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10 Retro 1980's Toys and Games That You Can Still Buy Today
If you grew up in the 1980's, some of your strongest memories will be of the toys that you owned - or hoped to borrow off your friend who had one....
You know, the toys that all boys and girls in the 1980s longed for - the ones that were on every kid's Letter To Santa!
If you still have the original toys, they are now some of the most collectable toys of the 1980s.
But if like most of us they are long gone, well, there are lots of these cool retro 80's toys that you can still buy today for yourself....I mean buy for your kids so that you can play with them....I mean to introduce your kids to the fun things you loved in your childhood.
Well, that is my excuse and I'm sticking to it!
Cabbage Patch Dolls
In the 1980s we famously watch riots on the TV when people couldn't get a Cabbage Patch Doll in time for Christmas. Parents cried and wailed "what am I going to tell my kid when Santa hasn't left a Cabbage Patch Doll under the Christmas Tree?"
Each doll was sort-of-ugly in a cute way, each was unique and came with a birth certificate. Mint-condition original 1980's versions go for silly money on eBay, but you can buy a brand new one for around $35/£30.
Rubik's Cube
It was a matter of pride to any 80's kid to be able to complete the Rubik's Cube Whilst a few clever-clogs managed to finish it by themselves, most of us got a cheat book (or just moved the coloured stickers around).
For me it symbolised the 1980's, the fact that a game that required thought and concentration, developed by Hungarian Professor Erno Rubik to help him explain to his students about spatial relationships, could become the best selling toy of all time.
Stylophone
For me, the most envied kid in my class was the one who had a Stylophone - a pocket synthesiser which made a really annoying buzzy sound and had a range of only an octave and a half.
But then again you could pretend you were a member of an Electro band like Kraftwerk or Depeche Mode. Modern versions can be attached to an MP3 player so that you can mix your own music with the Stylophone.
My Little Pony
Can you imagine how exciting My Little Pony was when it first appeared? A horsey! In pastel colours!! AND YOU COULD BRUSH IT'S MANE!!!
It came with it's only little hairbrush, which was almost as much fun to step on as LEGO. Still popular today, 2017 sees a My Little Pony movie in the cinemas and for millenial mums there is, of course, unicorn versions of the toy available.
Simon
There was more brain based fun to be had with Simon . The name was taken from the playground game Simon Says, and you had memorise a random sequence of tones and coloured buttons. (Ooooo computers, SO exciting in the 80s).
The most modern version is a touch-free ring that you only need to move your hands around, but the original button version can still be bought for some retro fun!
Fashion Plates
Some of the most fun ever was drawing with Fashion Plates. Basically you could mix'n'match tops and bottoms to draw a fashion-concious 80's miss. Well, let's be honest, the fashions in the set were more stuck in the 1970's really, with mini skirts and victorian style outfits complete with cottage loaf hair styles.
The updated version has up-to-date fashions, accessories and hairstyles and comes complete with a cute teal carry case.
Teenage Mutant Hero Turtles
Remember the days when a cartoon about Ninjas was too violent for UK audiences? Leonardo, Michaelangelo, Raphael and Donatello were re-named Hero Turtles in the 1980's.
A resurgence of interest in the Turtles in the early years on the new millenium, with rebooted live action movies and new cartoon episodes mean that modern TMNT toys - of course named Ninja Turtles - are widely available.
Strawberry Shortcake
Strawberry Shortcake and her friends were cute little dolls with even cuter pets that smelled of strawberries - albeit in a rather plasticky, chemical way.
You can get various modern versions of the toys, along with this set of original 1980's designs. Whether they smell any better is probably a matter of opinion.
Gremlins
The 1984 movie Gremlins, which starred Poebe Cates and Zach Gilligan spawned lots of tie-in toys - and who could resist owning their own Gizmo Plush?
A classic movie which has stood the test of time, Gremlins still attracts fans. The question is, would you ever risk washing a toy Gremlin.....
Polly Pocket
In the late 1980s there came a toy that everyone wanted - full of the sort of annoying tiny pieces that drive mums to distraction. Based on a powder compact, the plastic container had a tiny doll and all sorts of tiny accessories.
It is sort-of still available. The dolls still come with a plethora of outfits and accessories, but the tiny, pocket-sized compact has long gone. you can however still get Polly Pocket herself to dress up.
