Every year, there’s one special gift that kids look forward to getting — and parents dread seeking out.
Moneywise took a look back to recall the most in-demand toys of the last 30 years. Did you get one? Did you have to desperately hunt for one? Here are a few that might have caused the most headaches.
1989: Nintendo Gameboy. Long before you could crush candy or send birds hurtling through the air on your super-smart phone, gamers had the Nintendo Game Boy for on-the-move action. It was launched in Japan in the spring of 1989, making its way to North America in time for the holiday gift season. It was the perfect gift, so long as your parents remembered the AA batteries.
1990: Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. Their first feature film raked in more than $200 million at the box office — and their toys easily doubled that.
1992: Barney. Pretty much anything related to the purple dinosaur was guaranteed to make bank, but soft plush toys created for kids to cuddle while watching the tube topped the list.
1995: Beanie Babies. These may have been the first “collectible” toy. Kids loved Chilly the Polar Bear and Humphrey the Camel. and the company created a craze by “retiring” Beanies so that collectors were soon paying thousands for toys that had originally sold for five bucks.
1997: Tamagotchi. Kids who weren’t ready for live pets loved these electronic critters, who cried for help when they wanted food or attention. At the fad’s peak, 15 Tamagotchi units were sold every minute in the U.S. and Canada.
2001: Bratz. By the 21st century, kids had moved on from Barbie and were ready for something new. The teen fashion dolls with the giant heads and skinny bodies concerned parents, who worried they promoted an unhealthy body image, but that didn’t hamper sales.
2005: X Box 360. Microsoft took the second round of the “console war” with Sony by releasing its much anticipated Xbox 360 a year before the competition. They couldn’t keep the product on shelves, meaning big bucks for scalpers on eBay.
2012: Rainbow Loom. Who says rubber bands aren’t cool? This device made crafty kids around the country into jewelry designers overnight.
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