Browse by Era

Popular items: Play Doh, Frisbe, Slinky, Pogo Stick, Hula Hoop, Fisher Price Little People, Matchbox Cars, Toy Guns & Western Clothing, View Master, Barbie, Mr Potato Head, Spinning Tops, Dolls Houses, Toy Trains, Airfix Construction Kits, Scalextric, Scrabble, Transistor radios, Valve Radios, Juke Box, Heated Rollers, Bakelite Phone

The 1950's is a decade that still captivates people, with significant events in history taking place such as the civil rights movement, in the musical world there was the birth of rock and roll with Buddy Holly and Elvis Presley and through Hollywood the style icons of Grace Kelly, Audrey Hepburn, Marilyn Monroe and Elizabeth Taylor influenced the fashion industry. Commercial television also appeared and had a significant impact exposing society as a whole to a much wider range of entertainment from The Adventures of Robin Hood and Dixon of Dock Green, to Andy Pandy and Muffin the Mule for children and to more groundbreaking material such as Quatermass Experiment, Hancocks Half Hour and Nineteen Eighty Four. For Children this was the decade that was pre electronics and where some of the most enduring toys hit the market, with Hula Hoops, Barbies and Matchbox toys all finding there way under the Christmas Tree. Packaging was becoming colourful and informative and focused mainly on creative and out door play with timeless classics such as Pogo Sticks, Play Doh, Mr Potato Head and Fisher Price Little People making their entrance. Following on from a tough political backdrop the 1950's was fun and transformational and reflected in the toys, music, fashion and films of the era.

Popular items: Daleks, Etch-a-sketch, Trolls, Operation, Corgi cars, Twister, Cludeo, Action Man / GI Joe, Battleship, Spirograph, Hot Wheels, Lego, Sindy, Tonka Trucks, Pelham Puppets, Batman, Scalextric, Fisher Price Chatter Telephone, View Master, Transistor Radio, Casette Tape Recorder, Electric Shaver, Pentax Camera, Polaroid Camera, Trimphone

"The Sixties" is the term used to describe a decade that is remembered for its counterculture and revolution in areas such as music, fashion, sexuality, formality, drugs and social taboos as a whole. It was flamboyant and excessive in comparison to previous decades, with London playing a central part in the cultural change, on a backdrop of an economic boom, baby boom and political confrontation between the developing superpowers of the US and Soviet Union. In music it was the likes of The Beatles, The Rolling Stones, Jimi Hendrix and Bob Dylan that broke to the fore, in film there were classics such as Psycho, The Graduate and Rosemary's Baby that showed a shift in cultural viewing and fashion dramatically shifted with the mini skirt, shift dress, jeans and bell bottoms all becoming hugely popular. On television science fiction played a huge part in the cultural revolution, with programmes such as Dr Who, Stingray, Lost in Space, Thunderbirds and Star Trek ensuring the adult and child's imagination boldly went where no man had gone before. For children the 1960's can be seen as a golden era for toys, there was more choice than had previously been available with timeless classics such as Action Man, Operation, Twister, Lego and Skateboards all making an appearance alongside the ever popular Cowboys and Indians, Die Cast model cars and trucks and household appliances. The other big shift in toys in the 1960's was the increased number of electronically powered cars, trains and sports games as well the first licensed toys, with the success of Batman in 1966 changing the face of the toy industry forever.

Popular items: Space Hopper, Weebles, Mouse Trap, Perfection, Monopoly, Nerf Ball, Evel Knievel Stunt Cycle, Pet Rock, Stretch Armstrong, Micronauts, Star Wars Figures, Atari 2600, Simon, Speak & Spell, Rubik's Cube, Six Million Dollar Man, Bionic Woman, Superman, Spiderman, Lego, Spirograph, Action Man, Starsky and Hutch Car, Raleigh Chopper, Sony Walkman, Digital Camera, Commodore PET, Pong, Word Processor, Mobile Phone, Floppy Disk

The 1970's is well and truly our era, as a child of 1973 largely oblivious to ongoing economic change, a 3 day week, Vietnam War and election of the first female prime minister in the UK, it was the long hot summer of 1976, silver jubilee celebrations, music, fashion, film and toys that really changed the world. In music it was the decade that saw the rise of disco and pop with the likes of ABBA, The Bee Gees, The Jackson 5, The Osmonds, Elton John and Village People creating their very own Dancing Queens. There was also the contrast in culture with bands like The Sex Pistols, The Clash, Pink Floyd and David Bowie challenging the status quo of music and fashion and in the world of toys, film, tv and entertainment the change was just as progressive and memorable. Words are not needed to describe the quality, quantity and sheer variety of toys, tv programmes and films that still to this day have a place in society and moulded a generation, from Star Wars to the Space Hopper, Evel Knievel to the Weebles, the Rubik's Cube to Pet Rock, the toy variety was endless. The electronics and digital revolution was also underway with the Atari 2600, Pong, Commodore PET and Sony Walkman all making their presence felt and the appetite for franchise toys continued to grow with the Star Wars phenomenon, Doctor Who, Six Million Dollar Man and Bionic Woman to name but a few. The 1970's was truly unique and lay the foundations for the electronic revolution of the 1980's.

Popular items: Cabbage Patch Dolls, Care Bears, Masters of the Universe, My Little Pony, Pound Puppies, She Ra Princess of Power, Star Wars, Strawberry Shortcake, Transformers, Speak & Spell, Atari, Nintendo Game Boy, Smurfs, Hot Wheels, Lego, Roller Boots, Moon Shoes, Wrestling Figures, Playmobil, Cap Guns, Rubiks Cube, Polly Pocket, Teddy Ruxpin, Micro Machines, Lite Brite, Merlin, Fisher Price Casette Player, Rock'em Sock'em Robots, Mr Frosty Slush Machine, Big Trak, Pac Man,

The 1980's was the decade where science and technology reached groundbreaking levels, impacting all areas of everyday life, space exploration continued to capture the imagination and other groundbreaking events took place such as Live Aid and the fall of the Berlin Wall were examples of a changing world.. In the Cinema we had 3D glasses making there first appearance and who can forget the paper version with the red and blue lens, along with a plethora of films such as Ghostbusters, Indiana Jones Raiders of the Lost Ark, Dead Poets Society, Karate Kid, Back to the Future, ET, Poltergeist, Gremlins, The Terminator and The Empire Strikes Back that saw the continued growth of cinemas as a leisure activity. In business there was the ever developing mobile phone (think Nokia) fax machine and computer technology changing the world of communication. Home entertainment was experiencing a revolution through, to name but a few, camcorders, Beta film, VHS, Sony music systems, Sony walkman, cable television and the Nintendo entertainment system, which re launched the world of gaming and by the end of the 1980's had claimed approximately 90% of the American market. Whilst electronics, computers and gaming were without doubt the real growth area of the 1980's toys still continued to be varied, colourful and increasingly in demand with the continued popularity of licensed products in particular. Many parents battled the shopping queues before the world of internet shopping to get Cabbage Patch Dolls, Care Bears, Masters of the Universe, Star Wars, My Little Pony and Transformer toys for Christmas and birthday gifts. Like the toys and the fashion the 1980's was bright, vivid, unapologetic and energetic, an era we remember with great fondness, for our childhood and early teenage years were bathed in a neon glow of happiness....

Popular items: Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, Game Boy Colour, Nerf Guns, Beanie Babies, Bop It, Furbies, Labyrinth, Hungry Hippos, Jenga, The Game of Life, Pictionary, Super Nintendo, Tamagotchis / Virtual Pets, Troll Dolls, Pogs, Polly Pocket, Mighty Morphin Power Rangers, He Man Masters of the Universe, Barbie, Cadbury Chocolate Money Box, Perfection, Mr Potato Head, Teksta Dog, Baby Born, Sky Dancers, Stretch Armstrong, Easy Bake Oven, Crocodile Dentist, K'Nex, Tickle Me Elmo, Gak, Tiger Handheld Games, Camcorders, Nokia 5510, Palm Pilot, Sega Genisis, Talkboy, Sony Discman, Portable DVD Players, iMac G3

The 1990's was the decade that saw a revolution in digital technology, with the invention of the world wide web, the growth in personal computer usage and the evolution of the cell phone. Email communication takes a grip, e-commerce companies start to grow rapidly and with the introduction of smaller more affordable satellite dishes then TV Channels explode to new levels. 24 hour news reporting was a new phenomenon started by reporting on the Gulf War, the Hubble Space Telescope launched in 1990 and revolutionised astronomy, Nasa's spacecraft Pathfinder lands on Mars and Pixar release the first full length CGI movie with Toy Story, Buzz Lightyear, Woody and friends capturing the imagination of children and adults alike. Alongside Toy Story then it is films such as Star Wars Episode 1 - The Phantom Menace, Jurassic Park and The Lion King that continue to build the power of the franchise and digital experience into the toy market, Bop It to Gameboy Colour, Super Nintendo to Tamagotchis, Teksta Dog to Tiger Handheld Games the world of toys was becoming increasingly immersive and interactive. The traditional toys however were still a favourite, the gun became a Nerf Gun, the water pistol a Super Soaker, Barbie was still as popular with her new digital accessories, the traditional teddy was upgraded to a Beanie Baby or Furby and He Man, Power Rangers and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles continue to battle evil. Board games reinvented themselves with modern day editions of firm favourites such as Monopoly, followed by now timeless classics such as Pictionary, Jenga, Trivial Pursuit and The Game of Life. Nothing demonstrates more the variety and changing culture of the 1990's than the music being played through the Sony Discman, Spice Girls, U2, Oasis, Blur, Green Day and Take That to name but a few. As with all decades, we all have our favourite, the 1990's was mainly a "Blur" for us as it took us from our mid teens to mid twenties and therefore it will be the 70's and 80's that we look back on with love and affection, however the 1990's was a phenomenal decade at the end of a millennium in which the joy of toys, childhood, music, film, gadgets and technology survived the millennium bug to continue for the next 1000 years.....