23 Must-Have Toys from the 1950s and Beyond, 12-17

The Cabbage Patch Doll, which is listed in this section, caused one of the biggest toy crazes of the 1980s.

1970s

12. "Weebles wobble but they don't fall down..." This was the unforgettable advertising slogan for these egg-shaped playthings first released by Hasbro in 1971. Each weeble had a sticker mounted on its short, fat "body" so it resembled a human or an animal. At the height of their popularity, the Weeble family had its own tree house and cottage, and a host of other characters and accessories were also produced, including a firefighter and fire truck, a playground, and a circus complete with a ringmaster, clown, and trapeze artist.

13. Also extremely popular in the '70s, the Big Wheel was the chosen mode of transportation for most young boys, and many girls, too. With its 16-inch front wheel and fat rear tires, this low-riding, spiffed up tricycle was even a hit with parents, who considered it safer than a standard trike.

1980s

14. Strawberry Shortcake was the sweetest-smelling doll of the 1980s. Created in 1977 by Muriel Fahrion for American Greetings, the company expanded the toy line in the 1980s to include Strawberry's friends and their pets. Each doll had a fruit- or dessert-scented theme complete with scented hair. Accessories, clothes, bedding, stickers, movies, and games followed, but by 1985 the fad had waned. The characters were revived in the 2000s with DVDs, video games, an animated TV series, and even a full-length animated film.

15. Xavier Roberts was a teenager when he launched his Babyland General Hospital during the 1970s in Cleveland, Georgia, allowing children to adopt a "baby." In 1983, the Coleco toy company started mass-producing these dolls as Cabbage Patch Kids. Each "kid" came with a unique name and a set of adoption papers, and stores couldn't keep them on the shelves, selling more than three million of the dolls in the first year.

16. Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles were created by Kevin Eastman and Peter Laird, who had both studied art history. As such, they named their characters Leonardo, Raphael, Donatello, and Michelangelo. In 1984, with a mere $1,200, the Turtle creators launched the swashbuckling terrapins in a black-and-white comic book. More comics, as well as an animated television series, clothing, toys, and several full-length feature films followed, proving that the Green Team could earn some green, as well.

17. One of the biggest toy crazes of the 1980s was the brain-teasing Rubik's Cube. Created by Hungarian architect Erno Rubik, this perplexing puzzle was first introduced in 1977, and from 1980 to 1982 more than 100 million of the cubes sold. It sparked a trend and similar puzzles were created in various shapes, such as a pyramid and a sphere. The Rubik's Cube has seen a recent resurgence in popularity and retains a place of honor on many desktops.

Follow the toy path to its finish on the next page.

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