25 Popular Toys Every Kid Wanted in the 1970s

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The 1970s were pretty groovy, and the decade saw the invention of a lot of cool toys. Throughout the ’70s, kids had a plethora of exciting toys and games to choose from, and they spent endless hours entertaining themselves with the hottest releases. As part of our Parade Rewind series, we were interested to find out which popular 1970s toys every kid wanted in that decade. So we consulted someone who knows the ins and outs of the industry.

Christopher Byrne, aka TheToy Guy, is a toy analyst, researcher and consultant. Over the last few months, he’s been walking us through the different dolls, games, action figures, balls and more that shaped the 1950s and 1960s. This month, he’s offering insight into the 25 toys that left a lasting impression on the 1970s.

Similar to other decades, the ’70s produced many playthings that are still popular today. While their packaging and design might have improved slightly over the years, one thing has remained the same: the public’s enduring love for these classic toys.

Whether you grew up in the ’70s and are looking to take a walk down memory lane, or you’re a collector and you’re searching for something special to invest in, this list is sure to give you a welcome dose of nostalgia.

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What Toys Were Invented in the 1970s?

Byrne describes the 1970s as a “time of transition in childhood and parenting.”

“As two working parents became the norm, young Gen-Xers became ‘latchkey kids.’
They had much more freedom because of this, and they were more likely to have
unstructured after-school time,” he tells Parade.

In this sense, toys became even more important to help entertain kids while their parents were at work.

The decade also saw the evolution of plastics and manufacturing, plus the introduction of “technologies from the nascent home computer sector” that found their way into toys, per Byrne.

“By the end of the decade, the first round of video games would transform toys and
play. What we now call traditional toys would have to share the playroom with consoles,” he shares.

Several notable toys were invented in the ’70s, including Stretch Armstrong, Strawberry Shortcake dolls, Hungry Hungry Hippos, Baby Alive and others.

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25 Popular Toys Every Kid Wanted in the 1970s

1. Stretch Armstrong

Kids spent hours of fun stretching this popular action figure.

“The idea was that Stretch, who had a latex body filled with a kind of corn syrup gelatin concoction, could stretch to four times his size. Cue the kids doing everything they could to test that out,” Byrne states.

Following the success of the toy, other items were introduced to the line, including X-Ray Stretch, one of Byrne’s personal favorites.

2. Atari 2600

Following the release of the Magnavox Odyssey in 1972, the Atari 2600 caused quite a stir when it debuted in 1977.

“The Atari 2600 was the first major video game platform to transform home gaming,” Byrne explains. “Building on the popularity of Pong and other console games, Atari brought the fun home and diminished the constant stream of quarters into a machine.”

Gamers could finally play titles like Pac-Man, Space Invaders, Centipede and Asteroids from the comfort of their own homes.

“It was the cartridges that gave the console its versatility, and it would transform play for many,” he says.

3. Strawberry Shortcake

After appearing on greeting cards, Strawberry Shortcake became a toy at the end of the 1970s. As Byrne explains, the toys “reflected a return to more gentle sweetness, particularly in the upheaval of the late 1970s.”

“Strawberry and her fruity-scented friends were an antidote to what felt dangerous in the culture at the time,” he shares. “She would kick off a huge move in that direction in the 1980s when lines like Care Bears would be introduced.”

4. Dungeons & Dragons

Known as the first tabletop role-playing game, Dungeons & Dragons was a major hit in the ’70s, and it’s still going strong today.

“It started with 2,000 sets of cards and dungeon master booklets released by TSR, and by 1977 had a huge following, mostly among teens and older kids,” Byrne explains. “It was one of the first games that really appealed to the older set, and it was always about narrative and group play. It’s steadily grown since then, and, along with Magic: The Gathering, has helped drive the current craze for cards of all kinds.”

5. Wizzers

Byrne says these spinning tops took off in popularity in the early 1970s.

“When Mattel combined tops and gyroscopes, the result was Wizzers, a top that could do amazing tricks,” he shares. “Mattel got rid of the traditional string that activated tops and developed a rubber tip that let the top be friction-activated as kids would rev it up on a surface. The result was a top that could do tricks.”

Kids liked to stack their Wizzers and make them dance and spin.

“Thanks to a great commercial and word of mouth, Wizzers became a bit of a fad and a playground staple as kids tried to do more outrageous tricks,” he states.

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6. Hungry Hungry Hippos

Byrne says this “hugely successful skill and action game” has solidified its place in pop culture since the ’70s.

“Playing it was about slapping a lever to get your hippo character to collect marbles from an integrated tray,” Byrne shares. “The noise, action and a dramatic TV commercial made it a hit, and over the years it’s become a metaphor for chaotic, random and crazed consumption, which is why it still stays alive in the culture. Though, of course, it’s still made as a game. Part of the appeal was always the noise, the chaos and the frenetic competition.”

7. Evel Knievel Stunt Cycle

“The famous motorcyclist and stunt rider Evel Knievel was as known for his jumps that failed as the ones that succeeded,” Byrne notes. “His famous 1967 failed attempt to jump the fountain at Caesar’s Palace inspired Ideal to make a toy that let kids try their own jumps.”

The stand that came with the toy motorcycle had a crank on it to get the wheel spinning. Then, the toy would fly and race through any obstacles you set up.

“Ideal hadn’t anticipated how popular this was going to be, and the toy was in short supply for the holiday season that year. It is easily one of the most remembered toys of the era,” he says.

8. Uno

Uno, a take on the classic card game Crazy Eights, is a game that still endures today.

“What the now-famous game had was great design and the ability to do things like match
colors and numbers, reverse directions, force players to have to draw more cards and
more,” Byrne explains.

The player who got down to one card first and yelled “Uno” won once they got rid of that card.

“Part of the fun of the game was always the reverses based on chance and the way other players would try to gang up on the player who had Uno to stop them from winning,” he says.

9. Shrinky Dinks

Byrne notes that Shrinky Dinks began as a Cub Scout project, then became a hit toy.

“Essentially, these were sheets of thin plastic that could be drawn on and cut into different shapes. When heated in the oven, the pieces would shrink to approximately one-third of their original size and become thicker. The hard plastic pieces were used as decoration for a variety of things,” he explains.

Byrne says Shrinky Dinks—which are still sold today—are an example of how “creative ingenuity by a couple of individuals created a classic.”

10. Baby Alive

“Today, Baby Alive is an established brand, but it’s easy to forget how revolutionary she
was when she was first introduced,” Byrne says.

Following the success of Betsy Wetsy in the ’30s, Baby Alive made her debut in the ’70s.

“For kids at the age when they are fascinated by their own body functions, Kenner’s Baby Alive was an almost instant hit,” he shares. “Kids fed the doll a mixture that resembled strained baby food. Thanks to an internal mechanism, that food would be—ahem—processed, and kids would have to change the diaper.”

Baby Alive is still made in various styles today.

11. ‘Star Wars’ figurines

The Star Wars franchise is still wildly popular today. With the release of the first film, Star Wars: Episode IV—A New Hope, premiering in 1977, the toys based on the film series were a huge hit in the ’70s.

“There was so much demand for toys that first season that Bernie Loomis, who ran Kenner at the time, came up with the idea to sell what were essentially IOUs,” Byrne explains.

These came in the form of “Early Bird Certificate Packages” that entitled children to receive the toy at a later date when enough were produced.

“It was a brilliant marketing strategy, and because it was a time when a movie could stay in theaters for months, kids went back again and again,” he shares. “Star Wars would transform licensing and toy design—and reset equations for movies and movie franchises.”

12. ‘The Six Million Dollar Man’ action figurines

“When The Six Million Dollar Man hit TV in 1973, it was an almost instant hit. The idea that an astronaut could be rebuilt as part bionic robot, part man and all superhero was a natural for play,” Byrne explains. “This was Kenner’s decade to be sure, and they seized on the rights and made a 12-inch action figure with a lot of features.”

The toy expert says kids particularly loved the doll’s creepy bionic eye and a skin-colored sleeve that kids could roll up to see where the wires were.

“After the show went off the air in 1978, the toy declined in popularity, but a mint condition figure—hard to find because features like the sleeve would degrade and the push button would stop working—is a much sought-after collectible,” he says.

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13. Othello

Byrne says this game was based on the 19th-century game, Reversi.

“It had been refined and reintroduced in Japan in the early 1970s before making its way to the U.S and the world,” he shares.

Here’s how it worked: You placed two-sided discs (black on one side, white on the other) on an 8×8 game board. Once a player outflanked their opponent’s discs, they turned all the discs in that line over.

“When as many discs are placed on the board as possible, the winner is the one with the most discs of their color showing,” Byrne explains.

The toy expert says the appeal of the game was its “inherent simplicity” and the challenge of thinking “several moves ahead.”

14. Weebles

You’ve likely heard the phrase, “Weebles wobble, but they don’t fall down.” As catchy as it was, the toys were equally popular.

“The large egg-like figures decorated as characters were notable because little kids could play with them as figures, but they would never fall over. They’re really perfect for kids as they are developing fine motor skills. Hasbro introduced a whole line of playsets and characters and added licenses like Winnie the Pooh,” Byrne says. “They disappeared for a while, but Playskool has brought them back. The figures are more dimensional and character-like than the original eggs, but the play is still the same.”

15. Hoppity Hop

Byrne says this big playground ball with a handle on it was quite popular in the ’70s and was the next iteration of the traditional hobby/stick horse.

“Kids would sit astride the top, hold onto the handle and literally bounce around,” he shares.

16. Clackers

“Essentially, these were two acrylic balls on a string that players moved up and down to make them smash together at the top and bottom of the strokes. Hence the name,” Byrne explains.

Clackers were also known as Ker-Bangers and had their root in “hunting implements.”

“They became a schoolyard phenomenon as kids tried to make them work. A skilled kid could really get them going. However, these were not without their dangers,” the toy analyst says. “If you got hit with one as you were playing, it could leave a mark at the very least. And there were lots of legends about them breaking apart and causing injuries. They were banned a few years later for safety concerns.”

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17. Beautiful Crissy

Kevin John Berry/Fairfax Media via Getty Images

Byrne says Beautiful Crissy was a “huge hit” in the ’70s.

“The way it worked was that there was a knob on the back of the doll that let kids make the hair longer or shorter, essentially winding it up inside the body and then letting it go longer,” he explains. “Since hair play is one of the classic play patterns of dolls, this was a sensation in the early 1970s. Thanks to the success, Crissy got a cousin and friends.”

18. SSP Racers

Following the success of Hot Wheels, these mini cars became a major must-have in the early 1970s.

“Like Wizzers, the gyroscope was at the heart of the toy. The plastic body was built around a large, central, rubber-like wheel,” Bryne tells Parade. “The wheel had a kind of sprocket on the side, and kids used a T-handled ripcord to get the wheel spinning. When placed on the floor, the car would speed off.”

Thanks to a popular TV commercial, the toy grew in popularity.

“The car was impossible to control once it got going, but that didn’t matter. It was all about speed, racing and setting up obstacles,” he goes on to say. “I think it was the level of power that this toy put in the hands of kids—and the speed of the racers—that made this such a hit.”

19. ‘The Oregon Trail’

Bill O'Leary/The Washington Post via Getty Images

Byrne describes The Oregon Trail—which is still sold today as a console and board game—as “one of the first text-based computer games that was originally designed for education.”

“The idea was that by playing the simulation, school kids would learn about what life was like on the frontier in the 19th century,” he explains. “There were all kinds of things that happened based on real accounts of the time, and the goal was to reach Oregon or die, often in a grisly manner, trying.”

The game debuted in 1971, five years or so before personal computers was invented, per The Fast Company.

20. Pong

Byrne says Pong was the “first massively successful arcade video game.”

“To modern eyes, it looks very rudimentary. Players turn knobs to try to bounce a pixel across the screen to an opponent. It’s easy to forget 54 years later how much of a breakthrough that was,” he says.

Later on, the game would inspire other titles like Centipede, Space Invaders and more.

21. Sit ‘n’ Spin

Byrne says the Sit ‘n’ Spin was inspired by carnival rides like the Merry Mixer, Tipsy Teacups and merry-go-rounds.

“It was basically a turntable with a handle on a pillar on top,” he explains. “Players would sit on the platform and propel themselves around by pushing on the handle and spin themselves around. It was a huge hit for Playskool, and it’s still made. Because it sat on the ground, even if kids spun off, they’d just tumble onto the floor.”

22. Magna Doodle

“This was introduced by the Pilot Pen Company, and it was intended to be a ‘dustless
chalkboard,’ but once kids got ahold of it, it became a major toy hit,” Byrne says.

The toy came with an acrylic board with honeycomb-shaped cells and metal
shavings.

“Kids used a magnetic wand to bring the filings up through a membrane under the acrylic sheet, where they stayed until kids slid the handle to drop the shavings back below the membrane,” he shares. “It was often considered the next major drawing toy after Etch A Sketch, but the stylus made drawing much easier.”

23. Nerf Balls

“The Nerf Ball broke the cardinal rule: You can’t play ball in the house,” Byrne tells Parade. “That was enough to propel it to a fad-like status. In fact, Parker Bros. marketed it as ‘the world’s first indoor ball.’ It wasn’t really much more than a spherical sponge, but that didn’t matter. The delight of throwing a ball in the house was all kids needed.”

More indoor throwing items, including footballs and flying discs, were introduced over time with more sophisticated materials.

“The magic of indoor dodgeball (or whatever kids could come up with) has kept Nerf sales flying ever since,” he says.

24. The Snoopy Sno-Cone Machine

“There had been a Frosty Snow Cone Maker on the market since the late 1960s,
featuring a generic version of Frosty the Snowman, but it had never made much of an
impact. When Hasbro revamped it with Snoopy and a great commercial, it became a major hit,” Byrne states.

Here’s how it worked: You put an ice cube in the top of Snoopy’s doghouse, turned the crank and it dispensed shaved ice into a cup.

“Kids loved it, but honestly, it didn’t work all that well. Grinding the ice could be problematic. That never mattered to kids, though, and today it’s one of the most beloved, nostalgic
memories of the period,” he says.

25. Simon

Byrne describes Simon as one of the first tabletop games to include a computer chip.

“It was relatively simple to play, had a great commercial and was targeted to older players.
Following the light-up color patterns as the game sped up became a test of human
responses,” he says.

He notes that Simon was quite popular with older players who weren’t interested in console games.

“Ironically, even with the chip-driven challenge, the gameplay wasn’t much different than many parlor games of the 19th century since you had to follow a pattern and try to remember it,” he shares. “The difference was that people were playing against a machine while they played against each other.”

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Source:

• Christopher Byrne, aka The Toy Guy, is a toy analyst, researcher and consultant.