Throwback Thursday: The best toys from the 80s

Lifestyle and Travel Editor - Audience·NZ Herald·

23 Aug, 2017 10:25 PM4 mins to read

How many of these 80s toys did you have? Photos / Pinterest, Ebay, Fisher Price

Were you a kid in the totally gnarly decade of the 80s? Anyone who grew up in these radical times can attest to the fact that there was something super special about the toys of the era: They were perfect in their simplicity, built to withstand some serious playtime and always served a nifty purpose.

Back when a galactic future was upon us kids loved nothing better than taking their toys on adventures that rivalled Back to the Future plot lines.

In the doll department, Fisher Price reigned supreme, idols came in the form of Ninja Turtles and you didn't buy toys, you "adopted" them.

See how many of these epic toys and games you can remember from the 1980s:

CABBAGE PATCH KIDS

Cabbage Patch dolls were the 80s answer to the Kewpie doll. Characterised by string hair, impossibly cherubic cheeks and outfits that could only be described as "rad", they were the toy every kid on your street either had or coveted.

They came with a birth certificate and adoption papers and their adorable television ads were abhorred by your parents.

GARBAGE PAIL KIDS CARDS

Known as The Garbage Gang here in New Zealand, all the "cool kids" in school carried these slightly horrifying cards that were designed to parody the squeaky clean image of the Cabbage Patch Kids.

Featuring characters such as Glandular Angela or Half-Nelson, the swappable cards doubled as stickers - which were arguably at their peak in the 80s.

TEENAGE MUTANT NINJA TURTLES

The song from their cartoon series is already playing in your head, isn't it? The most totally "tubular" toys of the 80s, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles loved pizza, being "radical" and made "cowabunga" the coolest saying of the decade.

BIKE SPOKE BEADS

Not only did these make a cool sound as you rode your bike, they looked super snazzy too.

Available in a variety of shapes and colours (read: fluro), they gave you the confidence to pull a wheelie or hoon down that steep path where you promptly slid out and grazed your knees.

VIEW MASTER

"Got my milk, got my cookies, got my View Master!"

This contraption was a real revolution in the 80s. From Michael Jackson, to the Cabbage Patch Kids and Masters of the Universe, being able to slide through images of your favourite characters in 3D was nothing short of magical.

POUND PUPPIES

Before there were Tamagotchis there were these morbid little doggies vying for your affection.

If you weren't adopting children from the cabbage patch you were saving precious Pound Puppies from pure sadness.

G.I-JOE

As Kylie Jenner is to Lipkits, G.I Jo was to a tough kid's arsenal in the 80s. Owning the entire G.I Joe collection ensured you were the envy of all the kids in your neighbourhood.

You needed a decent collection to go into all-out battle with your friends and while their were knock-off versions, they just didn't cut the mustard.

GLO-WORMS

To an 80s scaredy cat, these were the ultimate bedtime buddies. They lit up to help you feel safe in the dark and ward off that warped version of E.T. hiding under the bed.

If you squeezed your loyal pals squidgey tummy it would even play you a bedtime song - unless it had run out of batteries.

FISHER PRICE LITTLE PEOPLE

A childhood in this decade wasn't complete without playing with Fisher Price's Little People toys.

The simple, round figures were a staple of toy boxes throughout the decade and could be taken on a variety of fun adventures.

PILLOW PALS

Much like the Glo-Worm, these stuffed toys were designed to help 80s kids sleep.

But after hounding your parents to buy you one, you soon realised they weren't quite as exciting as the ad on television made them out to be.

SYLVANIAN FAMILIES

Were they animals? Were they people? These cutesy collections of anthropomorphic creatures in happy family sets were a total hit in the 80s.

Kids spent hours positioning their little - fully clothed - Labrador family around a teeny barbecue or playing house with a wee beaver mother and her babies.