phrase leg godt, which means play well.

In 2016 alone, over 75 billion Lego bricks were sold - the 85-year-old company reigns supreme, with the world’s most successful toy of all time.

Hot Wheels

Vroom, vroom! Some of you might not realise this but Mattel introduced Hot Wheels to the toy market as long ago as 1968.

Having produced more than 4 billion cars, with 11,000 variations and over 800 models, Mattel estimates that over 41 million youngsters have grown up driving a Hot Wheels vehicle!

It’s that time of year again, folks! Santa Claus is preparing to come to town and homes all across the country are preparing for the Christmas Day toy explosion. Try to remain calm, cos help is at hand. Solent Plastics stocks a wide range of useful plastic storage boxes and containers in all sizes. Our airtight plastic storage boxes and trunks and plastic storage boxes with lids will help to bring some order back into your living room. Please contact us for further information on our products.