Spring Break
Ian Grogan does the 80s
This week's guide to the majestic 80s toys we all know and love, or don't
Ian Grogan
Issue date: 5/23/08 Section: Diversions
I was a kid of the 1980s, as I assume most of you were, and I loved my toys.
When I look back on it now the toys seem to be quite simple compared to the technologically advanced toys we have today. They may be more advanced today, but toys of the '80s were in many ways more exciting.
Stuffed animals were a big part of the '80s, many of which were either based off cartoon shows or made into cartoon shows. The Care Bears were a prime example. Based off of a greeting card line, the Care Bears were turned into plush bears in 1983. Each bear had a symbol on its stomach to demonstrate which attitude it had and the power it held.
There were also the ever-popular Cabbage Patch Kids, a must-have Christmas gift for much of the decade. Given to the world in 1983, after being known as the "little people dolls," the Cabbage Patch Kids' popularity quickly took off. The popularity kept growing, and the Cabbage Patch Kids even became the official mascot of the Olympics in 1992.
One other doll I'd like to go over is the Monchichi. The Monchichis were monkey-like dolls who lived in the forest land of Monchia at the very top of tall trees well above the clouds. In 1980, America was introduced to the creatures in a TV show that ran for 130 episodes.
But stuffed animals are just the tip of the iceberg; there were also fun and challenging games to play with while keep ing your mind occupied.
Lite-Brite was a huge toy of the '80s and still is a small part of pop culture today. In the '80s Lite-Brite was a series of pegs punched into a piece of blank paper atop a special board that made the pegs light up. They often came with pre-made stencils of clowns and wizards. A bomb scare in 2007 used several Lite-Brite look-a-likes to make figures of the great Mooninites to promote the new "Aqua Teen Hunger Force" movie.
Another mind-bending puzzle toy of the era was of course the Rubik's Cube. I don't think I have to go into detail about this - I think everyone should know how impossible these things are.
When I look back on it now the toys seem to be quite simple compared to the technologically advanced toys we have today. They may be more advanced today, but toys of the '80s were in many ways more exciting.
Stuffed animals were a big part of the '80s, many of which were either based off cartoon shows or made into cartoon shows. The Care Bears were a prime example. Based off of a greeting card line, the Care Bears were turned into plush bears in 1983. Each bear had a symbol on its stomach to demonstrate which attitude it had and the power it held.
There were also the ever-popular Cabbage Patch Kids, a must-have Christmas gift for much of the decade. Given to the world in 1983, after being known as the "little people dolls," the Cabbage Patch Kids' popularity quickly took off. The popularity kept growing, and the Cabbage Patch Kids even became the official mascot of the Olympics in 1992.
One other doll I'd like to go over is the Monchichi. The Monchichis were monkey-like dolls who lived in the forest land of Monchia at the very top of tall trees well above the clouds. In 1980, America was introduced to the creatures in a TV show that ran for 130 episodes.
But stuffed animals are just the tip of the iceberg; there were also fun and challenging games to play with while keep ing your mind occupied.
Lite-Brite was a huge toy of the '80s and still is a small part of pop culture today. In the '80s Lite-Brite was a series of pegs punched into a piece of blank paper atop a special board that made the pegs light up. They often came with pre-made stencils of clowns and wizards. A bomb scare in 2007 used several Lite-Brite look-a-likes to make figures of the great Mooninites to promote the new "Aqua Teen Hunger Force" movie.
Another mind-bending puzzle toy of the era was of course the Rubik's Cube. I don't think I have to go into detail about this - I think everyone should know how impossible these things are.
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