The recent UK Toy Fair at London's Olympia was a sight to behold, as the gathering chronicled the best and worst devices ever created for British children. Meanwhile, their transatlantic cousins would later be treated to the International Toy Fair in New York during February, highlighting the past greats of the toy world as well as future expectations for new gizmos and gadgets.
In light of this succession of high-profile events, Vertbaudet - the popular mother and child brand - took a look at the toys that have endured over the decades, going all the way back to the 50s.
In its quest, the company tried to separate the one-hit wonders from those that have retained their popularity in the long-term, ultimately trying to discover what the common denominator was that got kids excited about toys regardless of the era they grow up in.
Professor Jeffrey Goldstein, a psychology expert with the National Toy Council, is one man with countless experience in the industry. Speaking to Vertbaudet, he identified how the common trend among the new toys and dolls was hardly ground-breaking - in the best possible way. "A lot of retro toys are back," he said, "including the re-furbished Furby and Power Rangers."
Indeed, it was identified by the specialist that retro toys are a popular purchase because parents feel a connection with the toys too, whether or not they actually owned them themselves. Professor Goldstein suggested that parents and grandparents may feel that such toys represent a link to a "simpler time".
Of course, there are a lot of popular retro toys to choose from; Vertbaudet's list of nostalgia-prompting playthings selected the top picks over the decades, with most either still in production or being rereleased to a positive market many years after their initial creation.
Starting in the 1950s, Verbaudet's first choice was Barbie. Introduced by Mattel back in 1959, over 350,000 dolls were sold in the first year of production. Joined by Ken two years later, the 1/6th scale doll still sells three units every second.