Top 10 Toys Kids Today Don't Recognize
#10: Pogs
Simplicity was the key here. You stack cardboard milk caps, slam them into the air, and hope your side lands face-up. It was so simple, in fact, that it practically took playgrounds by storm in the 90s. While the game had existed in some form for over a century, The World POG Federation’s ingenious marketing push made it a mainstream hit. For a few years, at least. The original, Korean version appeared in Netflix’s viral sensation, “Squid Game,” and Pog itself helped spawn the famous emote, PogChamp. But, it still wasn’t enough to keep kids playing the game long term. Despite Pog’s undeniable legacy, it’s clearly a fad that’s well past its prime.
#9: Moon Shoes
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How’s that saying go? Shoot for the moon, because even if you miss, you’ll land among the stars? Well, despite it being in the name, Moon Shoes never even made it that far. It’s not for a lack of trying, though. If you grew up in the 90s or 2000s, you either had these, or wanted to. They were literally trampolines for your feet; what’s not to love? Plus, the commercials were everywhere, especially on Nickelodeon. And yet, for some reason, these hot toys couldn’t bounce their way to long-lasting relevance. After a few years on shelves, people just stopped talking about Moon Shoes, and the brand’s been collecting dust ever since.
#8: Micronauts
Nowadays, you couldn’t buy most of these toys even if you wanted to. Despite building up some worthwhile name recognition in the 70s, manufacturer Mego couldn’t sustain Micronauts. They discontinued the line in 1980, and two years later, the entire company went under. Two decades after that, Palisades Toys swooped in to save the brand from its early grave. But, after a rough launch and rougher sales, they soon went the same way as their toy-making predecessor. The last anyone’s seen from Micronauts is a legacy set released in 2016. Obviously, they’d rather appeal to the fans they have than make new ones. After everything Micronauts has been through, we can’t blame them.
#7: Pound Puppies
American Toy producer Tonka let these dogs out in 1980, and quickly adopted more cash than they knew what to do with. By 1985, “Pound Puppies” had raked in more than $300 million dollars in sales. But, by 2002, all that fortune had dried up. The pet toy simply couldn’t evolve fast enough for the ever-growing market, and soon became a has-been instead of a trailblazer. To be fair, 2002 was a rough year for pet-themed toys on the whole. For example, the techno-based “Poo-Chis” didn’t make it to 2003, either. “Pound Puppies” was later relaunched with modest success, but it’s still a far bark from the toy’s popularity in the 80s.
#6: Tamagotchi
In the decades since, no toy has ever captured the debilitating stress of raising a pet quite like the Tamagotchi. After all, these virtual companions ate, pooped, slept, and most terrifying of all, died. All together, this was the rare game that appealed to everyone. But, with that demand came a whole lot of competition. These days, smartphones and video games have pretty much rendered the Tamagotchi obsolete, and they have the low sales to prove it. For what it’s worth, new Tamagotchis still come out on a semi-regular basis. But, it’s obvious this toy isn’t what it used to be, and no amount of celebrity endorsements can convince us otherwise.
#5: Talkboy
One of the hottest toys in the 90s didn’t actually originate from a toy factory; it came from a movie. “Home Alone 2: Lost in New York,” to be specific. The Talkboy was essentially just a cassette player with a few vocal modifiers on top. But, thanks to a big-screen push by Kevin McCallister, it went down as one of the best-selling toys of the decade. Unfortunately, that’s also when its good fortunes ended. The internet gave kids a million other places to get their voice-changing fix, sending the Talkboy to a quick death end in 1999. Unless “Home Alone 2” gets a remake, odds are the Talkboy has recorded its last message.
#4: HitClips
Back before iPods, smartphones, and Spotify, there was HitClips. Like its name implies, it was a portable speaker of sorts that clipped onto your backpack for music on the go. But, instead of an 8-track tape like the old-school Pocket Rockers, HitClips used proprietary song cartridges. Oh, and they only played sixty seconds at a time, too. Yeah, in hindsight, it wasn’t very glamorous. But, in the early 2000s, it was a must-have for jam-sessions in between classes. Still, given the boon of portable smart devices, it’s really no surprise that neither HitClips or Pocket Rockers made it very far. If any kid still uses these today, it’s purely for the irony.
#3: Skip-It
In a nutshell, a Skip-It is just a ball with some string attached. And yet, that didn’t stop it from becoming the cul-de-sacs resident ankle bruiser for generations. The intuitive gameplay kept Skip-Its on store shelves well into the 2000s. But, there’s only so many times you can jump over a spinning ball. Eventually, sales dropped, and then dropped some more, and then dropped again. Soon enough, the toy quietly bowed out of the mainstream altogether. Ironically, the similarly-titled “Bop-It” is facing the same issue. It’s not quite as far gone as the Skip-It, but either way, the fact of the matter is that kids just aren’t buying these toys like they used to.
#2: Sky Dancers
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With faith, trust, and a whole lot of catchy commercials, Sky Dancers spun their way to the top of every 90s kid’s Christmas list. But, don’t go rushing to the store for one. There’s a very good reason these spinning dolls fell off. As some kids learned the hard way, the Sky Dancers’s wings weren’t just pretty; they were dangerous. Especially when they spun into the faces of unsuspecting children. After over one-hundred reported injuries, the first line of Sky Dancers had to be recalled entirely. They tried to twirl their way back into kid's good graces in 2004, but they failed to catch on. Given their history, that might be for the best.
#1: Furbies
It’s hard to explain why Furbies were so popular. Maybe it was the cuddly design, maybe it was that it could talk, or maybe it just came out at the right place at the right time. Whatever the reason, Furbies broke into pop-culture like few toys ever have. We’re talking millions of units sold within its first few years, alone. So, it’s even more surprising to see how little staying power they had. Furby’s are still being made today, and with plenty of worthwhile updates, too. But, for some reason, the hype has long-since come and gone. There’s a chance Furbies get a second wind, but until that happens, these “toys” are more like collector’s items.
Did these toys ring any bells for you! Be sure to let us know in the comments.
