Top 10 Collectible Fads

Top 10 Collectible Fads

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Must have them all! Welcome to WatchMojo.com, and today we’re counting down our picks for the top 10 collectible fads. For this list, we’re taking a look at products that were extremely popular to collect for a period of time. We’ve excluded McDonald’s toys because collecting them was never really a fad.

In the mid-‘80s, Garbage Pail Kids exploded in popularity like an atom bomb. These repulsive and violent trading cards were made to satirize the cute and innocent Cabbage Patch Kids, which you might see later on this list. While the cards were disgusting to say the least, they were also insanely hilarious and creative. To this day, they still resonate with the immature kid in us all. The Topps Company even came out with a series of new cards in 2014, tapping into our ‘80s nostalgia. Wow, somebody really ought to produce a cartoon series and feature film based on this product! Riiiiight, maybe not…

If there was ever a fantasy-based game to give “Dungeons & Dragons” a run for its gold pieces, it’s “Magic: The Gathering.” Growing up, chances are you knew a group of kids that spent their lunch period trading Magic Cards. Of course, you probably know a few adults that participate in Magic tournaments too. Introduced in 1993, this game has often been described as “Cardboard Crack” and we can see why: it creates a world of its own that’s quite easy to lose oneself in. Collecting every card will cost you a pretty penny, but it’s worth the investment to become the ultimate Planeswalker.

Remember when Furby was the must-have holiday gift? After they were released in 1998, there wasn’t a kid in the late-‘90s that didn’t want this weird owl/hamster/robot thing – that’s probably why 40 million of them were sold in the first three years alone. It wasn’t just a toy; it was practically a pet that could talk, sleep, and even dance with a mind of its own. So our parents spent hundreds of dollars buying us these furry fuzzballs and we got sick of them pretty quickly. Admit it, you threw your Furby against the wall when it wouldn’t shut up. Even if Furby was basically a Gizmo knockoff, we’ll always have fond memories of getting one on Christmas morning.

#7: Troll Doll

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They were originally made by a Danish fisherman in 1959. And while the Troll dolls peaked in popularity during the early 1960s, they’ve maintained success from the ‘70s onward. DreamWorks Animation even has a Trolls feature film in production starring Justin Timberlake and Anna Kendrick. Troll dolls are just so hard to resist with their wide eyes, friendly smiles, and crazy hair you just want to brush. Are we the only ones concerned that they’re naked, though? Seriously, put on some pants. Regardless, there will always be something appealing about these strangely adorable dolls. Let’s just pretend “Trollz” never happened.

#6: Sports Cards

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If your grandfather held onto any baseball, football, basketball or hockey cards from his youth, you may want to check the value of his collection; they could make your family extremely rich. Though they’ve inspired games of “need ‘em, got ‘em” for well over a century, sports cards have gone through some changes over the years. For example, they’re no longer produced by tobacco companies or included in cigarette packs. Nevertheless, these trading cards have always maintained a timeless charm that can appeal to anybody who’s ever dreamed of owning a sports team. Just try not to break your teeth on the bubblegum.

#5: PEZ Dispensers

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First sold in Austria in 1927, these bite-sized candies have transcended the food industry to become icons in the collectible community. The great thing about PEZ dispensers is that the manufacturing possibilities are endless. You can put any head on a dispenser, whether it’s a historical icon, cartoon character, or political figure. Seeing as how there are over 550 dispensers and many of them have inspired numerous different variations, a PEZ Head’s collection is never truly complete.

Created in 1978 by 21-year-old art student Xavier Roberts, Cabbage Patch Kids took the world by storm in the ‘80s. Every kid dreamed of adopting one of these darling dolls, resulting in the Cabbage Patch riots. We kid you not, when Cabbage Patch Kids first hit the shelves in the U.S. in 1983, anarchy broke out across American retail stores. Reports claim that people were arming themselves with baseball bats just to get their hands on these hot ticket items. While Cabbage Patch Kids remained a bestseller for years to come, shoppers never went crazy for them like they did in late-1983. Now we just go crazy every Black Friday.

#3: Pokémon Trading Cards

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Although “Pokémon” is still a popular franchise, there was a time when it dominated the friggin’ world. Kids watched every episode of the anime series, devoured every Game Boy game, and sought to collect every trading card. If you grew up in the late-‘90s, chances are your entire life revolved around filling a 3-ring binder with every Pokémon card, and maybe even playing the trading card game. Kids took the ad campaign quite literally in a quest to catch them all, which only got harder when the list expanded beyond 151. While most of us eventually moved on to other things, we’ll never forget the blessed day when we got our first Charizard.

Pogs got their start in Hawaii as early as 1927, but they wouldn’t become a phenomenon until the ‘90s. Even if you never learned how to play the game growing up, there’s little doubt that you had a Pogtainer filled with these small discs. Why? Because manufacturers could print virtually anything on them! Whether you were into cartoons, video games, or Alf, there was a set of Pogs out there for every kid to collect. It’s a pretty simple idea, but that’s part of what makes Pogs so brilliant! Before we get to our top pick, here are a few honorable mentions: - Silly Bandz - Homies - Polly Pocket - Fingerboard / Tech Deck

Everybody loves a teddy bear. With Beanie Babies, however, Ty Warner Inc. didn’t stop at stuffed bears; they produced stuffed rhinos, stuffed zebras, stuffed octopuses, etc. Basically, if a species of animal existed, it inspired a Beanie Baby. First introduced in 1991 and becoming a hot commodity within four years, the darling bean-stuffed animals of course draw in kids, but even adults couldn’t resist them. It wasn’t enough just to have one Beanie Baby, though. You had to possess all of these cuddly creatures, even if it meant emptying your 401K! Collecting them paid off in the end, however, as we all know that Beanie Babies are now worth a fortune…um, right? Do you agree with our list? Which collectible fad made you take out a loan? For more entertaining Top 10s published every day, be sure to subscribe to WatchMojo.com.