26 Toys From the 70s and 80s That Defined our Childhood

John Summers • Contributor

Nov 28, 2025 9:00 PM EST

If you grew up in the 70s or 80s, you already know that childhood back then came in three flavors: plastic, neon, and mildly dangerous. It was a time before safety labels had paragraphs, before toys connected to WiFi, and before batteries cost more than the toy itself. And honestly, it was glorious.

These were the toys that taught us balance (on skateboards that hated us), discipline (because those Simon beeps were personal), and survival skills (because lawn darts were legal and apparently no one thought that was a problem). Some were weird, some were iconic, and all of them somehow lived rent free in our memory decades later.

So grab your mental time machine and get ready for a nostalgia speedrun - here are 26 toys from the 70s and 80s that shaped an entire generation of chaos gremlins disguised as kids.