Most wanted Christmas toys over the decades
The most wanted toy at Christmas has changed a lot over the decades.
In Victorian times, children would be considered lucky if they received an orange on Christmas morning whereas today's children are more likely to be anticipating an Xbox or the latest mobile phone.
We have delved into our toy collection here at Preston Park Museum to compile the top most wanted Christmas gifts over the decades. Did any of these make your list?
List panel history
1910s to 1930s
Toys on the top of children's Christmas list in the early 1900s were all about the imagination with popular toys consisting of: wooden rocking horses, toy trains, dolls, yo-yo's and acrobat torsions toys.
See more (Go to 1910s to 1930s)
1940s
In the 1940s Lego began making plastic toys and in late 1949 they introduced the 'Automatic Binding Bricks' which became a staple of the brand and is still lasting till this day. Meccano also followed the Lego trend and was very popular in the 40s and is still around to this day. The development in building blocks in the 40s led to Lego being the most in-demand toy at Christmas.
See more (Go to 1940s)
1950s
The 1950s marks the decade that Barbie first hit the shelves and was top of most little girls' Christmas list. This led to her rival, Sindy following up on the trend 4 years later. Unlike Barbie, Sindy did not make it to the present day however many toys from the 1950s are still popular amongst young children like Mr potato head, Sooty, spinning tops and toy wagons.
See more (Go to 1950s)
1960s
In the 1960s plastic toys were becoming more popular which meant that action figures and Barbies were on most children's Christmas lists. Other toys like play cookers and the Etch a Sketch could also be found under the tree in this era.
See more (Go to 1960s)
1970s
May the force be with you! In 1977 the first Star Wars film hit the screens and became a word wide pop-culture phenomenon, leading to the production of many lines of Star Wars toys that every child was after.
See more (Go to 1970s)
1980s
What were originally called magic cubes, The Rubik's cube craze in the 80s led to it being top of most children's Christmas list. Despite reaching the height of its popularity in this decade, Rubik's cubes are still widely renowned and speed tournaments are held world wide every year to see who can solve them the fastest. Originally only a 3x3 cube, the Rubik's cube now can now be found in a variety of shapes and sizes.
See more (Go to 1980s)
1990s
The 90s fully embraced pop-culture influence in its toys and a wide variety of toys were released in this decade like Furby's, Nintendo Game Boy, Thunderbirds, Tamagotchis, Power Rangers action figures and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles action figures.
See more (Go to 1990s)
2000s
The turn of the century saw many changes in the toy industry. Technology was already becoming increasingly more popular in toys like the game boy. In the 2000s Nintendo released its most popular console at the time selling over 101 million units as the Wii was targeted at all ages young and old. Although technology seemed to be taking over the toy industry revisions of traditional board games like Hungry Hippos, Snakes and Ladders and Frustration were on many children's Christmas lists. Dolls stayed popular with the introduction of Bratz dolls which took on the characteristics of bold and confident young women which personified the mentality and interests of young girls in the new age.
See more (Go to 2000s)
2010s
The announcement of the new generations of consoles in the early 2010s reiterated the upwards trend of technology overthrowing traditional toys. PlayStation and Xbox and mobile phones were what every kid was after in the 2010s and with the hefty price that came along with these consoles, games and add-ons there wasn't much room for traditional toys on children's Christmas lists.
See more (Go to 2010s)
1910s to 1930s
1910s to 1930s
1910s to 1930s
Toys on the top of children's Christmas list in the early 1900s were all about the imagination with popular toys consisting of: wooden rocking horses, toy trains, dolls, yo-yo's and acrobat torsions toys.
See more (Go to 1910s to 1930s)
1940s
1940s
1940s
In the 1940s Lego began making plastic toys and in late 1949 they introduced the 'Automatic Binding Bricks' which became a staple of the brand and is still lasting till this day. Meccano also followed the Lego trend and was very popular in the 40s and is still around to this day. The development in building blocks in the 40s led to Lego being the most in-demand toy at Christmas.
See more (Go to 1940s)
1950s
1950s
1950s
The 1950s marks the decade that Barbie first hit the shelves and was top of most little girls' Christmas list. This led to her rival, Sindy following up on the trend 4 years later. Unlike Barbie, Sindy did not make it to the present day however many toys from the 1950s are still popular amongst young children like Mr potato head, Sooty, spinning tops and toy wagons.
See more (Go to 1950s)
1960s
1960s
1960s
In the 1960s plastic toys were becoming more popular which meant that action figures and Barbies were on most children's Christmas lists. Other toys like play cookers and the Etch a Sketch could also be found under the tree in this era.
See more (Go to 1960s)
1970s
1970s
1970s
May the force be with you! In 1977 the first Star Wars film hit the screens and became a word wide pop-culture phenomenon, leading to the production of many lines of Star Wars toys that every child was after.
See more (Go to 1970s)
1980s
1980s
1980s
What were originally called magic cubes, The Rubik's cube craze in the 80s led to it being top of most children's Christmas list. Despite reaching the height of its popularity in this decade, Rubik's cubes are still widely renowned and speed tournaments are held world wide every year to see who can solve them the fastest. Originally only a 3x3 cube, the Rubik's cube now can now be found in a variety of shapes and sizes.
See more (Go to 1980s)
1990s
1990s
1990s
The 90s fully embraced pop-culture influence in its toys and a wide variety of toys were released in this decade like Furby's, Nintendo Game Boy, Thunderbirds, Tamagotchis, Power Rangers action figures and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles action figures.
See more (Go to 1990s)
2000s
2000s
2000s
The turn of the century saw many changes in the toy industry. Technology was already becoming increasingly more popular in toys like the game boy. In the 2000s Nintendo released its most popular console at the time selling over 101 million units as the Wii was targeted at all ages young and old. Although technology seemed to be taking over the toy industry revisions of traditional board games like Hungry Hippos, Snakes and Ladders and Frustration were on many children's Christmas lists. Dolls stayed popular with the introduction of Bratz dolls which took on the characteristics of bold and confident young women which personified the mentality and interests of young girls in the new age.
See more (Go to 2000s)
2010s
2010s
2010s
The announcement of the new generations of consoles in the early 2010s reiterated the upwards trend of technology overthrowing traditional toys. PlayStation and Xbox and mobile phones were what every kid was after in the 2010s and with the hefty price that came along with these consoles, games and add-ons there wasn't much room for traditional toys on children's Christmas lists.
See more (Go to 2010s)
