1. Barbie’s Volkswagen Beetle
There is no debate that Barbie is possibly the most popular toy franchise in history. Barbies quickly became more of a collector's item than a toy, with some selling for tens of thousands of dollars. We saw the craze that the Barbie convertible that kids could actually drive caused, however, it wasn’t necessarily within the price range of a lot of new parents just starting their family. When the Barbie Volkswagen Beetle was released we saw a different form of chaos as it was Barbie toy that 90’s babies had to have. The fact that it was affordable only made the craze worse and as a result, we saw parents fighting each other over the toy at toy store across the globe.
2. Buzz Lightyear Action Figure
When Pixar released the first Toy Story movie in 1996, it was an instant success that everyone couldn’t get enough of. Throw much is why it was no surprise to see Toy Story themed merchandise flying off store shelves. Amongst all the various merchandise that Disney released with Toy Story, the Buzz Lighter action figure had the highest demand. Unfortunately, this high demand led to a lot of retailers selling out of the toy. This meant that parents had to drive to the ends of the earth in hopes of getting their hands on one. In 2017, the toy is still a hot product, however, they are widely available. There is no doubt that the parents of 90’s babies will never forget how much hassle the original Buzz Lightyear toy caused.
3. Millennial Barbie
During the year 1999, the main thing being talked about was the new year as it was the end of the millennium. Everyone thought the year 2000 was going to be their rebirth and they would leave all the negative aspects of their lives in the past. While you may think that Y2K was the biggest cause of stress and chaos in 1999, it may have actually been the Limited Edition millennial Barbie. What made this Barbie so special is the fact that it was seen as a collector’s item that could generate a respectable chunk of change later on in life. This made it almost impossible for parents to get their hands on one as there were collectors buying the toy in multitudes. If your parents were able to get you the Limited Edition Millennial Barbie hopefully you kept it in the box or at least in good shape because odds are you can sell it for a lot more than your parents paid.
4. Tickle Me Elmo
Sesame Street was one of the main educational T.V. shows for children that have been on the air for decades. When the Tickle Me Elmo was released it was an instant success as it was a face that our parents recognized. The Tickle Me Elmo toy was possibly the hardest to find toys of the 90’s as Sesame Street has an audience that never stops growing. Even to this day, the Tickle Me Elmo Toy is one of the hottest toys on the market.
5. Furby
Possibly the weirdest and most controversial toys that 90’s babies had to have was the Furby toy. It was a furry, armless toy that responded to its surroundings in certain occurrences. The Furby toy also featured a sensor on the top of its head that allowed it to “go to sleep” when there was low lighting. This sensor was also the cause of a lot of controversy as there were rumors floating around that the government was using the sensor to spy on us. Despite this, the toy’s popularity resulted in retail stores all over the country selling out of the product. While the toy baffled a lot of people, there is no doubt that Furbys stand out as one of the most popular toys seen in the 90’s that can still be found on store shelves.
