Looking back at the Popular Toys from the 1970s—every toy you loved from 1970 through 1979.
If you grew up in the 1970s, you know the thrill of thumbing through the Christmas catalog and making your wish list. Every year, you found something new to beg your parents for, and you would just die if you didn’t get it!
Some toys were one-hit wonders. Others stuck around for a while and then went out of style. And some toys were truly classic; our grandkids still play with them.
We’ve rounded up the most popular toys of each year, from 1970 through 1979. So whether you were obsessed with Evel Knievel, mesmerized by Simon, or just really into Weebles that wobbled but wouldn’t fall down, you’ll find your favorites here. Click through the years below and see what all the playground buzz was about.
Popular Toys of 1970
Before video games and flashy gadgets took over, the 1970s were all about imagination and action. We were dressing up to play Cowboys and Indians, riding our bikes around the neighborhood until dinner, and dreaming of far-off places with our Viewmasters. Simpler times. Fewer batteries. Just pure, hands-on fun.
These Popular Toys from 1970 Bring Back the Best Memories
1970 was a simpler time for toys, but don’t mistake simple for boring. Back then, fun came in the form of wind-up racers, cuddly dolls, and imagination-fueled adventures. There were no batteries required, no screens in sight, and definitely no apps to download. Just pure, hands-on play that kept us busy for hours. The popular … Read more
Popular Toys of 1971
Playtime was a blend of imagination and innovation in 1971. Kids managed their own classrooms with the Fisher-Price Family Play School, while aspiring art collectors bid on masterpieces in Parker Brothers’ Masterpiece board game.
Malibu Barbie brought a sun-kissed vibe to doll collections, and the Flip Wilson and Geraldine doll offered double the fun with its reversible design. And when it was time to burn off energy, nothing beat bouncing around on a Hoppity Hop.
Remember These? The Most Popular Toys from 1971
A 1971 Childhood was magical. Our toy boxes were filled with everything from high-society board games to wild bouncing balls and dolls that felt almost real. These 1971 popular toys were fun, sure, but they also sparked our imaginations as we built worlds and turned ordinary afternoons into lifelong memories. Let’s take a look back … Read more
Popular Toys of 1972
Toys were all about movement, mess, and imagination in 1972. Kids cranked out squiggly shapes with the Play-Doh Fun Factory, spun hypnotic designs with their Spyrograph, and showed our own “movies” with the View-Master Theatre.
GI Joe was on the move with his Mobile Support Unit, while Live Action Barbie struck poses with serious flair. And if you needed to work on your time-telling skills? The Little Learners Clock Talk made sure you had fun doing it.
These Popular Toys in 1972 Made Every Day an Adventure
In 1972, our toys were all about using our imagination as we sent cars flying across the room and twirled dolls across makeshift dance floors. These toys gave us the tools to dream bigger, play harder, and create memories that still make us smile today. Let’s look back at the most popular toys from 1972. … Read more
Popular Toys of 1973
If you were a kid in 1973, your days were packed with zooming around. Big Wheels ruled the sidewalks, Matchbox cars tore across the kitchen floor, and Tonka trucks handled the heavy lifting.
Indoors, Mod Hair Ken got a makeover, and Shirley Temple made a comeback. Want to relax from all this activity and watch a movie? No problem! The Fisher Price Movie Viewer let kids crank through their favorite scenes, with no batteries required.
10 Popular Toys in 1973 Every Kid Wanted
By 1973, toys were doing more than just keeping kids busy. Educational toys were becoming increasingly popular among babies and toddlers, showing that learning can be as enjoyable as play. But don’t worry! There were still plenty of toys that were just plain cool. The popular toys of 1973 offered us the best of both … Read more
Popular Toys of 1974
Every day was Choose Your Own Adventure day in 1974. One day, you could use Evel Knievel’s Stunt Cycle for daring escapades, and then, the next, you could cuddle up with Holly Hobbie.
Or, you could switch between modern times and the days of long ago by playing with your realistic McDonald’s playset and then turning to your Fisher-Price Castle, complete with drawbridge!
What if you were in the mood for some arts and crafts? In that case, you could opt to spend some time drawing on your Etch A Sketch or stitching something up with Knit Magic.
The Popular Toys Every Kid in 1974 Wanted to Find Under the Tree
In 1974, toys were all about big adventures and even bigger fun. Whether you were launching Evel Knievel off a ramp, knitting with Mattel’s Knit Magic, or running your own pint-sized McDonald’s, the popular toys of 1974 gave kids the tools to create their own little worlds. With playsets, craft kits, castles, and dolls with … Read more
Popular Toys of 1975
Toys did things in 1975 (well, with one notable exception). Kids raced Hot Wheels around the Putt-Putt Speedway, and sent the Six Million Dollar Man on secret missions. Barbie had a big year, too. She had a new Beauty Center, and who could forget the slightly confusing Growing Up Skipper?
Meanwhile, you needed to feed your Baby Alive and put a few treats in the Easy-Bake Oven.
And, if you were too exhausted to do anything? Well, you could always hang out with your new pet rock, the only toy that didn’t do anything at all.
The Most Popular Toys in 1975 that Kids Really, Really Wanted
1975 was a wild year for toys. Some popular toys were familiar and beloved, like the Barbie Townhouse or Hot Wheels race sets. Other toys (Pet Rock, anyone?) had kids scratching their heads when they opened the box. Whatever we found under the tree, we loved it, and we loved playing with it. If you … Read more
Popular Toys of 1976
We didn’t know it yet, but some of the most popular toys in 1976 signaled that toys were entering a new era. The first clue was the introduction of Pong, one of the first toys to bring video games out of the arcade and into the living room.
The other popular toys suggested that toys were becoming stranger and also a bit more fun. The Joey Stivic doll was one of the first anatomically correct dolls, making it clear (maybe too clear) that boys are different from girls. (Sorry, Ken.)
Girls also got their own action figure with the Bionic Woman, and the Cher doll gave girls a chance to channel peak ’70s glamour with the world’s most fabulous diva.
If you were a kid in the 1970s, I bet your 1976 Christmas haul is one that you remember fondly.
These Popular Toys in 1976 Brought the Future to the Living Room
Our toys started to look a little different in 1976. Electronic toys like Pong crept into living rooms, and we were hooked. Sci-fi and adventure themes were everywhere, from the Fisher Price Adventure People to the Flying Star Trek Enterprise. Meanwhile, old-school creativity still had its place with popular toys like rock tumblers and Stretch … Read more
Popular Toys of 1977
We got another clue in 1977 that we were about to enter the future, and this time we had a certificate to prove it. Kids who got the Kenner’s Star Wars Early Bird set didn’t actually receive the action figures from the popular movie. They got the promise of action figures. And somehow, that was enough.
The Charlie’s Angels dolls strutted into the toy aisle, carrying the glamour torch Cher lit a year earlier. Milky the Marvelous Milking Cow showed up, and, honestly, I’m still not sure what we were supposed to learn from her.
Toys were getting louder, flashier, and weirder: the Max Machine let us control our truck with a remote control (or at least try to), the Super Jock toys helped us get out our aggression by slamming on their head to shoot, and the Play-Doh Fuzzy Pumper cranked out some very questionable hairstyles.
The popular toys of 1977 gave us sci-fi promises, a dose of Hollywood sparkle, and a cow I still haven’t quite figured out.
Remember These? The Craziest and Coolest Popular Toys in 1977
Everything changed in 1977. Star Wars exploded into theaters, and suddenly, every toy needed a little extra flash to keep up. Rockets, lasers, remote controls: if it blinked or beeped, it flew off the shelves. But even in a year dominated by space battles and electronic dreams, there was still room for goofy classics like … Read more
Popular Toys of 1978
The future finally fully arrived in 1978, beeping, flashing, and chirping like crazy. Simon lit up in hypnotic patterns and got us hooked on the adrenaline of playing the game. Merlin fits an entire game console in the palm of your hand, and Alphie the robot somehow made learning feel high-tech.
And then there was the Atari 2600. That thing didn’t just change the toy shelf. It changed everything.
Even the galaxies were expanding. You could fly the Millennium Falcon across the living room and then launch Battlestar Galactica missions from the couch
A few classics, like the Fisher-Price Doll House, showed us that simple, imaginative play could still be fun, but 1978 belonged to the machines.
Every Kid Wanted to Find These Popular Toys in 1978 Under the Tree
By 1978, everyone knew that old-school toys were no longer enough. Kids wanted electronics that beeped and blinked, and toys needed to either challenge their brains or at least let them blast into outer space. From the addictive memory game Simon to the awe-inspiring Millennium Falcon, the popular toys of 1978 fully embraced the future. … Read more
Popular Toys of 1979
The future had fully arrived by 1979, and we were living in it. Toys either buzzed and beeped, or went big, like Barbie’s three-story Dream House, a towering monument to plastic luxury, or the Baby Grows Up doll, which transformed from infant to toddler right before your eyes.
Looking for blinking lights and snappy comebacks? Meet the Mego 2-XL robot, which cracked jokes and gave quizzes. Speak & Spell made spelling feel like science fiction. ROM the Space Knight was so impressive, he actually spawned a superhero comic book series, the rare case of a toy inspiring a comic book instead of the reverse.
Even Fisher-Price, famous for sturdy, no-battery toys, introduced the Talk-to-Me Player, a storybook that read itself.
But you can’t forget the toy that changed everything. The Atari 400 was a real personal computer that let you write programs.
And after that, nothing was the same. We were heading into the ’80s at max speed.
These Popular Toys in 1979 Proved We Were Living in the Future
If you were a kid in 1979, the popular toys that everybody wanted were cool, high-tech, and futuristic. Talking robots, early computers, and tech-driven learning gadgets took over the toy shelves. Some classic toys, like the Barbie Dream House, held their own against the rise of electronics, but the most popular toys of 1979 made … Read more
