Let's face it: no holiday is more nostalgia-driven than Christmas. After all, what would Christmas be without reminiscing about the simpler times when our parents lied about a fat man living in a barren, frozen wasteland with his gang of reindeer granted the power of flight most likely by the powers of witchcraft? Of course, older generations like to revel in the glory of the simpler times, boasting that toys back in their day were far superior to the one's that we from Generation Y were provided with.
Pictured: probably something that your mom got for Christmas one year
However, I think it's high time that we 2000's kids take a moment to reminisce about our childhoods for once. Granted, we haven't been out of our childhoods for too long, but that just means that our memories haven't yet deteriorated with age and the soul-crushing reality of adulthood. So, without further ado, let's whip out our iPod Nanos, put on our Silly Bandz, and take a journey back to a simpler time.
1: Amazing Amanda
She recognized your voice! She could tell the time! She knew what kind of food you were feeding her! She spoke in third person!
Amazing Amanda, debuting in 2005, was one of the most impressive toys of her days. While discontinued today, Amazing Amanda was the toy that all kids wanted in the mid-2000's; she was a realistic interpretation of a baby doll, but unlike Baby Alive, your parents didn't have to worry about Amanda urinating and defecating all over the place, as she was far more sophisticated than those relics of the past. Amazing Amanda was a fully animatronic child who learned and grew over time, luckily stopping her mental progression before you had to go to court over a robotic child demanding human rights.
2: Furby
No, this isn't cheating; while Furby's were originally created in the 80's (read: the dark ages), Furbies have been created throughout the years, adding new features each time. However, I failed to realize that Furbies were 20 years old when the millennial editions debuted. and I thought they were a world-changing contraption. Furbies were animatronic owl-hamster... Things... That would show learning over time by their eventual understanding and use of the English language. Furby had motion and distance sensors which enabled us to play games with it in our years of innocence before we, like our parents, began to see it as creepy.
M̵̥̯̰̬̥̜͙̲E̪̬͠ ̧͙̩̙͙̲͇͙͜F̰̱͘͡U̡̜̣̯̳̺̼̣̲̺R̗̞̺͓̮̹̘͞͞͞B̶̭͉̦̯̦̖̬Y̸͚̻̼̠̻͟
3: FurReal Friends
Man, we 2000's kids were really into animatronics, weren't we? FurReal Friends were some of the first animatronic pets that actually emulated animal behavior in a realistic way, which made them perfect for those of us who dreamed of having pets but never got them.
FRIEEEEEEEEENDS
By far the most diverse toys on our list, FurReal Friends included a life-size talking parrot, a horse large enough for kids (who weren't as fat as I was) to sit on, and even (as pictured) a giant labrador. Of course, these made our list every year, and if you were as lucky of a kid as I was, you got them every year. However, even if Santa wasn't so ambitious with your gifts, there were smaller, more simple FurReal Friends, some as cheap as $3.
Not exactly a pony, but who could resist a face like that?
4: Littlest Pet Shop
Being the first things I've ever collected, Littlest Pet Shop was one of the most desired toys of a 2000's kid. They were simple, yet unique and adorable-looking, relatively cheap, and were perfect for a kid wanting to start collecting something. After all, the more Littlest Pet Shops you have, the more popular you are on the playground, and the more popular you are on the playground, the more important you are; that's just how things work.
Immortalized by a Hasbro cartoon and new toys coming out seemingly every day, Littlest Pet Shop is one relic of our childhoods that keeps on going, spreading joy and playground-popularity lust throughout all elementary schools.
5: Bratz Dolls
The next time you hear someone complain about Barbie's unrealistic body expectations, may a silent tear trail down your cheek at the memory Bratz.
Wow, that last one really left a bad taste in my mouth. Perhaps, our parents were right. Is it possible that their childhood toys were simply superior to ours?
...Didn't think so.
