There are few things more exciting for kids than making up their Christmas present list in the run up to the big day.
While the items on these lists will change depending on your children's ages, one thing that's guaranteed is that there's always one must-have toy all kids want in the run up to Christmas. So while it's good to know in advance so you can scour online, spare a thought for mums and dads in the 1980s and 1990s.
For years, anxious parents had to endure queuing for hours, and sometimes overnight, just to get that year's most popular toy. So put yourself in their shoes, and imagine trudging from department store to department store looking for that one toy that every other parent is also after.
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So in the Christmas spirit of the '80s and '90s, the MEN have taken a look back to some of those most wanted toys that forced parents to partake in a desperate and chaotic Christmas mission. Scroll down to rummage through our virtual Christmas stocking below and see how many of these were on your list.
Cabbage Patch Kids
If you were a kid in the Eighties, you'll likely be well acquainted with the Cabbage Patch Kid phenomenon. The dolls were instantly recognisable thanks to their signature rosy cheeks and kids were enamoured with their charm.
Cabbage Patch Kids became one the most popular toy fads of the 1980s. The toys were so in demand in 1983 that they caused riots in the US as frenzied shoppers scrambled to buy their child one for Christmas amid stock issues.
They sold nearly three million dolls and officially became the most successful new doll introduction in the history of the toy industry.
Teenage Mutant Hero Turtles
Eighties and Nineties kids will instantly be able to recall the theme tune to the Teenage Mutant Hero Turtles cartoon. Alongside the animation, action figures of the four Kung Fu kicking turtles caused a storm in the shops at Christmas in 1990.
Originally called Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles in America (the word 'Ninja' was replaced by 'Hero' in the UK and other European countries due to the perceived violent connotations that came with 'Ninja') the toys continued to sell in eyewatering numbers throughout the '90s.
Buzz Lightyear
The hit animated movie Toy Story was released in March 1996 in the UK and was an instant hit with kids and grown-ups. With the amazing success of the film it was understandable that Pixar, and Disney, were keen to capitalise on its popularity.
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And what better way to do that then a Buzz Lightyear doll? The doll sold out so rapidly before Christmas, with such high demand, that emergency stock was shipped to the UK, arriving at selected UK stores in time for December 24, 1996.
One of the lucky stores was the branch in Liverpool which saw hundreds of punters queuing outside from the early hours just to get their hands on the toy. Photos show staff at the store rushed off their feet as hoards of desperate parents snapped up the much sought after toy.
BBC reports suggested that stores sold out of the Buzz Lightyear doll within 20 minutes of opening on Christmas Eve 1996.
Furby
This weird, wide-eyed interactive pet pipped Yo Yo's to the crown of most popular Christmas toy in 1998. The toys became a huge hit with stores around the country inundated with parents looking to snap one up.
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The Furby began life speaking its own language, Furbish, and gradually learned English over time. 1.8 million of the toys were sold during their release year, with another 14 million the following year.
The Furby is still a popular toy today, having evolved to a more technologically advanced model, featuring LCD eyes and its own mobile app.
Rubik Cube
The Rubik's Cube took the UK by storm in 1981 and was Argos' biggest selling toy that year. The 3D puzzle was invented in 1974 by Hungarian inventor and architect, Erno Rubik, and originally called the Magic Cube.
By 1981, Rubik's Cube had become a worldwide craze, and it is estimated that in the period from 1980 to 1983 around 200 million of the cube's had been sold across the world. So popular has the puzzle toy been since its release, it's estimated one in seven humans have tried to solve it.
Star Wars
The original Star Wars figures produced between 1978 and 1985 are some of the best selling toys of all time. From must have figures like Darth Vader, Luke Skywalker and C3PO, to craft like the Millennium Falcon, Star Wars toys are big business even today.
Do these toys awaken any memories for you? Let us know in the comments section below.
The original Star Wars film was released in May 1977, and the unprecedented response to the film led to a high demand for toys. Subsequent releases of the follow up movies, The Empire Strikes Back (1980) and the Return of the Jedi (1983) further fuelled kids' demands for Star Wars figures and crafts for Christmas.
Lego
Lego is one of the biggest selling toys of all time, and as such, demand for its many iterations has caused frantic parents everywhere to go the extra mile to get their hands on a particular set at Christmas. One such set was the Lego train set which was Argos' most popular toy in 1982.
Over the years, Lego has licensed themes from numerous cartoon and film franchises including Batman, Indiana Jones, Pirates of the Caribbean, Harry Potter and Star Wars. The bricks from which almost anything can be built have also been a perfect fit to partner hit video game Minecraft in recent years.
Game Boy
The most popular Christmas toy in 1991 was the revolutionary handheld games console, Nintendo's Game Boy. For a generation, the 8-bit Game Boy was an absolute revelation and no doubt many will still have the Tetris music jiggling away in their heads to this day.
Despite its monochrome display and technical limitations compared to the Sega and Atari's handheld devices at the time, it still outsold all the competition, obviously helped by being bundled with must have games like Tetris and Super Mario Land. Now one of the most iconic devices of all time, an estimated 118.69 million units of the Game Boy and its successor, the Game Boy Colour, have been sold worldwide, making it the third best-selling game console of all time.
Tracy Island
Back at Christmas in 1992, few would have predicted a toy based on the set of 1960s TV puppet show Thunderbirds would be the best selling toy that year. Parents were reported queueing for hours overnight in the hope of landing one of these, fuelled by a recent Thunderbirds comeback on TV.
Demand was so high for these toys, BBC1's Blue Peter famously ran a make-your-own segment for those unlucky enough not to bag a real one. It used items including a grocery box, newspapers and drinking straws to construct a replica.
The BBC's re-launch of Thunderbirds in 2000 again prompted a resurgence in the toy's popularity and a new updated Tracy Island toy was released in response. But as before, supply did not keep up with demand with the BBC reporting that only 60,000 copies of the Chinese-made product would be shipped to the UK before Christmas that year, despite demand being estimated at half a million.
The relaunched Tracy Island ultimately became one of the best-selling toys of 2000, with demand estimated to be up to 10 times greater than supply.
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