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' Tis the time of year for buying toys , so Life ’s Little Mysteries number down the best - selling ( and better - fuck ) toys from the ages . We have assembled them according to sales data , which is a bit skew as people lean to have bought more things in recent years than in 10 past .
So in no finicky club , we lay out thegreatest - selling toy of all time , from Pet Rock to Mr. Potato Head .
Hula Hoop
In 1957 , two American enterpriser make up one’s mind to give a traditional Australian bamboo exercise a fictile makeover and a new cognomen – the hula hoop . The m - diameter hoops produced by the Wham - O toy company immediately took off : 25 million plastic hoop were sold in less than four months in 1958 , and in two long time , sales reached more than 100 million units . In 1999 , the humble hoop join the Toy Hall of Fame .
View - Master
make far back to the 1930s , the View - Master was the brainchild of piano tuner William Gruber . During World War II , TV audience wereused in training for the U.S. military , with slides designed to help troop become intimate with gun range values , possible landing site and enemy aircraft . More than 1 billion View - Master unit have been sold thus far . What ’s the most popular View - Master Scottish reel ? The scenic reel of Mecca .
Slinky
The Slinky came to life-time on a battlewagon during World War II in Philadelphia ’s Cramp Shipyard . A torsion saltation used in a testing measure fall off a nautical technologist ’s desk and tumbled end over destruction across the floor , creating a fad that continue sixty years later . With more than 300 million Slinkys sold , the walking spring is still marching strong .
Pet Rock
By his own entrance fee , ad executive director Larry Dahl created the idea for apet rockwhile having drinks with some brother . The fad peaked during the 1975 Christmas season and it is estimated that Dahl make more than $ 15 million during the six calendar month that Pet Rocks were popular , with more than 5 million sold in just a few months .
Zhu Zhu positron emission tomography
Inspired by YouTube videos of let the cat out of the bag and saltation hamster , Russell Hornsby came up with an idea for robotic furballs . During the Christmas 2009 season alone , more than 10 million units of Zhu Zhu deary were sold . Evidence of the fury ? By the last of November , Zhu Zhu pets were selling for $ 250 on eBay and several Target employees were fired for purchasing Zhu Zhu pet before than the companionship insurance allowed .
Mr. Potato Head
The birth of Mr. Potato Head came in a Brooklyn garden , where an discoverer used to take potatoes and tot grape vine for eyes , and carrot for noses to a Irish potato . When Mr. Potato Head debuted in storehouse in 1952 , it was the very first toy to have a commercial message on television – and was the first to be directly aimed at children . The toy made $ 4 million in the first year , and has move on to be a estimable - trafficker for all time .
Cabbage Patch wench
Two million borrowing in just a few months ? That ’s a lot of doll being pushed around . Cabbage Patch Dolls were created in 1983 by the plaything caller Coleco , and or else of plainly being betray , each was “ adopt , ” complete with birth security . They became a hot point for Christmas that class , and more than 5 million sold in the first year they exist . The dubiously precious dolls even engender a terpsichore call The Cabbage Patch , made famous when it became San Francisco 49er Jerry Rice ’s touchdown dance .
Gameboy
debut in 1991 , Nintendo ’s Game Boy was a image shift for the video - gambling industry . The portable picture game system offer 35 time of day of uninterrupted play , and it came preloaded with Tetris to boot . Game Boy and Game Boy Color ’s merge lifetime sale pass on 118.7 million worldwide by the time the technology was retired .
Barbie
No list of top toys would be complete without mentioning the wondrous wench of dolls , Barbie . establish in 1959 , the skirt has make worldwide renown in her 50 - plus years . Two Barbies are sell every two second , bring in the Barbie - industrial complex a 1.5 - billion per yr surgery .
Star Wars action image
In 1978,Star Wars military action figureshit the shelves . Within a decennium , various manufacturers had sold more than 300 million unit to boys and girls do-or-die to enact panorama from their favorite trilogy of moving-picture show . There were more than 90 options to select from , adding to the fun .
Nerf globe
Some rootage claim that “ NERF ” is an acronym for “ Non - Expanding Recreational Foam , ” but that story seems too good to be dead on target . Parker Brothers say they named the squashy ball after the foam that off - route drivers use to wrap their paradiddle - bars , and in 1969 they proclaimed the polyurethane foam as “ the globe ’s first indoor ball . ” Since then , more than 300 million lump have been sell .
This story was provided byLife ’s Little Mysteries , a sister internet site to LiveScience .
