Childhood Toys of the 80s

Dolls

• The Cabbage Patch Kids were the biggest doll sensation of the decade. Each doll came with a one-of-a-kind birth certificate. The Cabbage Patch Kids were also part of a trend as most of the major dolls were part of a "line" or series. The My Little Pony line was comprised of small, pastel-colored, plastic horses identified by symbols such as apples, butterflies or flowers. The Rainbow Brite line included the doll, her horse and her friends, and Strawberry Shortcake had a whole host of friends, all of whom had a special scent.

Action Figures

• The most prominent action figures from the '80s were characters from Saturday morning cartoons. That roster included He-Man and the Masters of the Universe, She-Ra, ThunderCats, Transformers and the old veteran G.I. Joe. They all competed with "Star Wars" action figures that represented characters from "The Empire Strikes Back" and "Return of the Jedi" films. The main characters had figures draped in their "Bespin" outfits. Even figures of minor characters like Bib Fortuna became collector's items.

Cars and Electronics

• Micro Machines were miniature cars that measured about 1 1/2 inches long. That made them about an inch smaller than Matchbox cars. Lite Brite created glowing pictures when small, plastic, colored pegs were inserted over a light box. The video games of the decade were primitive looking by 2011 standards, but most children had an Atari 2600 in the early '80s. The Atari system was followed by ColecoVision in 1982, the Nintendo Entertainment System in 1985 and Sega Genesis in 1989.

Outdoor Toys

• A Pogo Ball had a plastic platform wrapped around it. When kids stepped on the platform, the ball would bounce them around. A Roller Racer was a plastic seat on wheels with handlebars and a foot rest. The child used his hands to make the racer go forward, and used the handlebars to change directions. Koosh Balls were soft enough to use indoors or outside. They were made with thin strings of multicolored rubber.