Then and Now. Are the 90's Awarding Winning Toys Still Winning?

Let's deep dive into the heap of 90's toys that we were once obsessed with, and even caused shame on your family name with; hissy fits, tears, and tantrums in exchange for a Furby and or a Nintendo Gameboy. (It was bad)

The Tamagotchi, gotch you... a very small electronic device that made children (and adults) virtual pet owners. It just seemed like too much work was involved. Unbelievable how this tiny device created a massive frenzy and it quickly gained popularity in 1990.  May I add, they are still here being sold on Amazon as the next gen.

In 1991 there was the award winning Toy of the Year Teenage Mutant Turtles from Bandai that swept the world. TMNT are still going strong but no longer saying cowabunga.  It was thought “cowabunga” was too old and outdated. The new catchphrase “booyakasha” according to the franchise means “fun to yell.” I'm not convinced but I'm not a kid anymore. So to each his own.

Nintendo Game Boy, the hand-held electronic game unit dominated in 1992 and arguably a worthy winner. Did you have a favourite game that made you forget dinner time? And yes, you guessed right. They're still around albeit switched to modern handheld consoles, they have come a long way. Boasting 19 versions released between the DS Lite, DS 3D of assortments.

Thunderbirds won Toys of the Year in 1993. Well are we surprised about that because they had a great fandom. But they seemingly fell off 7 years ago and they are now toy store has beens.

In 1994 Barbie wins Doll of the Year - what a brand think pink! However the Toy of the Year went to Power Rangers (Bandai), suffering from severe shortages through world-wide demand.

In 1995 the new craze – POGS (Waddingtons) involving ‘milk caps’ is a sensational success and wins Toy of the Year at the Awards Dinner. Something that I can't claim to know much about as I was not into toys as a proficient teen. I googled whether these toys are still hot in 2024 and it seems like their existence has been scrapped from the internet.

In 1996 Barbie wins her first Toy of the Year award, and has still got us honoring Barbie AKA Barbara.  Action Man is the Boys’ Toy of the Year and not forgetting Buzz Lightyear from Toy Story causing a late (media) frenzy but great shortages, should have won their first MIA (Missing In Action) Award for being elusive! Both Action Man and Buzz Lightyear are doing well today.

1997 saw how popular the Teletubbies were, one of the most sought after British toys for decades. Queues to purchase them, made great TV where children consoled the adults with tears and tantrums in toy shops.

1998, was the year of interactive furball Furby. As for Furbys, you'll be amazed. They are still doing well... and doing the most as an interactive toy that moves, talks, sings, lights up, has a meditation mode and even responds to speech! But in this year the ancient fidget toy since ancient toy of 440 BC Yo-Yo - was the come-back king selling around £30m in the UK and still here not as popular though. Remember Ty Beanie Babies - they sold strongly all year. Making them neck and neck winners for Toy of the Year with the yoyo, a solid toy. 

1999 - this era ended with...

Furby had Babies! Furby babies won Toy of the Year. Yes they are still doing well - albeit morphed into Furblets - more talkative and loud. Hope you had a nostalgia fix. It's fair to say that much of the award winning toys have stood the test of time despite us living in a digital world of entertainment.