A nostalgic toy that was popular in my childhood
Nostalgic toys we played with as kids—there are a few that come to your mind too, right?
From those that are still popular and on the market to ones you hardly see anymore, there are all kinds of toys.
Some might not come to mind right away, but the moment you see them, you’ll think, “This! I used to play with this all the time!!” and be instantly transported back to childhood.
In this article, we’ll introduce a wide range of nostalgic toys across different eras.
See if your favorite toy makes an appearance.
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Nostalgic toys that were popular in our childhood (11–20)
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).
Nostalgic Toys That Were Popular in Our Childhood (21–30)
New releases are here too! Love & Berry
@yokopii The new Love and Berry merch going on sale from today is just too good…! 🧏🏻🩷🩵#Love and BerryTranslationPuchi Stand DisplayHeisei-era girl#Heisei RetroFamilyMart#FamimaNewProductConvenience storeRecommendationTranslationUnboxing#loveandberry#japan
♪ ABC de Daijoubu! – Rabbi☆min
In arcades and in corners of big malls, the game Oshare Majo Love and Berry stood out, drawing crowds of girls.
Of course, it wasn’t just girls—boys and adults lined up too, cheering and groaning over the cards that came out and how the game unfolded.
In fact, Love and Berry was developed as the girls’ counterpart to Mushi King: The King of Beetles, which was enjoying explosive popularity at the time.
There was even a Nintendo DS version that came with a card reader, so you could play Love and Berry on it.
Who knows—maybe there are still some Love and Berry cards sleeping in the back of your big sister’s desk!