Yo-yos
In the 50s, the yo-yo was one of the most popular toys around. The goal is to get the weight up to the top of the hoop and let it go so it spins down, then pull on one end of the string so it winds up again. Some people still like yo-yos, but they’re not nearly as prolific as they used to be.
Toy Guns
Kids used to play cops and robbers with realistic-looking toy guns, but parents today think these toys give children bad ideas about how to resolve conflicts. They argue that allowing children to play with toy guns helps to cultivate a life-long interest in shooting real firearms, and might lead to increased gun sales when those children grow up.
Dolls
While several doll varieties have been around for many decades and have even seen a bit of resurgence in recent years, there are still many types of dolls that no longer have the cultural clout that they used to. For example, porcelain dolls, rag dolls, and wooden dolls can be considered unpopular today.
Rubix cube
As a puzzle that was mentally stimulating, could take hours to solve, and could be used again and again, is it any surprise that the Rubix Cube was a hugely popular toy throughout the 80s and 90s? This ingenious puzzle was a huge fad for a while and even spawned its own TV show. Now you can hardly find anyone playing with them anymore, except in competitive circles.
Nintendo Wii
The Wii had its moment in the sun in the early 2000s but has sadly since fallen out of favor. In the wake of new gaming consoles and new games, the Wii is fading into obscurity, unable to keep up with newer systems like the PS5 and Xbox One. It has been replaced by newer technology in most homes and is no longer the hottest gift to give on Christmas morning.
Slinky
Kids loved the way these things would wiggle across floors and flop hypnotizingly down the stairs. Today, though, if you try to get a kid to play with a slinky, they’ll probably look at you like you’re crazy. This novelty toy is still sold today, but it’s nowhere near as popular as it was a few decades ago.
Marble Runs
Marble runs are a classic toy for kids that were popular during the latter half of the 20th century. Some involved building a track from scratch, while others came with pre-made tracks and pieces that you could assemble to your liking. They’re still around today, but they’ve lost some ground to more modern toys and games since their heyday.
Sewing kits
There was a time when most children were given sewing kits with their Barbies or other dolls, but those sewing kits are rarely gifted nowadays. As tools for kids’ creativity become digital instead of tangible, it can be hard for parents to figure out which things they should encourage their children to do with their hands, and which things are better left to the screen.
Etch-a-Sketch
Once a staple item in many households, this drawing toy is still available but nowhere near as popular as it once was. Despite its popularity as a child’s toy, it has not been able to compete with newer drawing technology such as tablets and smartphones, which offer more versatility even if they are vulnerable to running out of charge.
Building blocks
Much of children’s entertainment now comes from computers and tablets, but before there were hundreds of online classes and apps to teach a kid construction, cause and effect, and engineering, there was the humble wooden block. Unfortunately, in this day and age, kids are more interested in coding programs than they are in connecting wooden blocks together.
Teddy bears
Even though teddy bears are still popular amongst kids today, they are not as well-liked as they used to be. The once-popular classic teddy bear is now being outdone by other stuffed animals, such as Squishmallows, which come in countless shapes and sizes and offer a range of characters.
Kites
Kite flying is kind of an old-fashioned activity for children now that everyone has cell phones! With that said, kites are still available for purchase if you’re interested in taking up the hobby and want a new way to get some fresh air and exercise. If you’ve never flown a kite before, don’t be intimidated – it’s very easy to do.
Finger puppets
Finger puppets are a great way to get your kids away from the TV and entertain them with a literal digital story, as in, a story told by your digits. Plus, they’re easy to store and simple to use. However, they’ve become less popular among children due to an increase in handheld video games.
Magic 8 Ball
The Magic 8 ball is a black ball with an oversized white circle and a small window, as well as a small answer area at the bottom that responds to the questions you ask. The Magic 8 Ball is still on the market, but it hasn’t been popular for many years. Along with many other toys from your childhood, it might be time to let this one go.
Rocking horse
If you grew up in a generation where rocking horses were the go-to toy for children of all genders, you may have fond memories of hours spent on yours. However, times have changed since those halcyon days of childhood. Today’s kids are more interested in playing on the Xbox or Switch than they are in riding their rocking horses.
Frisbee
Frisbee – the name itself is enough to put anyone in a positive mood. Frisbee discs were very popular with children throughout the 1970s and 1980s, but have declined in popularity since then. Although they have fallen out of favor with children, that isn’t to say that they aren’t still loved by adults.
Board games
Board games like Operation are now retro enough to be considered classic children’s toys. Players insert plastic tools into the body of a patient and try to remove various organs without touching the sides of the game or making too much noise. It’s an addictive game that is fun for kids and adults alike, but it just isn’t as popular as it used to be.
Paper airplane
Paper airplanes are one of the few kid’s toys that aren’t popular at all anymore. You don’t see kids throwing them around in the park or at recess, and you sure don’t see many making them, either. You may be thinking that paper airplanes are pretty basic, but there are actually lots of cool variations on the classic design to play around with.
Pogo stick
The pogo stick was a popular toy for kids between the 1920s and early 1960s but, once bikes and skateboards came out, the pogo stick almost completely disappeared. That’s too bad because it can be a lot of fun to play with! It’s also a great way to get your children outside and active.
Wind-up toys
Wind-up toys used to be a mainstay of the toy aisle. What happened? You probably already know: they were replaced by technology. The battery-powered toys that seemed like something out of the future when you were a kid have become commonplace now and there’s no going back.
Tin toy soldiers
Toy soldiers are once-beloved childhood toys that are missing from the toy boxes of most kids these days, and it’s too bad. There’s a lot to be said for these simple, inexpensive toys that have been enjoyed by children for generations. While children still play with dolls, cars, action figures, and video games galore, it seems like tin toy soldiers have fallen out of favor for good.
Hula hoops
Hula hoops were a popular toy back in the 60s and 70s, but now you rarely see them in people’s hands. It’s true that they’re not as prolific as they used to be amongst children, but they have gained popularity for other uses – mainly as a fitness tool! Hula hooping has become quite the craze among adults looking to lose weight.
Clackers
In the 1960s and 1970s, clackers became a favorite toy of countless children. With the swing of a string, two balls would collide together and make an irrepressible clacking sound that is still fondly remembered by anyone who grew up with these toys. Unfortunately, clackers also proved unsafe: they were banned in 1976 by the Food and Drug Administration.
Spinning top
This simple wooden toy was made by putting an axle through a circle of wood and sticking a pointy tip on the end, allowing it to spin around. Spinners were popular during the late 1800s into the early 1900s until they were replaced by yo-yos and hula hoops!
Slingshots
Slingshots are another type of toy that kids would use to shoot small rocks at targets or other objects. They could also be used for hunting small animals like rabbits or squirrels in rural areas. Slingshots have been around for hundreds of years and are still popular today in some countries, although not nearly as much as they used to be.
Jarts
Jarts, lawn darts, or whatever else you want to call them, were flying metal spikes that could be thrown into a target on the ground. Despite the resulting ban on their sale and production in the US, many people still enjoyed playing with them. In fact, they were so popular that they made it back onto store shelves briefly in 1997 before a new ban took effect.
Speak & Spell
The Speak & Spell was initially ground-breaking but has since been surpassed in terms of both graphics and processing power by many other devices, including those with which you probably play games all the time: smartphones. However, don’t let its primitive appearance fool you, the Speak & Spell had some serious mind-blowing components for its time.
Sky Dancers
Some of the best toys out there are the ones that are a little dangerous, as that’s often what makes them fun! The Sky Dancers were a line of dolls that came with a plastic base that, when pulled, caused the dolls to spin and fly. They were originally released in 1994 and then recalled in 2000 due to their tendency to cause injuries.
Pound puppies
Pound Puppies became wildly popular upon release but disappeared from shelves in 1989. In 2010, the brand made a comeback with the launch of an animated TV series called Pound Puppies, which ran for four seasons and 36 episodes before being canceled due to low ratings. Sadly, the toy line did not make another appearance after this revival.
Alien eggs
Alien eggs may have been a part of your childhood, and you might remember them as being a popular toy when you were young. They were these squishy, gel-like balls that were filled with water and had a small alien inside. There’s probably some collector out there who has an entire collection, but for most kids today, alien eggs are just another toy that didn’t actually really do anything.
Matchbox cars
There are many kids’ toys that aren’t popular anymore, but maybe the most obvious ones would be the old-school toy cars and trucks, with their bright paint and tiny metal or plastic parts. Now, children are more likely to opt for computerized car games where they can race against other people or even against themselves.
Beanie babies
The Beanie Babies craze was huge throughout the 90s and early 2000s, with people buying each new release within days or even hours to add to their collections. However, the popularity of these stuffed animals has slowed down and they likely won’t ever be as popular as they once were.
American Girl dolls
American Girl dolls were originally created with the goal of teaching girls to be strong, smart, and courageous. However, nowadays people think the toys are outdated, and claim that they’re not as appealing to children as they used to be. With that said, it could be that today’s kids aren’t as interested in playing with American Girl dolls because they are expensive!
Furby
The first generation of Furbies came out in 1998 and quickly became one of Hasbro’s best-selling products ever, peaking at over $15 million in sales in 1999. The company released several revised editions over the years but none matched the success of their original model and they eventually stopped producing them altogether.
Dollhouses
Dollhouses were all the rage in the 1950s, but they’ve fallen out of favor over the years. Kids who grew up in the 1970s and 1980s may remember getting a dollhouse as a gift at Christmas or on their birthday, but many parents today don’t offer them as presents, probably because they’re both bulky and pricey.
Skip-its
Skip-Its were once the latest toy craze, but their appeal quickly started to dry up as new toys emerged, like Furbies. Skip-Its didn’t have much in the way of special features like sound effects or lights, so they were left behind like space hoppers, moon boots, and other fads that combined fun with fitness.
Pogs
Perhaps the most iconic fad of all time, Pogs were essentially a spin on bottle caps. Kids would trade them in order to collect different colored sets and then would play with them. It’s unclear why Pogs went out of fashion so quickly but there are still some collectors online who are trying to keep the memory alive.
Polly Pocket
In the 90s and early 2000s, Polly Pockets were everywhere. The tiny plastic dolls were marketed to girls and came with a variety of accessories that could be stored in tiny houses or closets. They were so popular that they even had their own TV show. However, they then just disappeared.
Jack-in-the-box
Jack-in-the-boxes are one of those toys that were popular for a long time but now have lost their popularity. The toy consists of a box with a crank handle on top, and when you turn the crank, a clown or some other figure pops out of the top. However, today they’re not sold in toy stores the way they used to be.
Slap bracelets
Slap bracelets, aka slap wraps or slap watches, were a popular fad toy in the mid-1990s. They came in a variety of colors, and the bands were typically made of silicone. However, the trend died down quite quickly after they became popular, and you don’t see kids playing with them or wearing them anymore.
