The Most Popular Christmas Toys, By Year Since 1960
The holiday shopping season is quickly descending upon us, which means this year’s more popular toys and consumer electronics are soon to become in increasingly high-demand. In recent memory, the Sony Playstation III, Beanie Babies, and of course, the Tickle-Me-Elmo have generated a considerable amount of hype – quickly selling out, and then establishing a re-sale market. But have you ever wondered what the “it toys” have been throughout the decades? We have, and as a result, we decided to compile a time-line which illustrates the top toys from the last 50 years. Here they are, the most popular Christmas toys since 1960:
(click image to enlarge)
How many of these do you recognize? All 50? Let us know if you do, and feel free to comment with the names of your favorite Christmas toys, and share some of your favorite memories. We will be sharing this full list (which include the names of all these toys) later in the week, so make sure to check back.
Note: After reviewing the data for this trip down memory lane, and a suggestion by our friends at Kotaku, we decided to replace the Sony PS3 with the Nintendo DS as 2007’s most popular toy
1982 should be a picture of a bmx bike, not ‘bmx torque magazine’ (bmx torque magazine was australian and only produced 7 issues, definitely not top selling!)
@bill Thanks for the comment. We updated the image with a BMX bike instead of the BMX magazine.
Number I recognize: 45
Number I got from my uncaring parents of the last 45 years: 0
Sigh
Furbees! Ha!
The Wii outsold the PS3 for Xmas 2007.
would someone please tell me what 2005 is?
I love the PS3 as much as anyone, but since September 2009 was the first month *ever* that it was the top selling console — that’s right, just one single month — I highly doubt it was the “Most Popular” toy of 2007 by however you are measuring “popular.”
Who got a Super Soaker for Christmas??!! It’s coooold in December in most parts of the US! “Here Tommy – he’s a summer toy. Go put in your room for 5 months until such time as it is relevant.” I’m calling shennanigans. Maybe I’m missing something…
or my parents sucked.
Nostalgia…setting…in…
China entered the market in 1983 . . . can anyone spot the trend from that point forward?
The only one I don’t recognize is 1995. What is that?
Hahaha, thats a funny one for 2007. The ps3 outselling the wii at any point prior to the ps3 price drop? Maybe when MGS4 came out, other than that, L-O-L
@Biff
Yes but if this is based on popularity, far more kids wanted a PS3 as a cool follow-up to their PS2’s. The Wii’s popularity and success was driven by adults, and the fact that there was more stock available. So depending on the goal of this list, either one is justifiable.
The PS3 wasn’t the most popular toy in 2007. Both the Wii and the Xbox 360 outsold the PS3 in 2007 for the whole year, and during the holiday months. Even the Nintendo DS and probably the PSP sold better. Considering this was just 2 years ago, I wonder how “true” the rest of this list is.
man, im the year of pictonary, lame!!
How can playmobil be in 1973?! Who did that? And why not use a figure from the seventies!?
@Biff
Yeah, that one confuses me as well, didn’t the Xbox360 even do better?
As a matter of fact…
In Xmas 2007:
Wii sold 1,176,232 units
Xbox 360 sold 976,139 units
And the PS3 only sold 588,982 units, what gives?
http://www.thebitbag.com/2007/12/28/which-console-won-christmas/
The PS3 was not the “most popular Christmas Toy” of 2007. The Wii outsold it:
http://kotaku.com/346310/nintendo-responds-to-december-npd-sales-seems-pleased
So, what else on the list is wrong? How did you compile this thing anyway? Rolling dice?
I don’t recognize the box with the word PICTIONARY on it. lol
Yeah, like Biff pointed out, the Wii outsold the PS3 by a huge margin in 2007 the whole year, including Xmas.
@Biff I was thinking the same thing – The Wii was virtually out of stock and impossible to get for two Christmas seasons… PS3? Naw…
methinks you did not do this very scientifically
Why is 1996 a TMX Elmo? those were not released until 2006.
The original Tickle Me Elmo does not have the hard plastic on the soles of his feet
I was thinking the same thing about 2007.
The PS3 did not generate an inflated-price resale market. Many speculators got burned.
Really? The playstation 3??? hahahahahaha yeah. right.
@Biff
In which country? I’m presuming this is American data, though it doesn’t say anywhere.
No iPod?
I’m pretty sure the 360 outsold the PS3 for the 2007 holiday as well. August price drop, Halo 3 and Call of Duty 4?
And the DS outsold the Wii. Also, the 360, PS2, and PSP outsold the PS3 in 2007. This chart is suspect!
http://kotaku.com/346136/nintendo-ds-bigger-than-jesus-this-christmas
Oh 2006 and the Wii races. I do recall I got up one morning and stood outside a store for 2 hours before it opened because they might have a Wii. In the end, none showed up on the shipment. It’s funny because I still get excited when I see one in the store even though they’re easy to find now.
@Biff
I think they are referencing demand, not units shipped.
@Tracy 1995 was the year of the pog!
The only one I don’t know is 1971.
And just a question, but is most popular mean biggest sales or most sought after? The only reason I ask is that I KNOW the PS3 hasn’t seen bigger sales than the Wii or XBOX360 until this year (for the most part)
Will you guys stop whining about the PS3. Nowhere here does it say that the most popular toy was based on sales figures. I doubt the author knows how many Action Man dolls sold in 1966. This is supposed to be a fun trip down memory lane, and you guys are turning it into another whiny fanboy catfight.
Tracy, I think 1995 is Pogs, but I’m not certain.
@Jack It’s a roboraptor.
@Tracy
Pogs my son had those… I know them all but that dinosaur robot WTF is that???
Gees you people take all the fun out of everything… the tickle me elmo came out in 1996 the year after my middle son was born. 2006???? WTF my youngest born 1999 got the hand-me-down tickle me elmo! Kyle how old are you?????
Where is the FastTrax remote control car? As I recall, around 1996 that was the hot toy. And yes 1995 was POGS
@Tracy Pogs baby. Those things were awesome.
@Tracy
Those are pogs – cardboard milk caps that you stack up and then throw a metal disk at. It was a really pointless game.
I am off to start a band called “whiny fanboy catfight.”
@Tracy
1995 are Pogs!
missed 3 – 1971, 1973 & 1995. not bad.
1971 are weebles. Weebles wobble but they don’t fall down. I am 48 years old and had them. Shuddyap.
Pogs. GENIUS money maker for the company that invented them. Freakin’ circles with pictures on them. Who gives a crap?? They were so dumb I never got the whole “pog craze”. @M It was a game??? I didn’t know that.
1995 = POGS!!!!!!! Lol! Raise your hand if you still have some!
2007 and 2008 should really both also be the Wii. That was undeniably the “it” item in ‘06, ‘07 and ‘08.
D&D was the most popular game in 1974? If that were true, we’d all be devil-worshipping Satan spawn now.