Top 10 Toy Lines that NO LONGER EXIST
#10: Micronauts
Despite their name, the sales of these action figures were anything but small. Based upon the Japanese Microman toy line, Micronauts’ had just as much, if not more success in Western markets. It wasn’t just the figures, either. The toy line came with a seemingly never-ending stream of expansions, cars, weapons, and more. And yet, even though Micronauts sold extremely well for distributor Mego, it wasn’t enough to keep the company afloat. When they went under in 1982, Micronauts sadly sank with them. In the years since there have been several attempts at rebooting the acclaimed toy line. But, outside of the odd collector’s item here and there, Micronauts are still missing in action.
#9: Poo-Chi
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As it turns out, Man’s Best Friend is also a kid’s favorite toy. They barked, they communicated, and they even sang; all without any upkeep! Naturally, the robo-pet had an enormously successful launch, selling 10 million units in just eight months. But, despite a slew of spinoffs and special editions, the Poo-Chis barked bright and fast. Just two years after they hit the shelves, the toy line was discontinued and replaced with the more ambitious FurReal Friends. Now that there’s a whole zoo of robotic animals to choose from, it seems like the Poo-Chis have officially howled for the last time.
#8: Talkboy
This toy wasn’t just “as seen as on TV!” No, it was as seen on the big screen. The Talkboy was conceived as a movie-original gadget to aid Kevin MacCallister in “Home Alone 2: Lost In New York.” As with any smash-hit family film, that also meant lots and lots of merchandising potential. So, just like the movie it spawned from, the Talkboy became an iconic craze of the 90s, selling absolute bonkers numbers. But, despite building an empire of successful voice modulators, the Talkboy didn’t survive Tiger Electronics’ merger with Hasbro. The toy’s trademark lapsed in 1999, and that’s the last anyone has heard of them.
#7: Skip-It
Every kid in the 80s either had a Skip-It, or wanted one. Building off the Lemon Twist toy from the 60s and 70s, the ingeniously simple premise was a marketing goldmine, especially alongside that killer theme song. Early profits were strong, and by the 90s, Skip-Its had already doubled their launch sales. Unfortunately, though, that marked the peak of this toy line’s success. From there, Skip-Its endured a steep and messy plummet into irrelevance, primarily due to the surge of electronic toys like Tamagotchi. After years and years of declining numbers, the twirling trinket finally petered out in 2009. The brand has been collecting dust ever since.
#6: Gilbert U-238 Atomic Energy Lab
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Toys and science experiments don’t usually go together, and this failed set is a spitting example as to why. Sure, encouraging kids to learn during playtime is a great idea on paper. But, when it hit stores in the 50s, the Atomic Lab set failed to generate as much interest as its competitors. There are a lot of factors to blame, from the high price tag, to the safety concerns, to general audience disinterest. Either way, there’s no excuse for the fact that this pricey set was discontinued after just two years. Since the Atomic Lab set shipped as few as 5,000 units, it’s safe to say this experiment went down as a failure.
#5: Sky Dancers
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At first, these flying fairies spun all the way to high sales, a TV series, and a reputation as the hottest toy on the block. But, soon enough, the Sky Dancers flew too close to the sun. Or, rather, to the faces of children. See, the original design offered little to no protection from the figure’s propeller-like wings. As a result, the dolls caused over 100 reported injuries, some serious enough to require stitches. After years of mounting pressure, the Sky Dancers were officially recalled in 2000. A while later, they relaunched with an updated design. However, the original line has yet to fly again, and that’s probably a good thing.
#4: Magnetix
The word “endangerment” is sure to hurt sales for any kid-targeted toy line, and Magnetix was no exception. While the sets proved extremely popular at launch, they soon came under fire for their extremely unsafe magnetic pieces. Parents were right to be concerned, but unfortunately, the company recall came too late. Magnetix caused at least 27 intestinal injuries, one aspiration, and even a death. They wouldn’t be the last victims, either. Following Magnetix’s slew of controversies, other magnet toys like BuckyBalls faced similar recalls. Eventually, the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission issued new standards on magnetic products, essentially rendering Magnetix and BuckyBalls obsolete.
#3: Aqua Dots
For all intents and purposes, Aqua Dots don't exist anymore. It all started in 2007 when the plastic bead designs were abruptly recalled in Australia. And then North America. And then Europe, too. Soon enough, the truth came out. In a cost-cutting maneuver, the beads had been laced with a cheap, toxic prodrug instead of the designer-approved adhesive. At least two kids were hospitalized from the gaffe, and as many as seven more were adversely affected. Somehow, the company didn’t call it quits and rebranded their product as Pixos. They even added a “Safety Tested” guarantee. Nowadays, most assume the original Aqua Dots have vanished by way of other, more “recreational” means.
#2: Cabbage Patch Snacktime Kids
The pitch behind these dolls was foolproof. Kids serve their Cabbage Patch a snack, the treats roll into the doll’s backpack, rinse and repeat forevermore. Unfortunately, plastic wasn’t the only thing on the menu for these snacking figures. Distributor Mattel was immediately inundated with reports of kids getting their hair and fingers trapped in the Cabbage Patch’s mouth. But, before things got out of hand, they voluntarily recalled the toy line. Since the Snacktime Kids had been a hot ticket item for the holiday season, there were a lot of customers to reimburse. That might be part of the reason why this line of Cabbage Patch Kids has never been released again.
#1: Lawn Darts
To say this toy got recalled would be putting it lightly. It’s so insanely dangerous, it’s outright illegal to even sell them in most places anymore. Let alone play a game. That really shouldn’t be too surprising considering that “Lawn Darts” is exactly what it sounds like. Giving kids a set of tiny, metal spears only led to several nationwide bans and thousands upon thousands of recorded injuries. Some of them, fatal. Understandably, there’s no legal way to get your hands on “Lawn Darts” anymore. But, over the years, a few safer knockoffs have come out of the woodwork - and so far, they haven’t seriously injured anyone. Although, that’s not exactly a high bar to meet.
