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20 Toy Fads We Can't Believe We Bought

Pokemon

The endless array of cards, video games and accessories can ignite a young kid’s imagination for hours upon hours. And seriously, how much fun would it be to sit around conjuring names like Pikachu, Koffing and Weezing all day?
From Pogs to Polly Pockets, view our entire list of 50 Toys Fads We Can't Believe We Bought Into. 

Giga Pets/Tamagotchi

A handheld “egg” that eats, plays, “poops” and even dies, providing kids with a digital spin on the circle of life.
From Pogs to Polly Pockets, view our entire list of 50 Toys Fads We Can't Believe We Bought Into.

Pick Up Sticks

This game may be just what it sounds — 50 multi-colored sticks that you have to pick up — but playing is a terrific way for kids to hone fine motor skills.

Bok Choy Boys

Emblazoned with random elements and Chinese symbols to evoke the stuff of legends, these colorful, collectible vending machine martians are an el cheapo way to ignite the imagination.

Easy-Bake Oven

Grooming would-be housewives since 1963, the notion of cooking actual food by light bulb remains every bit as fun and fascinating today.

Magic 8 Ball

An eight ball that tells your fortune through the arbitrary positioning of a floating octagon? Talk about a profound lesson in synchronicity!

Ouija Board

Without a scientific explanation for exactly how this portal channels messages from the great beyond, color us M..Y..S..T..F..I..E..D.

Baby Alive Doll

Little girls just can’t resist mothering a baby doll that can drink, burp, giggle, coo and pee just like they used to.

Barbie

So what if she’s not even remotely anatomically correct? The original blonde plastic icon and her spiffy entourage have helped little girls play big for over 50 years.

Bakugan

Let’s get this straight — a zillion-dollar franchise built around small round plastic magnets that unfurl to reveal “monsters” on metal surfaces? Remind us to return as Japanese inventors in our next life!

Zhu Zhu Pets

Formerly known as Furbies, these multi-hued, befuzzed motorized robots had us at chirps like “Hee-haw!”

Webkinz

They may look like your run-of-the-mill adorable stuffed animals, but the ability to “adopt” and nurture Webkinz online forges a sweet, special connection for your kid.

Silly Bandz

Multi-colored rubber bracelets shaped like…anything and everything? What’s not to like about entertaining your kids for only $2.99-ish?

Skip It

If you are even remotely coordinated, this rotatable, plastic ankle ball can give you one heck of a workout!

Lego

The classic way to build a whole new world in primary colors.

Beanie Babies

Who didn’t collect these saggy cuties in the '90s? And believe it or not, these PVC-pellet stuffed animal bean bags still fetch upwards of $375 on eBay!

Furbies

This owly-looking Zhu Zhu predecessor forecasted more than $300M in sales back in 1999 and spoke “Furbish” plus 40 — count ’em — 40 other languages!

Tech Dech

An early lesson in cool, these cute mini-skateboard replicas are designed to encourage your mini-Tony Hawk to scale mini-skate ramps with their ever-so dexterous mini-fingers.

Color forms

See a laminated board. Stick vinyl shapes, forms and figures on that laminated board where you can make them do all kinds of things. So simple, yet oh-so entertaining.

Cabbage Patch Dolls

Between the dolls and various spinoffs, the Cabbage Patch brand was the obsession of a generation, raking in around $2 billion in sales since the '80s!

MORE ON BABBLE:

The 50 Best Holiday E-Cards: Hilarious and Heartwarming
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Messy Playroom? 10 Best Toy Storage Solutions
Related: toys, fads, christmas

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