A special feature on nostalgic toys and the trends we craved as kids—loads of the things we wanted back then are here!
Do you ever find yourself suddenly remembering those nostalgic toys you were obsessed with as a kid? The gadgets you used to compete with your friends over, or that one item you begged to have no matter what.
Trends in toys may change from era to era, but that thrilling excitement that stays deep in your heart never fades, does it? Some of them are still popular even today.
In this article, we’ll look back at the things we wanted as children and the toys that were all the rage back then, and introduce plenty of items that will make you blurt out, “I remember that!” Let’s open the door to those nostalgic memories!
- A roundup of nostalgic toys for people born in the ’90s [Trends]
- A roundup of nostalgic toys for people born in the 2000s [Trends]
- Nostalgic games that were popular when we were kids
- [Let’s Make and Play!] Handmade Toy Ideas You Can Create Yourself
- [List] A roundup of games and recreational activities kids love
- It's fun to spin! A collection of DIY toy ideas
- DIY ideas for a den-den daiko (Japanese pellet drum). Let’s make and play with this nostalgic toy!
- [Make with Kids] Handmade Outdoor Play Toy Special
- [For Kids] Today's Recommended Recreation Idea Collection
- Indoor Games for Small Groups: Exciting Recreational Activities
- [For Kids] Today’s Handmade Craft Ideas
- [DIY] A Collection of Handmade Moving Toy Craft Ideas
- [For Elementary School Kids] Handmade Toy Craft Ideas
A rush of things we wanted as kids! A special feature on nostalgic toys and trendy toys (11–20)
shrink plastic
Shrinky Dinks—plastic sheets you still often see today as handmade craft items.
Back then, they weren’t as mainstream as they are now; I remember them being thought of mostly as kids’ craft toys.
Since they’re transparent, many of us probably traced a design placed underneath, drew on the sheet, then heated it in the oven to make keychains and the like.
These days, people even coat Shrinky Dinks with resin to make accessories and other goods!
Flower Rock
It’s a simple toy that moves as if it’s dancing in response to nearby sounds or music.
Many of you might have owned one back in the day.
Although it was released by Takara Tomy as a toy, it apparently became unexpectedly popular among people in their twenties and older.
A revised version was even released in 2008, making it one of those long-loved, classic toys.
Pepsiman bottle cap
Even now, when you visit model shops or toy stores that sell pre-owned figures, you’ll spot those Pepsi bottle caps.
They first appeared in 1998 and stayed popular until the early 2000s, didn’t they? Back then, each bottle of Pepsi came with a bonus bottle cap, and I’m sure many people’s refrigerators were packed with Pepsi.
The collaborations with Star Wars and Ichiro Suzuki are nostalgic, too.
Pocket Pikachu
A small handheld game device that lets you communicate with Pikachu on the screen—nicknamed PokéPika.
It had a pedometer function, and the more steps you walked, the closer your bond with Pikachu became.
I’m sure many people took their PokéPika out when they went to play.
It was also designed to link with Pokémon Gold and Silver, making it a hot topic among kids who played Pokémon!
Pokémon: Strongest Sticker Chronicles
These perfectly square stickers look so familiar and incredibly nostalgic, don’t they? I bet many of you used to buy tons of them at the local toy store or candy shop back in the day.
Like with so many sticker and card series, the rare ones would shimmer and shine, right? And I’m sure lots of people who had these as kids ended up plastering them all over their bedroom back at their parents’ house.
Truly brings back memories.
Driving Turbo
Driving Turbo, released in the 1980s and a coveted item for boys, featured a left-hand-drive design inspired by supercars.
Many of you probably played with it back in the day.
Flip the switch and the screen scrolls; shift up and the speed increases, with the gauges responding accordingly.
If you hit another car, the trip meter—which also serves to display your score—stops, so you steer to avoid collisions.
It was a dreamlike toy for boys, wasn’t it?
Furby
The pet robot Furby became a social phenomenon.
It was a completely new kind of toy that grew the more you played with it, and it sold explosively when it first came out! I also remember that lots of counterfeits were circulating.
And there were even small Furby toys included in McDonald’s Happy Meals! For those of us who experienced that era in real time, just seeing a Furby brings back a flood of memories like these.
PocketStation
PocketStation—nicknamed PokéSte—is a device you plug into the PlayStation’s memory card slot to play in tandem with certain games.
When replacing the battery, you had to unscrew it with a driver, and it’s so nostalgic that a tiny screwdriver called the Pocket Driver was even sold for it! Back then, starting with Tamagotchi, there were lots of these small handheld games.
Poppin’ Eye
It’s that dome-shaped toy made of rubber—so nostalgic, right? You flip it inside out and set it on the ground, and when it snaps back it springs up with a boing.
It’s a super simple toy, but I remember playing with it a lot.
By the way, I had no idea it was called a “poppin’ eye” (lol).
Yo-kaizer
It may have been overshadowed by Tamagotchi and Digimon, but that’s exactly why the Youkaizer feels incredibly nostalgic when you look back on it now.
Not many people around me had one either (lol).
It had a pedometer function, battles, and a system similar to other small handheld games of the time.
The controls were so simple—almost unthinkable by today’s standards—that just looking at it makes you feel really nostalgic.
I’m sure plenty of people would hold it in their hand and shake it to cheat the step counter (lol).