From Holly Hobbie to LeapPad a Christmas Story ...

Buzzfeed has single-handedly sullied my faith in humankind many times in the past, but now it has me SMH and LMAO all at once. Why? Christmas toys. It's a story told in trends and increasing prices, and it's made me appreciate how often my own parents must have sacrificed to buy me really dumb toys that cost way too much money, just because they paid for the most advertisements during Saturday morning cartoons. I'm sure many of your parents, too, bought these gifts even though they knew that by February, March at the latest, they would be down in the dregs of your toy box, getting covered in a suspicious coating comprised of crayon paper, pencil shavings, and some strange substance like crushed peanuts. The good news is that this still happens today, so you'll all be able to do it with your kids too, even if you don't plan on having any until later!
Back then, the toys were simpler. By the standards of the 1970s, $9.99 was fairly pricey, but parents still bought their kids a game so full of small parts that it was doomed to be incomplete by New Year's Day.
Ah, the 1980s. I was born in this era, so I owned all of these. I had an extensive collection of both My Little Ponies and Care Bears. The rubiks cube was discarded because I hadn't solved it within five minutes. The ponies all got to have bath time with me, so they frequently had to be replaced due to water damage. I cuddled and loved the Care Bear flavor of the day -- until the next one came out. The result? A veritable Care Bear orphanage.
Beanie Babies: collected in droves and droves, creating rifts within families (just ask Tori Spelling!), then taking up acres of valuable space once they became completely worthless. Tamagotchi: inevitably forgotten and killed ... or broken and killed. Furby: I hate you, Furby.
Webkinz: totally forgotten. Bratz Dolls: under fire for being too provocative and creating unrealistic expectations, leading to "starlets" like the Kardashians and Courtney Stodden. The DS: worthless only because it undergoes an upgrade every 6 minutes or so, requiring parents to spend ever more money.
So this year, what's it going to be? Seriously, I don't have kids yet, so let me know the big prize -- and please let me know exactly what the Squinkies Cupcake Surprise is. Also, tell me, what's the most expensive trendy gift you ever received (or gave), and then totally discarded?

Top Image Source: weheartit.com--via Buzzfeed