Growing up, the toys were simple and quite plain. We loved unwrapping Barbie Dolls and Legos and action figures, drawing pads, Little People play sets, and toy race cars. Now, in 2017, toys are far more advanced. Almost every toy has some kind of electronic part, can connect to the internet, or requires batteries.
I remember watching my little brother, six years younger than me, unwrapping an Xbox one Christmas, and thinking to myself, "when did Christmas get so advanced?"
Here are some of the top 10 Christmas gifts for the 90's kids versus the some of the top 10 Christmas gifts for the kids of today. Bear with me as we see how things have changed from then to now.
1. Hot Wheels play sets.
A favorite among car enthusiasts everywhere. I remember one of the kids in my neighborhood had it, and his cars changed color with the water temperature. Probably one of the coolest toys of our childhood.
2. Cabbage Patch dolls.
Cabbage Patch dolls came with their own birth certificates and really cute little grins. My mom got one for her 16th birthday and swore it was the best gift ever. They're still popular today, but much more with an older crowd getting in touch with their youth.
3. Nintendo Game Boy.
From the classic Game Boy in the top middle to all the add-ons to make your game play even better, Nintendo really provided kids with the best childhood. I had the Game Boy Advanced and I still think it's one of the best handheld games in the history of handheld games.
4. Barbie Jeep Power Wheels.
Yes, I totally had a Barbie Jeep, and yes, I was a menace on the road. Power Wheels came out with Jeeps for boys and girls, then they started making Cadillacs and Corvettes for the later generations.
5. Furby.
The toy that defied logic, the Furby. You could take its batteries out, and it'd still be chirping. Late at night, you could faintly hear its calls from the depth and darkness of your closet... "Furby...". Probably my least favorite toy.
6. Rockin' Robot Cassette Player/Recorder.
This cute little toy gained its popularity with the help of the Toy Story movies that made their debut 1995. You could talk into the attached microphone and record your voice, or play back some homemade cassette tapes.
7. Easy-Bake Oven.
Couldn't tell if mine was broken or if I was just really bad at baking. My older sister had the Easy-Bake Oven and I can't remember a time that it actually worked.
8. Troll Dolls.
No one knows what it was about these little dolls that made them so popular, but they gathered on window sills and sat in the toy boxes of many 90s kids. Pretty sure I had at least five, all with different shades of orange hair.
9. View-Master.
The View Master came with reels to view scenes from popular Disney movies, fun facts about animals and landscapes, and many other cool reels that could be purchased separately and added to your collection.
10. Hit Clips.
Hit Clips were the start of my music obsession. My sisters and I all had the little boombox, and we would trade clips, and sing the only five lines we knew from the song because they were featured on the clip.
And now, for the kids of today.
1. Selfie Mic Music Set.
As if we aren't already self-obsessed, here's an attachment to help us seem way more talented than we are. It's a selfie stick with a mic and headphones so we can record ourselves singing. Fascinating.
2. Sky Viper V2400 HD Streaming Drone.
Drones are all the rage, even though most sporting arenas won't let you fly drones anywhere near them, and you can't take them to concerts either, but hey, at least you get to spy on your neighbors.
3. Cozmo the Toy Robot.
I think kids should stop playing with robots, especially with the rise of Sophia, the first robot citizen. But this cute little guy doesn't look capable of world domination.
4. Shopkins play sets.
I had never heard of Shopkins until I worked at Claire's. Little girls would run up to me and ask where the Shopkins were. To this day, I still don't know exactly what they are, but they're kind of cute little toys.
5. Play-Doh Touch Shape to Life Studio.
Instead of just squashing your Play-Doh and forgetting to put the lid on it again properly and letting it dry out, you can now bring your Play-Doh to life with -surprise- the internet. Just another excuse for kids to want tablets or iPhones.
6. Merge Virtual Reality Headset.
Virtual Reality and Augmented Reality are becoming more and more popular among movie buffs and video game fanatics. They allow you to immerse yourself in a virtual world, without the risk of injury, unless you walk into a wall.
7. BB-9E App-Enabled Droid.
Another toy that needs to be connected to the internet, this app-enabled BB-9E Droid has all the bells and whistles of a remote-controlled droid. It's just missing the bluetooth connection.
8. Star Wars Landspeeder 12V Ride-On.
9. Robotic Neft guns
Another drone-themed toy, this Nerf gun is a blaster gun, on a set of tracks, controlled via a remote. It's a cool concept, but I'd rather have seen a flying Nerf gun blaster.
10. Laser-X Laser Tag.
Instead of paying ridiculous amounts of money to play laser tag with a bunch of random people, now you can play it in the comfort of your own home with this Laser-X game. Looks simple enough.