fads of Christmas past

Published in The Post-Star (B1)

12/11/05

In the midst of the shopping stampede to grab the last Roboraptor or XBox 360 off the shelves, pause and consider the fate of Tickle Me Elmo.

That "must-have" item that you're about to get into a fistfight over could be languishing on the island of misfit toys (or eBay) before long.

"Once you've tickled Elmo 99 times, that's about all there is," said Patricia Hogan. "Many of these toys are kind of a flash in the pan. What makes them successful for one Christmas season is that the manufacturers are very clever about marketing."

Hogan is a curator at the National Toy Hall of Fame, part of the Strong Museum in Rochester. It's not easy for toys to make it into the collection -- their popularity must last for at least two decades -- but they don't have to be particularly complex inventions.

They don't even have to be toys in the strict sense. This year's inductees included the jack-in-the-box, the Candy Land board game, and ... the cardboard box.

"Part of what makes a toy a classic is that it allows a child to create their own narrative; their own world," Hogan explained. "That's why certain things, like dolls, stay popular."

Here are a few examples of former wish list-toppers that have faded into the ghosts of Christmas past -- and a few that could still be presents under this year's trees.

1950s
Hula hoop. Such a simple invention, and yet it's outlasted some of the most hi-tech gadgets on the market. A company called Wham-O came up with the modern plastic version in 1958, and sold 21 million of them in the first six months.

Magic 8 Ball. According to toy historians, Abe Bookman invented this fortune-telling orb in 1947, but sales didn't really take off until a plastic version replaced the original glass one a decade later. The floating shape inside the ball offers 20 suitably generic answers to all of life's questions, making it a fun gift that's become a pop-culture icon.

1960s
Hot Wheels. These miniature collectible cars have parked themselves on the Toy Industry of America's list of best-selling toys -- second only to Crayola crayons -- since their invention in 1968.

Sea monkeys. Comic books used to feature ads for these bizarre sea creatures, available for less than a dollar by mail-order. The "monkeys" are actually a tiny relative of shrimp, which appear dead until placed in water.

1970s
Pet rock. A quirky idea that appealed to more than a million Americans in the '75 Christmas season, this was really just a pocket-sized rock with a humorous instruction booklet. The fad faded quickly, but left California inventor Gary Dahl a millionaire.

8-track tapes. The first step toward a new type of "toy" -- portable music gadgets. Younger generations might find it hard to believe now that these clunky contraptions were ever cool, but imagine cruising around in a convertible with Springsteen blaring.

1980s
Cabbage Patch Kids. Millions of people have "adopted" these cloth dolls with chubby plastic heads and the signature of inventor Xavier Roberts on their rear ends. As their first generation of owners becomes nostalgic parents, the Kids are gaining popularity again.

Koosh Ball. This soft-spiked, squeezable rubber ball may have been the hottest stocking stuffer of Christmas '88, but it was soon tossed to the sidelines by other novelties.

1990s
Furby. After sending consumers into a buying frenzy when it was first introduced in 1998, a more sophisticated version of this interactive plush toy is making a comeback this year.

Tickle Me Elmo. Holiday shoppers literally fought over this touch-activated stuffed animal in the mid-'90s, but these days, Elmo's giggles are muffled in the bottom of the toy bin.

2000 and beyond:
Razor scooters. In 2000, kids of all ages were asking for one of these lightweight metal scooters. Now they've moved on to new electric versions.

Rubber wristbands. An unexpectedly popular fundraiser for cancer research, the LiveSTRONG yellow bracelets sold by the Lance Armstrong Foundation inspired dozens of spin-off versions and became a popular fashion accessory in 2004.

This year, electronic toys and gadgets are the hottest-selling items. Hogan said she doesn't see much future Hall of Fame material among them.

"It's hard to think of them standing still long enough to become classics -- they're always evolving," she said.

Her own favorite childhood toy didn't require batteries. It was a pair of stilts she found in her grandmother's garage.

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