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Belfast Live
Belfast Live
Lifestyle
Laura Grainger

Toys every kid had on their Christmas list in 60s-70s Belfast

The countdown to Santa's big journey is now on, and kids are on their best behaviour to ensure no last-minute errors cost them something from their wish list.

With PlayStation 5s, iPads and even iPhones appearing on Christmas lists, Santa letters are, in some ways, lightyears apart from what they once looked like. But there are some classic toys beloved by previous generations of kids that the current generation still asks Santa for today.

From bikes to dolls to LEGO sets and more, there are some things that will seemingly always have a place on Christmas lists - no matter how much technology advances.

Read more: Belfast shops that remind us of Christmas as a child

What past generations used to go shopping for in the likes of Woolworths, the Co-Op on York Street or Robb's department store are still being bought, now at the likes of Smyths, Argos or online stores.

We decided to take a look back at what items Belfast kids had on their Christmas lists in the 60s and 70s. Take a walk down memory lane with the following toys.

Evil Knieval stunt cycle toy

The world's most famous stuntman was a hero to many young thrill-seekers, who were warned off attempting his acts at home. The Evel Knieval stunt cycle toy allowed 70s kids to participate in the action without the trips to A&E.

Baby dolls (and accessories)

Model with two 'Tiny Tears' dolls, known for crying 'real' tears, drinking from a bottle, blowing bubbles and wetting their nappies, at a toy fair in 1963 (Harry Todd/Fox Photos/Hulton Archive/Getty Images)

Archaeological evidence points towards dolls being the world's oldest toy, with the earliest dating back to around 2,000 BC (wooden dolls found in Ancient Egyptian tombs) and dolls with moveable limbs dating back to at least 200 BC (from Ancient Greece).

For centuries, young girls imitated motherhood through looking after dolls by pushing them in a pram or putting them to bed in a cot.

Dolls in the latter half of the 20th Century allowed for realistic play as they looked less like shrunken children and more like life-sized babies. Companies began developing baby dolls that could produce tears, dampen nappies and be fed, too.

Fashion & lifestyle dolls (and accessories)

Formal wear Barbie and Ken, 1964 (Express Newspapers/Getty Images)

The latter half of the 20th Century also gave rise to fashion and lifestyle dolls, with the likes of Barbie, Sindy and Action Girl being the most popular during the 60s and 70s. On top of playsets such as houses or vehicles, toy companies also produced changeable outfits and furniture that reflected the clothing and interior design trends of the time.

Boxes of the Barbie Dream Furniture collection, 1979 (Ed Maker/The Denver Post via Getty Images)

Action Man (and vehicles)

Introduced in 1966 by Palitoy, Action Man took cues from GI Joe as a "doll for boys" - though both were marketed as 'action figures'. Similar to fashion and lifestyle dolls, additional items could be collected, usually in the form of weapons, survival gear or vehicles.

Raleigh bikes

A 1972 Christmas ad for Raleigh bikes (Brand New Retro)

Ad scan courtesy of Brand New Retro.

Wishing for a new bike at Christmas is a tale as old as bikes themselves. But Raleigh Choppers in particular were the it-bike of the 70s. Cycling on one of them while your pal lay on the road under a piece of wood as a makeshift ramp, you felt like Evel Knieval himself!

LEGO

While LEGO celebrated its 90th birthday this year, the LEGO brick the world knows and loves didn't appear until 1958, and the LEGO wheel wasn't introduced until 1962. The 60s and 70s therefore brought about the style of LEGO play we have today, with town playsets, vehicles and so on.

Etch-A-Sketch

Etch-A-Sketch circa 1970 (Bill Wunsch/The Denver Post via Getty Images)

A new way to create art, the Etch-A-Sketch was introduced as a mechanical drawing toy during the baby boom of the 1960s. Shortly after its launch, it became the most popular drawing toy in the industry, and is still regarded as one of the most iconic toys of the 20th Century.

Meccano

A Meccano 2 set from the 1970s (Lady alys/Wikimedia Commons (CC-BY-SA 3.0))

Another one for those who loved to build, Meccano sets were popular in the 60s and particularly in the 70s, when electronic parts were introduced. Kids could put their construction hats on and get to work on putting together vehicles, robots or buildings with the reusable metal pieces.

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