Raise one hand if you’re a child of the 80s who remembers excitedly circling toys in the Argos catalogue so Santa could hook you up? Raise your other hand if despite your best efforts of casually leaving said Argos catalogue around the house and writing down explicit instructions of your NEED for the best toys of the decade, were you still left crying bitter tears of disappointment on Christmas morning?!

As an adult I can now see that some of my requests were clearly outrageous and would require both parents to sell an internal organ on the black market to pacify my bratty whims, BUT at the time I was devastated. Like, why don’t you love meeeeee!

So as Christmas creeps forward and we start financially ruining ourselves for the sake of our loved ones, I decided to hit rewind and make a Christmas list of the top 12 toys of the 1980s!

Number One: Mr Frosty – 1980

This toy was a much coveted item for any 80s child, yet it is also recorded as being one of the biggest disappointments on par with the 1994 Street Fighter movie! I still desperately wanted it all the same even if it was just unnaturally sickly sweet syrup in an ice cube tray!

Number Two: Ghostbusters Fire House – 1986

If you didn’t want one of these, you are lying! A replica of the infamous Ghostbusters HQ. This beast of a toy was up with there with the proton packs and ghost trap (that I also never received!) Plus, who doesn’t love slime pouring through the ceiling and making a congealed mess in your living room?! 

Number Three: He-Man Castle Grayskull - 1982

This formidable playset made a lot of kids super happy and other kids ridiculously jealous! A hinged hollow castle with a ‘jawbridge’ (genius!) mouth opening, ladders, trap doors and weapons oh my! This was the perfect battle ground for your Masters of the Universe action figures to train and then obviously go and fight He-Man’s evil nemesis, Skeletor!

Number Four: Teddy Ruxpin – 1985

It was a talking bear so naturally every child wanted one! Although, in hindsight the thoughts of a talking bear sounds as much fun as the scary Annabelle doll coming alive at night to drag you to hell! The cute Teddy Ruxpin was equipped with a tape cassette player that would read you stories while moving its mouth and eyes. Not creepy. At all.

Number Five: My Pet Monster – 1986

Another stuffed toy that I definitely remember begging my mother for at some stage. The cool thing about this fanged, furry blue monster was the orange handcuffs which you could also wear and rip apart as if you had super human strength!

Number Six: Fisher Price Roller Skates – 1984

In theory, these plastic roller skates seemed like a great idea. But in reality, kids soon discovered that in order to actually propel yourself forward, you had to slowly drag your feet across the pavement. There was less streamline skating and more erratic robot dancing! But the impracticality of the toy didn’t make these any less popular.

Number Seven: Thundercats Action Figures – 1985

Thundercats… HOOOOOOOO! These hugely popular action figures were the business! 80s kids wanted to collect them mainly for Lion-O and his impressive intense eyes that would light up (oooohhh magic!) and the battle-matic action that made his steroid looking muscular arm swing his sword of Omens.

Number Eight: NES (Nintendo Entertainment System) - 1986

I think it was fair to say that I was never going to be getting this for Christmas! This 8-Bit video game console rejuvenated the gaming world and became the bestselling console of its time. The only downside was having to share this with a sibling and failing to shoot that stupid laughing dog from Duck Hunt in the face with the NES light gun zapper!

Number Nine: Tomy Racing Turbo – 1983

I remember boys fighting over this interactive racing car toy. And I don’t blame them! You had a steering wheel, gears and a screen that was incased in a flashy car dashboard. The simulation game was beyond cool as you dodged other cars whilst pretending you actually knew how to drive!

Number Ten: Care Bears - 1983

The original plush teddy bears adorned the bedrooms of many young girls in the 80s. The multicoloured characters with cute images of a rainbow or milkshakes on their tummy became a huge collector’s item long after they exploded on the scene in the early 80s. A rare Care Bear can fetch hundreds with the most expensive being reported as $10k!

Number Eleven: Screwball Scramble - 1980

This classic 80s toy made board games come alive! The aim of the game was to successfully navigate a small ball bearing around an obstacle course in the fastest time, by tilting, sliding and flipping buttons. So much merriment and so many tears of frustration all at once!

Number Twelve: M.A.S.K Action Figures – 1985

The classic animated series M.A.S.K was one of the best 80s cartoons. It saw law enforcers led by Matt Trakker go head to head with criminal organisation V.E.N.O.M and Miles Mayhem. So naturally we needed the action figures for the franchise to really bankrupt parents! I remember my brother had the Thunderhawk car where the doors flew up and transformed into a jet fighter! I am now furious at him for not keeping it, as the same vintage toy can be found on ebay for the super ‘reasonable’ price of just over £1000!