The 1970s was a great time for popular and innovative toys. From new action figures and building toys to memory and electronic games, the 70s had it all for children.
There are certain toys that have become synonymous with the decade. Many people who grew up in the 1970s will instantly recognise certain toys and games that they enjoyed over those years.
Some will trigger happy memories of spending time playing with friends and families. Scroll down to see if you can name these five popular toys!
The Pet Rock was the gift to get as a child in 1975. Created by Gary Dahl, the smooth stone packaged like a live pet with a humorous instruction manel became a popular novelty item.
It was marketed as the “perfect” low-maintencance companion as it never needs feeding, walking or cleaning. The fad became a symbol for how marketing can create value and demand for worthless items.
Troll Dolls, which originated in Denmark, became very popular in the 1970s. The iconic toys were originally carved from wood and came in a number of different colours.
The mischievous-looking trolls had wild and colourful up-combed hair. They were revived through the 90s and featured in a number of modern movies.
The Rubik’s Cube was invented in the 1970s and soon became a global phenomenon. They are still widely used today, with around 500 million sold across the world by 2024.
On the original Rubik’s Cube, each of the six faces was covered by nine stickers, with each face in one of six solid colours: white, red, blue, orange, green and yellow. The idea of the puzzle is to get each face showing just once colour.
The Pogo Ball was invented in 1969 and gained huge popularity. It’s a bouncy toy featuring a ball inside a plastic disc, allowing users to stand on it and hop.
Similar versions have since been released, including the Little Tikes’ Pogo-It in the 1990s, which have helped keep the concept alive.
Wonderful Waterfuls were released by Tomy in 1976. The popular line of handheld, water-filled games featured the notable Waterful Ring-Toss.
The game challenged players to use a thumb-operated pump to jet water and loop rings onto pegs. Other variations, including a Basketball game, have been released since.
