Your parents probably told you more than once to ‘keep hold of that toy, it’ll be worth something in the future’. Whether you’ve got an attic full of toy boxes or don’t have any childhood trinkets left, no one can put a price on the hours of fun they gave us. Here’s a look at the most popular toys from the past 40 years and what they’re worth now. If you’re lucky, you might even have some of them!
Read more: How To Tell If Your Beanie Babies Could Make You A Fortune
40 Years Of Iconic Toys And What They’re Worth Now [Transcript]
From board games to robotic pets, our childhood toys have left a lasting impression. But is their value more than sentimental? Your favourite toys could fetch you a petty penny…
1970s
Stretch Armstrong (Kenner, 1976)*
Price Then: £8.37
Value Now: £1,619
| Toy Name (Year Released) | Price Then | Value Now |
| Mastermind (1971) | £1.64 | £9.99 |
| Uno (1972) | £1.01 | £7.20 |
| Shrinky Dinks (1973) | £0.40 | £10 |
| Dungeons & Dragons (1974) | £3.69 | £54* |
| Mr Potato Head (1976) | £1.43* | £36 |
| Stretch Armstrong (1976) | £8.37* | £1,619 |
| Star Wars Figures (1977) | £7.21 | £79.99 |
| Hungry Hippos (1978) | £3.94 | £70 |
| Strawberry Shortcake (1979) | £4.75 | £15 |
1980s
Optimus Prime (Takara, 1984)
Price Then: £15
Value Now: £250
| Toy Name (Year Released) | Price Then | Value Now |
| The Rubiks Cube (1980) | £1 | £50 |
| Lego Train Set (1981) | £40 | £140 |
| BMX Bike (1982) | £45 | £275 |
| Cabbage Patch Kids (1983) | £15 | £75 |
| Optimus Prime (1984) | £16 | £250 |
| Care Bears (1985) | £10 | £61.94 |
| Laser Tag (1986) | £50 | £70 |
| Sylvanian Families (1987) | £6.97 | £66.50 |
| Ghostbusters Proton Pack (1988) | £19.87 | £140 |
| Gameboy (1989) | £50 | £119.99 |
1990s
Tamagotchi (Bandai, 1997)
Price Then: £11
Value Now: £2,987
| Toy Name (Year Released) | Price Then | Value Now |
| TMNT Action Figures (1990) | £1 | £165 |
| Sega Game Gear (1991) | £99 | £71 |
| WWF Action Figures (1992) | £4.99 | £49.99 |
| Talkboy (1993) | £19.99 | £39.99 |
| Power Rangers (1994) | £4.99 | £12 |
| POGs (1995) | £2.99 | £9.99 |
| Tickle Me Elmo (1996) | £19.99 | £140 |
| Tamagotchi (1997) | £11 | £2,900 |
| Furby (1998) | £14.99 | £14.99 |
| Pokémon (1999) | £19.99 | £9.99 |
2000s
Beyblades (Hasbro, 2002)
Price Then: £5.99
Value Now: £130
| Toy Name (Year Released) | Price Then | Value Now |
| Teksta (2000) | £38.74 | £15 |
| Bratz (2001) | £24.99 | £18 |
| Beyblades (2002) | £5.99 | £130 |
| Robosapiens (2003) | £80 | £25.99 |
| Nintendo DS (2004) | £75 | £30 |
| XBOX 306 (2005) | £280 | £40 |
| Playstation 3 (2006) | £199 | £79.99 |
| iPod Touch (2007) | £200 | £24 |
| Nintendo Wii (2008) | £180 | £32.99 |
| Go Go Pets (2009) | £9.99 | £11.99 |
| iPad (2010) | £429 | £69.99 |
Some old toys are worth more now than others, but the memories you have are priceless. Now, where did that Beyblade go…
*All prices marked with a * are prices based on conversion from dollars to pounds according to the conversion rates of 12/03/2018.
** All ‘Value Now’ prices as of March 2018 are based on the mint condition and boxed version of the item, where available.
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