The Gifts We HAD to Have
A nostalgic look back at the toys that topped wish lists
Long before “going viral” entered the vocabulary, certain toys had the power to send shoppers racing to stores, empty shelves and turn an ordinary gift into a cultural phenomenon. A nostalgic look back at some of the things we simply had to have.
Every generation has one.
The toy you circled in a catalog. The one your friends already had. The adults drove from store to store trying to find one. Long before TikTok, online shopping and overnight delivery, word still traveled remarkably fast when something became the thing to have.
Some lived up to the hype. Others eventually ended up in basements, donation bins or garage sales. But for a moment, finding one felt like winning the lottery.
Star Wars action figures
STAR WARS ACTION FIGURES | 1977
There was just one problem with one of the first great toy crazes: the toys weren’t ready. After Star Wars became a surprise blockbuster, demand for action figures exploded faster than Kenner could manufacture them. Its solution was ingenious: the Early Bird Certificate Package, essentially an IOU that promised four figures when they became available. Kids opened a cardboard promise and waited for Luke Skywalker, Princess Leia, Chewbacca and R2-D2 to arrive later.
Cabbage Patch Doll
CABBAGE PATCH KIDS | 1983
This may be the gold standard of gotta-have-it crazes. With their round faces, yarn hair and individual names and adoption papers, Cabbage Patch Kids became nearly impossible to find. Shoppers lined up for hours, stores were overwhelmed and news reports captured scenes of parents scrambling for the limited supply. Nearly 3 million dolls were sold by the end of 1983 and even that wasn’t enough to meet demand.
Tickle Me Elmo
TICKLE ME ELMO | 1996
Press his belly and Elmo laughed. Simple enough. Then America’s parents collectively decided they needed one. The Sesame Street toy became the runaway sensation of 1996, selling out as quickly as stores could stock it. Crowds descended on retailers, resale prices soared and the giggling red plush toy became a national news story.
Beanie Baby
BEANIE BABIES | 1990s
They were inexpensive, small and deliberately hard to collect. That combination proved irresistible. Ty periodically “retired” particular Beanie Babies, turning ordinary stuffed animals into perceived collectibles almost overnight. By the mid-1990s, Beanie Babies had become a collecting phenomenon, as shoppers hunted stores for elusive animals and debated which ones might someday be worth a fortune.
Furby
FURBY | 1998
Part owl, part hamster and entirely strange, Furby arrived speaking its own language and gradually appeared to learn English. That was enough to make the interactive creature one of the era’s defining toy sensations. Demand quickly overwhelmed supply, sending shoppers on yet another frantic search for the fuzzy electronic companion.
Wii Console
NINTENDO Wii | 2006
Nintendo changed the game—literally—when Wii replaced complicated button combinations with a motion-sensitive controller. Suddenly parents and grandparents were bowling alongside kids in the living room. The console’s broad appeal helped make it an immediate sensation, while shortages made finding one an accomplishment of its own.
Zhu Zhu Pets
ZHU ZHU PETS | 2009
They were tiny robotic hamsters that zipped around plastic habitats, chirped and occasionally seemed to have minds of their own. Originally inexpensive, Zhu Zhu Pets became so difficult to find during their peak that desperate shoppers turned to the resale market. For anyone who spent December searching for Mr. Squiggles, Num Nums or Chunk, the names probably still ring a bell.
Hatchimal
HATCHIMALS | 2016
Half the fun was not knowing exactly what was inside. Hatchimals arrived enclosed in colorful eggs that children had to nurture until the interactive creature eventually “hatched.” The surprise element proved irresistible. Demand quickly outpaced supply, leading to waiting lists, purchase limits and a thriving resale market.
AND NOW?
The frenzy hasn’t disappeared.
It has simply moved online. Today’s must-haves can explode on TikTok, sell out from a smartphone screen and appear on resale sites almost immediately. Squishmallows, Stanley tumblers, Labubu collectibles and the current NeeDoh craze all carry a little DNA from the crazes that came before.
The technology changes. The toys change. Wanting the thing everyone else wants? Apparently, that never goes out of style.
