8 Crazy Collectible Toy Fads ...

Photo Credit: alexa stone

I’ve been seeing bright armloads of these things, right along with the Lance Armstrong LIVE BAND bracelet. They’re brightly-colored rubber bands, sculpted into a simple shape — from cows to guitars — and no matter how you pull them, or how many times you take them on or off your wrist, they snap right back into their “shape.” I wonder how many millions of dollars people have spent on these… and where I can find a pink butterfly one…

Photo Credit: Cvalentine

Beanie Babies were so hugely popular in the mid-1990s that when they partnered with McDonald’s to offer them as prizes in their Happy Meals, minivans lined the streets for blocks, literally, to buy the meals, then dump them in the garbage after plucking out the little plushies. No animal or insect breed was safe from being turned into a Beanie, including every type of teddy bear, sea mammal, and even dinosaur.

This is a fad my mother distinctly remembers as “weird.” People actually BOUGHT rocks to keep as low-maintenance “pets.” Not painted rocks, or rocks with google-eyes glued on. Just plain rocks. There was an add-on craze, too… you could buy a house, clothes, and more for your Pet Rock. I’m not even kidding. Google it. My mother is right: Those early 70’s hippies were WEIRD.

Photo Credit: @jessewright

This is another toy craze from the 1990s, complete with scores of moms and dads tussling over the last one at Christmas time. They were insanely popular, with an Elmo under every child’s tree… I have to admit though… he WAS pretty cute!

Photo Credit: Obsessive Compulsive Photographer

This was the Christmas toy every kid had to have last year, and I’m wondering how they’re going to top it this year. This cute little guy was so hard to find, even eBay pickings were slim.

In the early 1990s, these electronic keychain devices housed endless hours of “entertainment.” They beeped when they needed food, sleep, or play… and when they needed to go potty. If you left it unattended for any length of time to, say, sleep for an hour or two, your Tamagotchi died, leaving you feeling guilty and ashamed.

Photo Credit: Sarah Wheeler

These little plushies re sort of an update of the Beanie baby, just as cute and multi-species, but with a code you can enter online for a virtual version of our real-life bestie. They’re incredibly cute, soft, and addictive. You can buy all kinds of goodies for your Webkinz, online and real-life.

Photo Credit: WilWheaton

These one-of-a-kind, hideously unattractive dolls were all the rage in the 1980s, the first toy I remember parents fighting over in stores. I could never understand why — even now, they’re so ugly! But little girls had to have them, since they were all unique, and could be named and adopted.

So did you have a Pet Rock, or a Cabbage Patch Kid? Or are you wearing an armload of Sillbandz right now, playing with your Tamagotchi? Or is there another crazy toy or collectible I’ve left off my list? Please let me know!

Top Photo Credit: veader