Top Christmas Toys from 1950s and 1960s

[00:00:00] Speaker 1: Recollection Road is proud to partner with Legacy Box. Get early access to the best deal of the year. Watch until the end of this video to see why Legacy Box is the perfect gift this holiday season. Lionel Electric Trains were the crown jewel of Christmas gifts for American boys in 1950. Lionel ruled department store catalogs, and every kid dreamed of having a locomotive circling the tree. Fuelled by the explosion of western TV shows, the Red Ryder BB gun was still the most iconic cowboy Christmas gift in 1951. It was affordable, durable, and tied directly to screen heroes kids watched every week. The first toy ever sold through television advertising was Mr. Potato Head. And in 1952, it became an overnight national sensation, with kids loving that they could decorate any real potato with silly faces. [00:01:16] Speaker 2: Take any fruit or vegetable. Just stick in eyes, then ears, and then the mouth. [00:01:25] Speaker 3: You can make the funniest looking people in the whole world. [00:01:34] Speaker 1: A huge American hit in 1953, the Ginny doll became one of the decade's biggest pre-Barbie crazes. Sold with countless outfits and accessories, she dominated holiday wish lists for little girls. [00:01:51] Speaker 4: Pam's mother saw two dolls who seemed to say, "We'll help you with your daughter, ma'am. We're just the girls you need for Pam. Our names are Ginny and Jeanette. Pam will love us, you can bet. Now these are dolls most anyone could surely see are lots of fun." [00:02:17] Speaker 1: Disney's Davy Crockett miniseries created one of the largest product frenzies of the entire decade. In 1954, coonskin caps and Frontier playsets sold out across the country. In 1955, Silly Putty was the ultimate stocking stuffer. It was cheap, fun, and impossible for kits to put down, making it a nationwide craze almost instantly. [00:02:52] Speaker 5: What is Silly Putty? Well, it's a real solid liquid. If you pull it so, it'll go forever, like taffy. Now, when you make Silly Putty round and drop it, it'll bounce higher than a rubber ball. And here's something else you can do with Silly Putty. Clatten it. Press the picture in your newspaper. [00:03:24] Speaker 1: Originally created as a wall cleaner, Play-Doh became one of America's favorite creative toys in 1956 after being rebranded and marketed to school children through children's TV shows. [00:03:37] Speaker 6: Yes, every child wants Play-Doh. Over 5 million new users every year testify to Play-Doh's quality and fun. [00:03:48] Speaker 1: Released nationwide in 1957, the Frisbee sparked a fast-growing fad across American schoolyards and became one of the hottest novelty toys heading into the holidays. [00:04:01] Speaker 7: Want fun? Get Frisbee! It flies through the air with the greatest of these. Want fun? Get Frisbee! It's the newest, fastest, most flying fun under the sun. [00:04:18] Speaker 1: Wham-O did it again in 1958 with the Hula Hoop. They sold over 25 million hoops in just a few months, and nearly every kid in America seemed to have one by Christmas. [00:04:31] Speaker 8: Give it a spin and do lots of tricks. Round the next called Kill the Buzzard. Round your waist, the natural. Slip it way down and do the knee-knocker. It's the new amazing Wham-O Hula Hoop! [00:04:44] Speaker 1: One of the most important toy releases in U.S. history was the Barbie in 1959. The new dolls sold out in stores before the holidays, making her the must-have gift of the year. [00:04:57] Speaker 3: Barbie's small and so petite, her clothes and figure look so neat. Her dancing outfit rings a bell, at parties she will cast a spell. Purse and hats and gloves alone, and all the gadgets gals adore. [00:05:16] Speaker 1: The Etch-a-Sketch hit store shelves in 1960, and it was a big success. Kids had never seen anything like it, a TV-like screen they could draw on using knobs. Pranella, what you doing under there? [00:05:30] Speaker 2: I'm working with magic, that's what. [00:05:32] Speaker 7: Why are you hiding under the basket? [00:05:34] Speaker 2: Because everybody wants to play with my Etch-a-Sketch, that's why. This is the magic picture I'm making, see? [00:05:42] Speaker 7: Why is it magic? [00:05:43] Speaker 2: Because I'm not using pencils or crayons or chalk. I just turn the knobs to make the lines go up and down and all around. And look, no mess. And when I turn the Etch-a-Sketch upside down and shake, it all disappears. That's magic, mister. [00:06:03] Speaker 1: In 1961, the Slip 'N Slide became the gift all the kids wanted, despite not being able to use it until the summer. The backyard craze swept the country, and parents ended up buying them in droves that Christmas season. Cool summer splashing fun, get yours today. The famous Slip 'N Slide by Whammon. Trolls were the biggest toy fad of 1962. These wild-haired Good Luck dolls were collected by both kids and teens, making them highly sought-after Christmas presents. The Easy Bake Oven was an instant icon in 1963. A real working oven that used a light bulb to bake tiny cakes and cookies was the perfect Christmas surprise for little girls. [00:06:55] Speaker 9: Easy bake, easy bake, fast as you can. Mix 'em up, mix 'em up, pour 'em in the pan. Slide 'em in, slide 'em in, let 'em bake now. Slide 'em in, slide 'em out, easy bake, wow! [00:07:07] Speaker 1: G.I. Joe was the first action figure created for boys, and it was a runaway bestseller in 1964. America's movable fighting man sat atop Christmas lists and was available in their favorite branch of the Armed Forces. [00:07:29] Speaker 10: G.I. Joe, G.I. Joe, fighting man from bed to bed. On the land, on the sea, in the air. [00:07:37] Speaker 2: G.I. Joe, attack! [00:07:44] Speaker 1: The game Operation buzzed, making you a nervous wreck. But everyone wanted it in 1965. It even topped Sears' Christmas toy list that year. [00:07:54] Speaker 10: Operation: Milton Bradley's Goofy Game for Dopey Dockers. Here's your patient. You take a card. [00:08:02] Speaker 3: Remove bunny bones. [00:08:04] Speaker 10: Careful, if you touch the sides. You blew it, Charlie. [00:08:15] Speaker 1: In 1966, tiny working ovens, mixers, and washing machines from Suzy Homemaker was what all the little girls wanted. With an aggressive ad campaign, the small appliances dominated Christmas wish lists. And now you can get so many things from Suzy Homemaker. [00:08:33] Speaker 11: Stove and oven. You can bake all this with Mother's Mixes. It has working burners that really heat, each separately. And Suzy Homemaker's oven bakes real big cakes. Big enough for a party of six. [00:08:55] Speaker 1: Light Bright became a beloved toy in 1967. Kids could plug in colorful pegs to create their very own pictures that magically glowed. Light Bright making things with light. [00:09:05] Speaker ?: Light Bright making things with light. [00:09:06] Speaker 4: Light Bright making things with light. Light Bright. The toy that lets you create beautiful pictures with light. Light Bright making things with light. Light Bright. Light Bright. [00:09:12] Speaker 5: The toy that lets you create beautiful pictures with light. Light Bright making things with light. Light Bright making things with light. [00:09:15] Speaker 4: Light Bright. [00:09:16] Speaker ?: Light making things with light. Light Bright. Light Bright. [00:09:23] Speaker 1: When Hot Wheels launched, the tiny metal cars instantly became the top toy of the season, outselling other traditional die-cast cars. [00:09:33] Speaker 10: They're the fastest metal cars you've ever seen. Mattel's new Hot Wheels. Collect 'em. [00:09:44] Speaker 1: Released in time for the 1969 holiday season, the original four-inch foam Nerf Ball became an instant bestseller. It was soft, safe, and could be thrown indoors. A huge selling point for parents and kids. They're Nerf Balls. [00:10:00] Speaker 3: Spongy foam. That doesn't hurt anything. Nerf Balls. You got your Nerf. Hey, so where did you get these Nerf Balls from me? [00:10:08] Speaker 1: Recollection Road and Legacy Box both believe it's important. To preserve the past. If you're like me, there's a box of your family's treasured home movies and photos tucked away somewhere. And Legacy Box can help you preserve them digitally. The process is a simple and safe solution for converting your home movies and photos to thumb drive or to the cloud. Just send in your Legacy Box filled with old VHS and camcorder tapes, film reels, and pictures. And get back digital copies that can be easily enjoyed, shared, and kept organized. It's that easy. Legacy Box is trusted by over 1 million people. And it's all done right here in the USA. Get started preserving your past today. Go to LegacyBox.com/Recollection to get an incredible 55% off. Buy today to take advantage of this exclusive offer and send in your memories when you're ready. Go to LegacyBox.com/Recollection to save 55% while supplies last. Let me know in the comments if I missed anything. And make sure to check the description of this video for links to pick up a t-shirt. And sign up for the newsletter. Also, don't forget to visit our friends at Horn and Hard Art. To save 10% on your next order, visit hornandhardart.com/Recollection. Thank you to our loyal Patreon supporters listed here. Visit patreon.com/RecollectionRoad to join the club.