OK, so nostalgia marketing works. Good to know.
I‘d never heard the term, but by the time I Googled “nostalgia marketing,” I was 16 hours into its grip. Honestly.
This article — about the timeless toys that topped kids’ Christmas lists over the decades — should have taken me about three hours to write. But thanks to what I now know is nostalgia marketing, it took me three days, as I clicked down rabbit holes, scrolled through images and immersed myself in rosy memories of Christmas wishes that had come true under the tree.
(I found myself growing nostalgic for a different, more recent era — the 17 hours before my reminiscent “research” began.)
I rediscovered scented Strawberry Shortcake dolls, all of Barbie’s pink belongings, the Rubik’s Cube, Atari 2600, that beeping, handheld electronic football game in which I never once managed to score.
As a child of the ’80s, having been born in 1976, I’m a proud Gen Xer whose life, yes, included Cabbage Patch Kids.
In 1983, an unexpected surge in demand for those strange-looking dolls — disproportionately large, hard plastic heads, yarn hair and squishy bodies — sparked retail riots in multiple cities, some of them on Christmas Eve. Seriously.
There’s an entire Wikipedia page dedicated to the Cabbage Patch Kids Riots. It states,
“Reports of violence included hitting, shoving and trampling, as well as some customers attacking others with weapons such as baseball bats in order to obtain a Cabbage Patch Doll,” the page states.
The Times Leader, a newspaper in Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania, reported that at one store, “1,000 people showed up for a shipment of just 240 dolls, leading to fights and a near-stampede. Five women were transported to Wilkes-Barre General Hospital. A Kingston woman suffered three broken ribs and a broken right leg, spending several weeks in a wheelchair. An assistant store manager stationed himself behind a counter and held a baseball bay for protection.”
A baseball bat? At Christmastime, really? I suppose nothing says ‘tis the season like blunt force trauma in the toy department.
But let’s get back to those warm and fuzzy bits that make nostalgia marketing such an effective business strategy.
The tactic apparently works by “leveraging retro designs, classic branding and references to pop culture to evoke a sentimental longing for a bygone era, creating a powerful connection that can influence purchasing decisions,” according to a digital marketing company called Spin Tech, which also happens to practice the strategy on behalf of its clients. “This can involve reviving old products, using vintage logos or incorporating throwback aesthetics into new products and campaigns.”
For me, it involved scrolling through some of the must-have toys of the ’80s. Each image took me back to a specific time and place. I could still remember the ding of the plastic Fisher Price cash register, the tiny snaps on the back of a Barbie dress, the smell of Play-Doh.
But let’s go back a few decades before my time and take a look at the must-have toys that delighted millions of kids on Christmas morning. (Note: Some of the toys mentioned were invented the decade prior, but didn’t become popular until later.)
1950s
Top Toys of the Decade: Barbie doll, Hula Hoop, Play-Doh, Slinky, Mr. Potato Head, Frisbee, Magic 8-Ball and Matchbox cars.
1960s
Top Toys of the Decade: G.I. Joe action figures, Rock ’Em Sock ’Em Robots, Twister, Etch-a-Sketch, Slinky, Easy-Bake Oven and Chatty Cathy dolls.
1970s
Top Toys of the Decade: Big Wheels, LEGO, Barbie (still), Atari 2600 (invented in 1977, but didn’t get hugely popular until 1980), Lite Brite, Spirograph, Hot Wheels. And, of course, Star Wars action figures dominated the market in 1978 and ’79. Nerf balls also made their soft-sided debut, and changed the rules about “no playing ball in the house.”
1980s
Top Toys of the Decade: Rubik’s Cube, Cabbage Patch Kids, home video game systems advanced, My Little Pony, He-Man action figures, Transformers and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, Care Bears, scented Strawberry Shortcake dolls, Pound Puppies and Glo Worms.
1990s
Top Toys of the Decade: Tamagotchi, Beanie Babies, Nintendo 64, Game Boy, Skip-It, Super Soaker water gun, Furby, Bop It, American Girl dolls, Barney, Pokemon, And let’s not forget how a muppet called Elmo caused more retail mayhem when supplies of Tickle Me Elmo fell way short of demand.
2000s
Top Toys of the Decade: Nintendo Wii, Silly Bandz, iPod, Dance Dance Revolution, Razor Scooter, Webkinz, Bratz Dolls, Pillow Pets, Star Wars Lightsabers, Xbox 360, Playstation 3.
2010s
Top Toys of the Decade: iPad, Apple AirPods, Barbie (still), and the movie didn’t even come out until 2023. All things “Frozen,” from the wildly popular movie. Furby relaunched. Doc McStuffins, Power Rangers and L.O.L Surprise! Dolls.
