Does anybody read these?

Toy time!

So, today on Yahoo there was a list of the "Top 20 toy fads we can't believe we bought into." As somewhat of a toy expert, I feel compelled to address this important issue.

I agreed with some of their observations. Zhu Zhu pets, Silly Bandz and Tamagotchis were all toy fads that seem to have fizzled out.

Some of them, like Pokemon, Cabbage Patch Kids, Ouija Boards and Skip It started out as fads and probably don't deserve the shelf life they've received, but they've really outlived fad status.

But perhaps the toys I disagreed with the most were a few that I consider classics and not fads at all. In fact, it pissed me off a little someone would have the nerve to include these in a list of fads they feel a little swindled by. These toys included Pick-up sticks, an Easy Bake Oven, Barbies, Legos and the Magic 8 Ball. Those toys were some of my favorites and, frankly, toys that I would still play with at age 38.

I remember my Easy Bake Oven. I not only had the yellow one that looked like a microwave (it was the 80s), but I had a special Holly Hobbie Easy Bake oven that I bought at my church rummage sale for what I'm guessing was my lunch money. I loved Holly Hobbie, and that Easy Bake Oven was my prized possession. And while the little cakes and cookies you make with that thing are pretty gross, I'm sure that it fueled my passion for baking and cooking at a young age. I remember when I moved up from Easy Bake Oven to real oven. The results were equally unappetizing. But luckily my culinary skills are much improved 26 years later.

I loved Barbies too. As Christmas approaches, I'm always reminded of my best Christmas present ever, which was the Barbie Dream House. You see, my cousins had one and I really wanted one, but we could never afford it. So one year they came out with a Barbie cottage that only cost $30 to the $150 for the Barbie Dream House. I asked for it instead. And then the Tuesday before Christmas my dad won over $2,000 on the lottery. Being a kid, I didn't really understand why he'd been so excited that day, but I sure was excited when I came on Christmas and saw the box for the Dream House at the bottom of the stairs. I probably played with my Barbies a lot longer than was cool, but I hated to part with that house. The ones they make now aren't nearly as cool as mine was.

What was your favorite Christmas present? What's your all-time favorite toy and why?

posted by Laura at 9:44 PM