Top 10 Children’s Toys 1970-1980:[1]
1. Atari VCS 2600 – Founded in 1972, Atari, Inc. paved the way for the gaming industry future. Nolan Bushnell sold Atari, Inc. to Warner Brothers and when the Atari VCS 2600 was released in 1977 it sold for $199. But in 1982 with the release of Nintendo, Atari’s sales plummeted. Today people search garage sales, thrift stores and flea markets for this very system and its cartridges.
2. UNO – In 1971, an Ohio barbershop owner, Merle Robbins, created the card game and eventually a fan bought the rights. The new owner formed International Games Inc. making millions off the game. In 1992, International Games became a part of Mattel.
3. Rubik’s Cube – In 1974, Erno Rubik was a lecturer at the Department of Interior Design at the Academy of Applied Arts and Crafts in Budapest, Hungary, and created a cube to help demonstrate his idea that simple things could be duplicated and manipulated into many forms. Word of mouth spread about the Cube and, in 1978, the Ideal Toy Corporation went to Hungary to see the toy in play. One million were immediately ordered and its popularity spread throughout the world helping define the ‘80s.
4. SIMON – I loved, loved, loved this game. Created by Howard Morrison and Ralph Baer, it was the first of its kind. The game has a microcomputer inside controlling the game and keeping it competitive.
5. Dungeons and Dragons – Invented by Dave Arneson and Gary Gygax and has grossed a ton of money for its fantasy and adventure toys and games.
6. Hungry Hungry Hippos – Oh another favorite of mine! Created in 1978 by Milton Bradley and was designed and marketed specifically for smaller children.
7. Connect Four – I was definitely a child growing up in the 80s; another fave! Created in 1974 by Milton Bradley and in order to win, you had to rely on strategy.
8. Star Wars Action Figures – I love the story behind the movie Star Wars and even though I haven’t heard any good rumors about George Lucas, I have to respect his mindset when he was making the movie back in the ‘70s because he had every single odd against him including natural disasters and a studio that wanted to shut him down. When the movie did come out, everyone was blindsided by its popularity and Kenner Toys had sole rights to the toys but they had no toys made because, like everyone else, they thought the movie would flop. That X-mas, they realized they wouldn’t have the action figures made in time so they invented a marketing strategy where they’d sell an empty box to children with, basically, an IOU. In 1977, kids received an Early Bird Certificate Package for X-mas and months later received their action figure. Try doing that today.
Original packaging. These puppies goes for hundreds of dollars now.
Originals unpackaged.
9. Magna Doodle – Invented in 1974 and is a magnetic drawing toy with a drawing board, pen, and magnetic shapes.
10. NERF Balls – Originally created to be used as an indoor volleyball game, in 1970 Parker Brothers decided to nix that concept and market the NERF as “The World’s First Official Indoor Ball” and was released as such in 1972.
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