If you grew up in the 80s, what were your favorite 80s toys?
And how many can you remember?
For me, the 80s was cartoons after school at my grandma's house, trying not to breathe in the cigarette smoke while I watched Ninja Turtles and ate a plate of cake and biscuits she'd prepared for me. It was being a little scared when the nightly news gave an update on the Gulf War and showed oil fields ablaze. It was Dad bringing home a Commodore 64, and me later purchasing "Predator" at Tandy, only to be disappointed that Arnie would die in the first 20 seconds and it would take 3-4 minutes to reload each time. It was being super excited because Aliens was on TV that night, and the most important thing I could do was making sure there was a tape in the video recorder ready to go.
But what about the toys and gadgets we had? If you were born in that era, it's 30+ years ago now so it can be hard to recall.
Well I sat and thought for some time, and came up with my Top 5 80s Toys from my childhood. With any luck, some of these will hit you right in the feels!
#1. Hasboro Gloworm
The 1982 Gloworm is perhaps the first toy that I ever remember, with its familiar sleepy face and warm glow comforting me at night.
I can especially recall the insert for some reason, probably as this thing ran on C sized batteries powering a proper glass glow bulb which must have eaten through the things faster than my parents could buy them!
What did make me finally remember the Gloworm was when I had a child of my own, and found while surfing the 'net around birthday time that Hasbro still sold them. I think it lasted maybe a couple of months before it was on the floor and forgotten - so probably around same mileage as the original! Still, it was worth it.
Something parents would be familar with - the Gloworm with rear insert removed, due to the rate at which it ate batteries!
Bulk packs of C-size batteries required!
The built-in light was an old school glass bulb, protected by a thick plastic shroud.
No LEDs back then!
Would you like a new Gloworm?
There are some 80s models around also
Did you have a Gloworm? I'd love to hear from you, comment at the bottom of the page! :)
#2. 1989 Super Soaker 50 by Larami
Summer 1991 would see the release of the Super Soaker 50, a feat of toy engineering that would change the way we play with water guns forever.
Before the Super Soaker, you either had the little squirt pistols which were lucky to get maybe 5 foot if you had a good one, or maybe an electric powered model with a pump that couldn't do much better.
But that would change when Lonnie G. Johnson was brought onto the Galileo mission to Jupiter at NASA. He was designing a heat pump that used water instead of Freon gas, and as part of his test plan he created a simple pressurized air system that would shoot water u p to 50 feet.
Initially trying to manufacture it himself, he soon realized it would be impossible, and so approached Laramie Toys who worked with Lonnie to release the first 'Power Drencher' in 1989, though it wouldn't see success until its rebrand in 1991 as the 'Super Soaker'.
Blasting a continuous stream of water up to 50 feet, the Super Soaker was a game changer. If you ever owned one, I bet you've not forgotten the feeling of pumping in the air to pressurize the system until it felt like it was going to burst.... then let rip the first burst of water which exploded out with so much force, it was pure awesome!
#3. 1981 RadioShack Armatron
Sometime in the mid-80s my Dad brought home a toy of his own - the Radio Shack Armatron. It doesn't get more 80s than this folks!!!
Invented by a Tomy engineer named J.T. Stinson, it was inspired by the robotics technology he had worked with while at NASA. It makes sense right? The whole product feels massively 80s NASA inspired, and is the second toy on our list to come from NASA inspiration.
The arm was designed to be operated by hand with two simple stick controls built into its base, allowing the user to pick up and move objects, though it required some care and skill, providing a fun game for kids and adults.
Originally released by Tomy Japan in 1983, it came to the US, UK, Australia and other countries a year later in 1984 via Tandy / Radio Shack and was an immediate hit.
With dozens of Armatrons still available on eBay now, largely in good shape, I can understand how the toy was praised for its quality and durability at the time, especially given what kids like me would have done with it - picking up the cat, a glass of beer, grandma's cigarette, etc.
Hmm now I'm starting to see why dad only let me play with it some times....
#4. 1988 TMNT Action Figures
From 1988 onwards, in every schoolyard at recess and lunch time there was an arguement going on. Who was better, the Simpsons, or the Ninja Turtles?
How those shows could possibly be compared I have no idea, but pretty soon that argument was won when the Turtles action figures were released and we were all bashing each other up with plastic figurines.
Surely every kid who grew up in the 80s and early 90s had Ninja Turtles action figures, right? Well maybe just the lucky ones. For me, it was all about Leonardo. He was the leader, he was smart, he knew what he was doing, and he took no crap from Donnie!
But why Leather face? Well, you know when your parents (or Santa) obviously got to the toy store (or Elf's workshop) a bit late and obviously grabbed whatever ones were left available? Yeah, I'm pretty sure that's how I got Leather face. I can't even remember him from any of the cartoons, but boy can I remember the toy! I had him long after Leonardo had been lost.
Stuck with Leatherface. Yup.
The great thing is, they've all been re-released! For real! The one in the package shown here is a re-release that looks almost identical to the original 80s, and up close they are SO COOL! Major nostalgia.
Here's some links to get you started
- Amazon USA - Leonardo
- Amazon USA - Donatello
- Amazon USA - Michelangelo
- Amazon USA - Raphael
- Amazon Australia
- eBay USA
- eBay Australia
#5. VTech Diamond Hunt
Oh wow, does anybody out there remember VTech's Diamond Hunt? I've not seen this since the 80s when I was a child. The drawings are especially burned into my brain, the little red squishy button...
Let me know if you had Diamond Hunt in the comments below!
Opening up into a triple screen, this 'Game and Watch' style electronic LCD game would start on the bottom screen where you'd try to swing over the ledge. I can't quite recall the 2nd screen but suspect there was a snake you had to avoid, and on the top screen a Diamond treasure. Not that I ever beat it, these games were always super hard.
These days a Diamond Hunt in bad condition goes for $150USD+, and something in good condition you may be talking $600USD or more!
VTech today
I never knew VTech even existed in the 80s, nevermind created my first electronic game. Crazy! When I think of VTech now, its all those fun looking interactive / educational toys.
The most recent one we got is the VTech KidiStar DJ Mixer which is straight up awesome for any age - both my 5 year old, and 10 year old boys love playing with this one, and yeah it really is as fun as it looks - with built-in DJ Ball, proper beat mixing, dozens of patterns, and a scratch pad. I love it!
VTech DJ Mixer - eBay USA
VTech Dj Mixer - Amazon USA
For our Aussie readers, sadly it's not for sale here anymore. Here's VTech's Australian page for the product, I suspect it won't be long until its back.
And for our American readers, you may find Amazon
is the most convenient place to grab one of these.
wpDiscuz
