A look at the must-have toys that dominated Britain's gift lists for the last half a century. From Furbies to Teletubbies, and Buzz Lightyears to Rubik's Cubes, this is the story of mile-long queues outside toy shops, and the ecstasy on Christmas morning of knowing that Santa brought you exactly what you wanted. Through archive clips and interviews with the creators (as well as the mega fans who collected them), cameras reveal how toy makers harnessed Christmas magic year after year to make dreams come true.

I had a Rubik's Cube when I was younger, but I never managed to complete it, Etch A Sketch was another Xmas staple I recall from my youth.

Designed by the Hungarian Erno Rubik in 1974. Yes, I know that's a bit sad that I always remember it ha

Mousetrap Game

FactualFrank wrote: ↑

Sun Dec 06, 2020 5:32 pm

Designed by the Hungarian Erno Rubik in 1974. Yes, I know that's a bit sad that I always remember it ha

I used to pull the sticky colours off and cheat,it was the only way.

Steve1956 wrote: ↑

Sun Dec 06, 2020 5:59 pm

I used to pull the sticky colours off and cheat,it was the only way.

My wife tells a story about her youngest who got a Rubiks Cube in his stocking and when they all got up he had completed it...

It was a few months later they realised he had done just that

It was usually Subbuteo for me. Had loads of accessories and quite a few teams.

There used to be a shop across from the Turf Hotel many moons ago that sold them.
Mind you, I was never much good...

Bosscat wrote: ↑

Sun Dec 06, 2020 6:03 pm

My wife tells a story about her youngest who got a Rubiks Cube in his stocking and when they all got up he had completed it...

It was a few months later they realised he had done just that

I did that with my son he wasnt impressed,he used to do it legally in about 90 seconds

What is this year's Tracy Island?

Kerplunk,

dougcollins wrote: ↑

Sun Dec 06, 2020 6:12 pm

What is this year's Tracy Island?

Wasn't it Tracy Island that they made on Blue Peter one year?

On Netflix they've got a Toys that made us series, it's very good.
Also a Films that made us which isn't bad either.

It wasn’t a toy for me. It was an LP. Sat up all Christmas Day and Boxing Day replaying London Calling by The Clash and learning the lyrics. Best Christmas present ever.

Johnny Seven or a James Bond suitcase

Johnny Seven, fantastic. My dad turned a load of new bullets after all the original ones were fired all over the place!

A casey and then in later years a Wembley football

2 standout presents from around the mid 70's:

Evel Knievel Stunt Bike. The real deal at the time. Made an appropriate demise into our coal fire.

A t-shirt with an image of Steve Austin, The Six Million Dollar Man on the front. Possibly sourced from Blackpool. Wore it twice before my mum washed it and then decided to Iron on the frontal visage. Steve's face came off which was a bit of a conundrum when you are seven. Would a bionic face work ?

Obviously, these have caused me untold mental health issues over the years. I have looked into purchasing the original items from a large auction site but the prices go into the hundreds.

Just revving up the Stunt Bike would be some form of Nirvana?

Steve1956 wrote: ↑

Sun Dec 06, 2020 6:06 pm

I did that with my son he wasnt impressed,he used to do it legally in about 90 seconds

Did you try the evil-Dad trick of reversing two of the stickers to make it unsolvable, then mixing it up? Or was he so good that he would work out what you'd done before the 90 seconds were up?

Take a look at this if you like Rubik's Cube solving.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q6AsllXpKBU

A pair of bright red junior boxing gloves. With my brother being left handed, we used one each and pasted each other till new year. Marvellous.

Got one of these in 1981. Rubik's Snake. Same year they were introduced. Got bored with it very quickly though as, well; there wasn't much you could do with it.
I am another one who got the original Rubik's Cube and got frustrated with it so just took the labels off.

RMutt wrote: ↑

Sun Dec 06, 2020 8:27 pm

Johnny Seven, fantastic. My dad turned a load of new bullets after all the original ones were fired all over the place!

Johnny Seven, what memories that brings!

I used to ambush my mum from under the kitchen table with the rocket, she was never impressed with my dad for buying it.

Nothing beats a good family game like UNO.

A Rupert Bear annual.

I remember a Meccano set that I used on Christmas Day to build a tall crane, which could lift a stock of Neapolitan Chocolates( those with the different flavours of chocolate) from the floor to the dining table, also my first starter set of Scalextric which made an oval of track with a chicane wiggle and two racing cars, one British racing green and the other a bright red one. (Found it before the day hidden on top of the wardrobe !!)

My favourites were "Subutteo, Frustration, Jack Straws, Soccerboss, 424 (I think it was called that)". Here are few of our old games that we found in a cupboard after mum passed away a few years ago. Happy days.

Loved Subutteo - from all the advertising I’m hearing this year about it there could be a new generation of kids playing it too (unless it’s just us oldies buying it again)

The first 2 subutteo teams I got were Burnley with the V strip (oh I wished I still had them !) and a team who at the time of getting this bought for me I wasn’t sure who they were. It was black and white hoops. Discovered that it was Queens Park in the Scottish lower leagues and then followed their results for years and decided they were my team in Scotland....
I gave up after a few years of realising how bad they were but they did have a great statistic that Hampden Park used to be their home ground and they used to get about 500 fans in a massive stadium !!

Toys? You were lucky to have toys, I used to get an apple

Raving bonkers fighting robots,rebound,crossfire,space hoppers and Raleigh chopper.No batteries required.Happy days.

I remember being chuffed to bits when I got a Game Boy and a couple of years later - Super Nintendo (SNES) with International Superstar Soccer.

Scalextric...How I laughed when my dear mother accidentally stood on my very first one...

Magnetic football game : there used to be one you could play if you went in Jack Bray's sports shop on Scotland road in Nelson ( 50 years ago !!) .