80s Vintage Toys: The Raddest and Most Memorable of ‘Em in One Place

Every generation has its defining points; the pre-internet decades meant the only electric thing was the batteries. So those born in the late seventies would have fond memories of 80s vintage toys.

Xinar celebrates the vintage and the retro in everyone’s hearts. We have a beautiful selection of toys and game charms that you may want to see. So relive your childhood and share the warmth and memories across the decades. Wow, friends and family with intricate and hypoallergenic sterling silver charms, including the Radio Flyer wagon charm, scooter charm, the Jack in the Box charm,  and so many more!

80s vintage toys weren’t vintage then; in fact, many of them were innovative, and I daresay, groundbreaking in the context of post-WW2 culture and toy legacy. So they’re rich in culture and history, and people can’t get enough of the memories and nostalgia that come with them.

Everyone likes things that remind them of a better time or less complicated times. But, unfortunately, today’s world is too fast, too modern, and often too perplexing to those from past generations. So I guess, to a considerable extent, being able to see and touch the relics of the past, like 80s vintage toys, makes it all worthwhile and makes the blitz of the present more bearable.

You can join in on the revival of the 1980s with these awesome 1980s toys, thanks to the success of shows like Stranger Things and reboots of classic television series. Do you recall going to the mall’s toy stores with your parents? Of course, they’re now all 80s vintage toys.

These awesome 80s vintage toys summed up the 1980s and continue to serve as a standard for the 2020s when we think of classic toys from that era. Of course, toys today aren’t what they used to be, but kids of the 1980s remember what they were like and have the power to bring them back.

Memorable (and Valuable) 80s Vintage Toys

80s vintage toys might not seem like an investment, but they fetch surprisingly high prices on the collectors’ market. The 1980s are getting further away in time, but the nostalgia is still authentic for those who lived through the decade and those who didn’t. From the perspective of a child born in the 1990s or 2000s, the 1980s were a vibrant era full of exciting social gatherings, entertaining films, and excellent music.

80s vintage toys are another outstanding example of the decade’s creative output. Indeed, the more time passes, the more valuable something becomes; this is especially true of art.

Toys for children were one category where this was an unexpected development. As a result, things you kept from your 1980s childhood, like plastic dolls or the first video games, could turn into a fortune today.

Teddy Ruxpin

Children’s teddy bears from the brand Teddy Ruxpin were the most sought-after item in the toy market throughout the 1980s. Now it’s still sought after as na 80s vintage toys.

Teddy was an endearing teddy bear who could read aloud and had moving eyes and an orange tee. Bear’s “recording device” became a simple cassette tape. Teddy reading them a bedtime story many kid was a nightly ritual.

Worlds of Wonder, the company responsible for producing Teddy Ruxpins, has closed its doors because of the overwhelming demand for its products. That’s one reason why the originals are so valuable now. Have a mint-condition Teddy Ruxpin still in the box? You could make $1,000.

Thundercats Thunderwings Lion-O

The original Thundercats ran from 1985-1988, and a reboot aired for just two seasons in 2011 and 2012. This is further proof that the tried-and-true should not be altered. A group of cat/human-alien hybrids was the focus of the cartoon Thundercats.

Already, it sounds fantastic. This may not be an 80s vintage toys that people talk about often, but it could still be very lucrative for you. In pristine condition, the original Thundercats Thunderwings Lion-O action figure from the 1980s can be sold for $6,000 to $7,000.

G1 Optimus Prime

As might be expected, Optimus Prime is the most sought-after and expensive of all the Transformers toys from the 1980s. Since the Michael Bay movies debuted in 2008, Optimus Prime has remained a fan favorite.

This toy truck becomes the robot Optimus Prime and then reverts to its original form, making it an excellent gift for any fan of the Transformers franchise. While we can’t say for sure what drives its popularity, by the end of the 1980s, it seemed like every kid owned one. One mint condition Optimus Prime transformer recently sold for $12,000.

American Girl Original Samantha Doll

Since their inception, American Girl Dolls have dominated the market for fashion playthings. Kids can have fun imagining what their dolls would look like in various outfits, as there are many to choose from.

The original Samantha Parkington doll cost $4,200 a while back, so the price isn’t ridiculous. Get out any of these dolls you still have from your childhood and give them a good cleaning; you could be sitting on a goldmine.

Care Bears

Initially created in 1981 for American Greetings cards, the 10 original Care Bears wore belly badges to indicate their personalities before being transformed into plush, stuffed Parker Brothers dolls in 1983.

In 1985, an animated TV series starring the bears had debuted, and by the late ’80s, three major Canadian-American films had been released featuring the likes of Cheer Bear and Good Luck Bear. However, even though the trend of cute and cuddly animals was revived several times with new titles, books, and movies, it had died out by the end of the century.

Atari Console

When the developers of the classic arcade game Pong released the first home gaming console under the Atari brand, it was a significant blow to the coin-operated arcade entertainment industry.

The Atari 2600 featured two joysticks, paddle controllers, a printed wood front panel, and game cartridges like “Space Invaders,” “Pac-Man,” and “Asteroids.” As a result of the system’s widespread popularity in the ’80s and its easy and difficult difficulty settings, Atari became a household name worldwide.

Pogo Ball

Hasbro’s Saturn-shaped Pogo Ball is the ancestor of the Pogo Stick, which has been legitimized as an extreme sport.

However, instead of using a steel coil and footpads to gain gravity, kids of the 1980s could use an inflatable ball placed in the center of a sturdy plastic circle to help them fly. Even after the craze died down, the toy was still used; for example, PE teachers continued to use them to help students improve their balance, and adults continued to use them as exercise balls.

Strawberry Shortcake

In the 1980s, little girls everywhere were obsessed with Strawberry Shortcake and her dessert-themed pals like Lemon Meringue and Blueberry Muffin.

Character designer Muriel Fahrion estimates that the tiny plastic figurine craze was accompanied by an animated TV series, an Atari video game, and a slew of ephemera such as jammies and bed linen generated one billion dollars in company profits. On the anniversary of the doll, Fahrion revealed that playing with Strawberry Shortcake provided an escape for some children dealing with family difficulties through the character.

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