As technology has changed over the years, the popular toys of each decade have changed with time. As you might guess, the most sought after toys of 2015 are dominated by technology, electronic devices and movie merchandise, such as Apple products, video games, and Frozen and Star Wars merchandise. In the 1950’s the Barbie doll and hula hoop were at the top of everyone’s list, and imagination was the real key to having fun.

Gone are the days of Jax, Lincoln Logs, and Pop Beads. Along with the most popular toys of the 60’s- G.I. Joe, Operation, Etch-A-Sketch, and Twister. Into the next decade came Stretch Armstrong, the stretchy action figure filled with corn syrup, Atari 400, the first home computer game system and several dangerous toys such as lawn darts (hmm…) and clackers, two hard acrylic balls connected on a heavy string that you knock together. These were both eventually banned due to the massive amount of injuries caused by the toys, as you can imagine.

Then came the 80’s, an era known for its big hair, bright clothes and . . . the Cabbage Patch Kids, which single-handedly began the long lasting tradition of fighting your way through the aisle to find that “must-have” toy of the year. Many may also remember the colorful, lovable bears that filled the shelves during the holidays – Care Bears. In 1987, the TV show, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles first aired, and while it was beginning to become one of the most popular animated series of all time, the action figure franchise was bringing in the money.

And finally the 90’s, not to be forgotten, wedged in between the age of My Little Pony and Apple, a time when Beanie Babies and Troll Dolls were the hot new thing, and Game Boy was a technology phenomena. Although the times have changed, some parts of the past have carried over into the so called “YOLO” (you only live once) generation. All of the highest earning toys of all time originated from past decades. From 350,000 Barbies being sold in its first year, 1959, to over one billion sold annually, Barbie has increased its sales and popularity over the years. The Rubik’s cube was originally released in 1974, and although only less than 5.8% of the population can solve the puzzle, more than 350 million cubes have been sold. Other continuously popular toys include Nerf, Lego, which has sold more than 400 billion products since 1949 and Little People, originally marketed by Fisher-Price in the 1960’s as Play Family People.

As most things around us are changing, hopefully some of the most popular toys will help us remember the past.