Do you remember what your favorite toy was when you were a kid? If you were a kid in 1975, it’s probably on this list! These are the 25 most popular toys kids wanted to get for Christmas in 1975. You might barely remember some of these, but I’m sure others will bring back fond memories.
Here are 15 of the Most Popular Toys in 1975.
- 1. Putt-Putt Speedway by Mattel
- 2. Hot Wheels Racing Set
- 3. Pet Rock
- 4. Evel Knievel Stunt Cycle
- 5. Six Million Dollar Man Action Figure
- 6. Mego Star Trek Action Figures
- 7. Baby Alive, the Doll that Eats and Drinks
- 8. Quick Curl Barbie Beauty Center
- 9. Growing Up Skipper
- 10. Barbie Townhouse
- 11. Easy-Bake Oven
- 12. See N Say
- 13. Kenner Sit ‘n Spin
- 14. Bert and Ernie Stuffed Dolls
- 15. Dapper Dan and Dressy Bessy Dolls
- 16. Kenner Treehouse
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1. Putt-Putt Speedway by Mattel
The Putt-Putt Speedway was the hot toy of 1975. Every kid wanted this fun racetrack. You wound up the cars by turning the heads of the drivers and then placing the cars on the track to see which car would win. Keeping the cars on the track required a little bit of finesse, so they often crashed spectacularly. This only added to the appeal of the toy, obviously.
This commercial shows how fun it was.
2. Hot Wheels Racing Set
Older kids were also hoping for racing sets for Christmas in 1975. Mattel’s Hot Wheels and Matchbox cars were extremely popular with boys (and girls – I had a racing set, too). The more elaborate the race track was, the better.
The set shown here was the Cutoff Canyon racing set. Since Hot Wheels cars weren’t powered by batteries, all the racetracks used the power of gravity to get the momentum going.
3. Pet Rock
Invented by advertising executive Gary Dahl, the Pet Rock was a short-lived fad that made Mr. Dahl a millionaire in 1975. It was literally a rock in a cardboard box that came with care instructions. It was marketed as the ultimate, easy-to-care-for pet.
You can still buy the Original Pet Rock from Amazon for $29.99, quite a price jump from its original price tag of $4.00.
4. Evel Knievel Stunt Cycle
Evel Knievel, the daredevil famous for his outrageous motorcycle stunts, embodied the spirit of daring that was so popular in the 1970s. He was admired by both kids and adults so, naturally, kids loved a toy that let them pretend to be like Evel.
The Evel Knievel Stunt Cycle was a toy motorcycle and action figure that you could use to make your own Evel Knieval-style stunts. It came with a special ramp that you could use to jump over things.
You can still buy the Evel Knieval Stunt Cycle from Amazon for $59.99. The original would set up back $6.99 in 1975.
5. Six Million Dollar Man Action Figure
Another hot toy in 1975 was Steve Austin, the Six Million Dollar Man Action Figure, inspired by the popular TV show. In keeping with Steve Austin’s bionic abilities, the action figure was 13 inches tall, a full two inches taller than most other action figures. It also came with a few unique features: a built-in bionic eye that a kid could peer through and skin that could be rolled back to reveal his bionic components. Not creepy at all!
Do you want your own Six Million Dollar Man Action Figure? A 1975 original model can set you back around $250 on eBay.
6. Mego Star Trek Action Figures
Star Trek action figures were also popular for Christmas 1975, which seems a little weird considering that the show was canceled in 1969. However, by 1975, the show was in wide syndication, leading to a new generation of Star Trek toy lovers. There was even a Saturday morning cartoon, Star Trek: The Animated Series, that kids loved.
The Mega Star Trek Action Figures set included figures of all the popular characters from the show, like Captain Kirk, Mr. Spock, and Dr. McCoy. You can still buy many Star Trek action figures on Amazon.
7. Baby Alive, the Doll that Eats and Drinks
Baby dolls and their accessories were extremely popular in the 1970s and the more realistic, the better. What could be more realistic than the Baby Alive dolls? Baby Alive dolls could eat and drink. They came with bottles of “milk” and little packets of “food” that you could feed them. When they were finished, they would wet their diapers. Just like a real baby! No wonder kids loved them so much.
I had one of these dolls and spent many hours lovingly feeding her and changing her wet diapers. And, yes, that feels weird to think about.
8. Quick Curl Barbie Beauty Center
So many toys marketed to girls in 1975 were ways to rehearse for the life they imagined they would have when they grew up. The Quick Curl Barbie Beauty Center was one more way for little girls to pretend they were older. It was a toy hair salon where you could style a giant Barbie head in various hairstyles. It even came with toy makeup so you could give your Barbie a makeover.
9. Growing Up Skipper
In 1975, even Barbie’s little sister, Skipper, was a way to play growing up. Twisting her arm made her grow from a little girl to a young teen. She would grow a couple of inches in height and, yes, even sprout boobs. That’s not disturbing at all, is it?
10. Barbie Townhouse
Of course, most little girls had a big collection of Barbies in 1975, in addition to the specialty versions we discussed earlier. Those Barbies need someplace to hang out and in 1975, that meant every little girl wanted a Barbie townhouse: a three story townhome where your Barbies could relax in the living room, cook up something in the kitchen, and, of course, change in one of her many outfits in the bedroom. It even had an elevator!
11. Easy-Bake Oven
Yet another toy designed to help us girls get ready for our lot in life. But I can’t hate on the Easy Bake oven. Who could? You added water to a premade cake mix, stirred it up, and then placed the pan into the oven to be cooked by a light bulb. After a few minutes, you pulled out the baked cake from the other side (which could be a bit dicey because those metal pans got HOT) and enjoyed a bad-tasting chocolate cake. I still scarfed them down, though, because sugar.
The Easy Bake Oven has been a beloved toy for generations and is a good gateway to introduce any kid – boy or girl – to the joy of cooking. There’s even an Easy Bake Oven Cookbook, with recipes from some of the country’s top chefs, including Bobby Flay.
12. See N Say
One of 1975’s most popular toys for little kids was Mattel’s See ‘n Say. You turned the dial to what you wanted to hear (for example, a cow), pulled the string, and the See ‘n Say told you what you were looking at: “The cow goes… Moo.”
It was a simpler time. Here’s ET’s Mom, Dee Wallace, in a Say N Say commercial.
13. Kenner Sit ‘n Spin
If you want further proof that the 1970s were a simpler time, here’s the Sit ‘n Spin. “Sit ‘n Spin” perfectly described this toy; you literally sat on it and then spun around by turning the steering wheel in the middle. I was too old for this toy when it was introduced in 1974, but I still remember how fun it was to sit and spin around on my nephew’s Sit ‘n Spin.
If you want to see the perfect example of what it was like to be a kid in the 1970s, you’ll love this Sit ‘n Spin commercial of kids going absolutely bonkers around a Sit ‘n Spin and using it in a variety of unsafe ways. I’m pretty sure the people who shot this commercial just brought in a bunch of kids, fed them some Kool-Aid and cookies to get them all sugared up, and then rolled the camera.
Spinning helps toddlers develop their brains because it engages both sides of the brain at the same time. You can buy a modern-day version of the Sit ‘n Spin from Amazon.
14. Bert and Ernie Stuffed Dolls
Sesame Street premiered in 1969 and by 1975, the show’s characters were beloved icons. Kids clamored for these stuffed Bert and Ernie dolls so they could always keep their buddies with them.
Bert and Ernie are still beloved today, so it’s not surprising to discover that you can still buy your own Bert and Ernie dolls from Amazon.
15. Dapper Dan and Dressy Bessy Dolls
It seems like every toy in 1975 was designed to teach kids important life skills, and these dolls were no different. Each Dapper Dan or Dressy Bessy doll had outfits that let kids practice buttoning clothes, snapping snaps, and buckling shoes. You could even buy additional outfits for even more practice.
16. Kenner Treehouse
I’m sure any kid today would be thrilled to find this toy under their Christmas tree. The tree house included a large family of Tree Tots (your friend in the magical forest), furnishings for the house, a tree swing, a family car, and even a dog house. It even had a hand-cranked elevator.
When you were done playing with the tree house, all you had to do was place everything in the tree house and fold up the tree leaves to hide everything inside. Truly magical!
