If you’ve ever sat for hours pouring over the pages of the Sears Wishbook catalog and your Christmas list consisted of a Cabbage Patch Kid, Bedtime Bear, and a Rubik’s Cube, congratulations, you were likely a kid of the ’80s.
The 1980s were home to some of the best-selling toys ever (as well as the best music, movies, hair, and fashion, but I digress.)
If the mere mention of Strawberry Shortcake, Smurfs, and Atari 2600 have you waxing nostalgic, wax no more. The top ’80s toys of your childhood are still available (or available again thanks to retro-inspired products.)
So what are you waiting for? You too can relive the glory of your youth. Or buy them for your kids. That too.
Here are 12 of the best-selling ’80s toys that are still available today.
You’re welcome.
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Price: $69.99
Time Magazine named Cabbage Patch Kids one of the most influential toys OF ALL TIME. And for anyone growing up in the ’80s, it’s easy to see why.
The one-of-a-kind dolls, tattooed with Xavier Roberts’ signature, came with adoption papers and a birth certificate and ignited the Christmas craze of 1983. Parents everywhere stood in line for hours in the hopes of snagging a doll, leading to riots, fighting, and even broken bones.
This retro Cabbage Patch Kid has everything you remember and love from the original, from her yarn hair to her signature baby powder scent.
Price: $19.99
Strawberry Shortcake started out as a character in American Greetings cards. She became so popular that a rag doll was created the same year.
Soon after, the line was expanded to include an entire cast of characters, including Blueberry Muffin, Huckleberry Pie, Apple Dumpling, Orange Blossom, Lemon Meringue, Raspberry Tart, and more.
Dolls, posters, stickers, clothing, bedding, a video game, and a TV series all became part of the Strawberry Shortcake franchise.
This reproduction of the original doll comes complete with freckles, a mop of red yarn hair, a strawberry printed bonnet, and yes, even that berry sweet smell.
Price: $24.99
I was 6 years old when Santa Claus left a Monchhichi under the Christmas tree. I will never forget it.
And now the beloved thumb-sucking monkey is back! “Monchhichi Monchhichi, oh so soft and cuddly.”
Price: Currently on sale for $17.83
For every kid in the ’80s that desperately wanted a real dog, there was a pound puppy instead.
With their doggone adorable looks, floppy ears, and big eyes, who could resist adopting a huggable best friend.
These Pound Puppies Classics are the same size as the original ’80s collection and come in a crate-shaped box. They include a sticker sheet, name tag, and an adoption certificate with room to write the name of your new furry pal.
MASTERS OF THE UNIVERSE HE-MAN
Price: $53.96
By the power of Grayskull, the most powerful man in the Universe, He-Man, returns. But he’s not cheap. This will set you back a bit but for die-hard He-Man fans, he packs a punch. Literally. When you twist his waist his arm swings and punches.
Price: $9.84
The Rubik’s Cube debuted in 1980 and to this day, I can still only solve 2 sides at once.
There are over 43 quintillion moves possible with the iconic 3×3 Cube, but only one solution. Can you solve it? And there’s no cheating this time. The traditional stickers that were on the original Cube have been replaced with plastic. So no peeling and re-sticking.
This Rubik’s Cube does, however, come with a 7-Step Solution Guide.
Price: $10.99
The game that launched a generation of anxiety sufferers (I’m totally kidding, we have Operation to thank for that), Perfection is the ultimate in race-the-clock games.
The object of the game is easy. Fit all 25 shapes into their matching holes in the tray. But watch the timer, if it runs out…pop goes the Perfection game! (And your blood pressure.) The player who matches all 25 shapes in the shortest time wins.
WATERFULS CLASSIC HANDHELD WATER GAME
Price: $14.99
Forget the Nintendo Switch, the Waterfuls was the OG in handheld games. Who can forget tilting and pressing the button like a madman trying to get the rings (or in this case, the balls) in the slots?
Just add water and whoosh.
Price: $19.82
To beat the Simon game, players need to remember the color pattern and repeat it by pressing the colored buttons on the game unit in the correct order. It starts off slow, but the more you play, the more complicated the patterns become.
Think Simon’s simple? Think again. Even at my peak, I never made it past about level 10.
Price: $24.99
When E.T. used a Speak & Spell (along with miscellaneous other items) to phone home in 1982, it launched the toy’s popularity into outer space.
Speak & Spell was the first educational toy designed to help children learn to spell over 200 commonly misspelled words using a speech synthesizer.
The game comes with 5 play modes: spell, mystery word, say it, secret code, and letter.
Price: Currently on sale for $12.79
Lite-Brite was named best Classic toy for kids by the American Specialty Toy Retailing Association. It also made Time Magazine’s 100 Greatest Toys List.
Inspired by the classic 1980’s Lite-Brite toy, this Ultimate Classic version includes 6 design templates, more than 200 colorful pegs, and a bigger, brighter screen that measures 8.125″ wide by 6.875 ” high.
Price: $135.07
Remember back in the day when you stayed up all night playing Frogger, Pitfall!, Space Invaders, and Centipede? Now you can relive your gaming glory days and finally beat your kids at video games.
Featuring 120 Atari 2600 favorites, the Atari Flashback 8 Gold Deluxe is a great new way to relive the classics. It also includes 2 joysticks as well as 2 paddle controllers.
The nostalgia is real.
Still feeling nostalgic? Check out these other posts:
American Girl Release 80s Historical Character Doll, Because, Apparently We’re Old No
Old School Pop Culture References That Will Go Right Over Your Teen’s Head
Stop Saying This Summer Is Like A 1980s Summer. It Isn’t.
People Born In The Early 80s Have Hilariously Big Feelings About Being Geriatric Millennials