Hamleys has put together what it thinks are the 100 greatest toys of all time, ranging from age-of favourites to new technology
Lego, Monopoly and the Rubik’s Cube are among the best ever toys, say experts.
The list of 100 playthings also includes rival dolls Barbie and Sindy dolls, Action Man, table football game Subbuteo, and Matchbox toy cars.
The eclectic mix was drawn up by famous toy shop Hamleys to mark its 265th birthday. It includes age-old toys beloved by generations of children, from hula hoops and spinning tops to marbles. But there too are more recent toy crazes that swept the globe, from Tamagotchi and Cabbage Patch Kids, to Beanie Babies and My Little Pony. Among the more modern on the list are Nintendo’s Wii and Switch. Board games are represented by everything from Operation and Hungry Hippos to Connect 4 and Snakes and Ladders to Trivial Pursuit.
Victoria Kay, head buyer at Hamleys and who chaired the Top 100 panel, said: “Once you start looking at this, it turns rapidly into a nostalgia-fest – even for toys from four or five years ago. My personal favourites are Sindy Doll – I was always a Sindy girl as she was a cool British icon. I also adored Glo Worm, even though I was maybe a bit old for it and Simon felt like properly, cutting edge, advanced technology when it came out – it was literally the soundtrack of Christmas in the 80s.”.
The biggest single chunk of the list, making up around 20%, are dolls and action figures. The global doll market size was worth nearly £10billion last year, and is predicted to top £18billion by 2033.
Barbie, arguable the most iconic doll of them all, was launched in 1959 at the New York Toy Fair by Mattel, and is believed to have sold over one billion worldwide. Britain hit back with its doll superstar, in the shape of Sindy, which launched four years later. Other best-selling dolls on the list include Tiny Tears, Bratz, Polly Pocket, and Singing Moana Doll, which topped children’s Christmas lists last year, alongside LOL Surprise Dolls.
Despite the challenge from computer consoles and smartphones, there is still demand for board games, with market that is forecast to grow to almost £130million by 2027. Monopoly, one of its big sellers, is now in local editions in more than 113 countries and printed in more than 46 languages. Since launching in 1935, it is believed to have sold more than 300 million copies.
Lego was founded in 1932 by Ole Kirk Kristiansen and is now the biggest toy maker in the world, with its colossal success spawning theme parks and movies.
Its continued popularity contrasts with another famous name on the list. Meccano was invented by Liverpool-born Frank Hornby, who patented the metal model kit design in 1901, after which it took the toy world by storm. By the 1920s and 1930s, Meccaco was the biggest toy manufacturer in Britain, but it has been in decline since the 1950s. His Hornby train sets also make it only the list of 100 best toys of all time, though another his creations – Dinky toys – are left off.
Asked what is the formula for making a toy a global hit, Ms Kay said: “There are a multitude of purposes behind a toy’s design – it can be educational, encourage role play, drive imagination or problem-solving, it can bring comfort or develop hand-eye coordination – there can be so many factors in creating immersiveness. You can never underestimate the power of togetherness created around some of the big-sellers – those toys that bring people of all ages together – get families around a table talking, playing, challenging, maybe even cheating! Monopoly would be nothing without the competitive family battles that emerge.”
List of 100 (in no particular order)
LEGO Classic Bricks (1958) Monopoly (1935) Beanie Babies (1993) Polly Pocket (1989) My Little Pony (1983) UNO (1971) Rubik’s Cube (1974) Tamagotchi (1996) Clackers (1960) Trivial Pursuit (1981) Slime (1976) Scooter (1925) Pogo stick (1881) LUDO (1896) Subbuteo (1946) Transformers (1984) TMN Turtles (1988) Operation (1965) Hungry Hippos (1978) Hatchimals (2016) Bratz (2001) Care Bears (1983) Connect 4 (1974) Kaleidoscope (1950) Yo-Yo (1920) Weebles (1971) Masters of the Universe (1982) Matchbox Cars (1953) Speak and Spell (1978) LeapPad (1999) Teletubby Doll (1997) Thunderbirds Tracy Island (1993) Power Ranger Figures (1993) Pie Face (2016) Lite-Brite (1967) Nerf Blasters (1969) Sylvanian Families (1985) Battleship (1967) Nintendo Game Boy (1989) Stretch Armstrong (1976) Furby (1998) Hot Wheels Cars (1968) Troll Dolls (1959) Play-Doh (1970) Pokémon Cards (1999) Slinky (1943) Cabbage Patch Kids (1983) Mr. Potato Head (1952) Tiny Tears Doll (1960) Mouse Trap (1963) Nintendo Wii (2006) View-Master (1939) Rock ‘Em Sock ‘Em Robot (1966) LOL Surprise Dolls (2016) Pogs (1990) Fingerlings (2017) Barbie Doll (1959) Simon (1978) LEGO Harry Potter (2018) Etch A Sketch (1960) Action Man (1966) Spirograph (1960) Glo Worm (1982) Nintendo Switch (2017) Hula Hoop (1958) Super Soaker (1990) Baby Alive Doll (2006) Tiddlywinks (1880) Fisher-Price Telephone (1949) Space Hoppers (1970) Plasticine (1933) Meccano (1901) Marbles (1840) Tammy Doll (1962) Skittles (1974) K’nex (1992) Walkie Talkies (1960) Boggle (1972) Rubik’s Snake (1980) Playmobil (1974) Jenga (1983) Hornby Trains (1920) Buckaroo (1967) Zapf Creation Dolls (1970) Top Trumps (1970) Scalextric (1957) Cluedo (1949) Spinning Tops (1860) Fuzzy Felt (1950) Space Invaders (1980) Hamley Bear (1986) Silly Putty (1950) Magic Markers (1980) Tonka Trucks (1940) Sindy Doll (1963) Wooden London Bus (1930) Rocking Horse (1760) Toy Soldiers (1893) Snakes and Ladders (1892) Boglins (1987)