Don’t you just hate it when there’s something that you really want but you’re told that you can’t have it because it’s too expensive, it’s out of stock or — and this one I hate the most — it’s not good for you. It’s happened to all of us and what’s ironic about it is that you actually end up never forgetting about those things you were told you couldn’t have.
Let’s go back through memory lane and have a look at those delightfully fantastic goodies that we never got our hands on.
1. Kinect for Xbox 360 – 2010
The Kinect was at the top of the must-have-toys list of both kids and kids-at-heart in 2010. They were selling for $190 bucks at the end of the year and were sold out almost everywhere.
With the seemingly unending demand for the device, most online retailers had to cap pre-orders of the Kinect. You might have better luck finding a decently priced one at some obscure game shop because they’re now selling at a premium everywhere else.
http://www.industrygamers.com/news/xbox-360s-kinect-selling-at-30-premium-on-ebay/
2. LEGO Star Wars Death Star – 2009
The Death Star is probably the biggest and most expensive toy-for-big-boys. How awesome would it be to have the power to destroy a planet with just a press of a button? Definitely beats out your regular 2,3,4,6 or even 8 wheel machine. But how much would it cost exactly?
A web designer actually did the math for this one and he calculates an actual death star to cost $1, 500, 000, 000, 000, 000, 000, 000, 000 bucks. Hmmmm….. not so bad for an artificial moon-planet thingy that’s got it’s own cafeteria, rooms and storm troopers. You’ll get a big ass laser too.
BUT if you’re on a budget and you can’t really shell out all those zeros because you need to pay for a couple of mortgages, you might want to consider getting the Lego Star Wars Death Star. You’ll only need to spend something between $400-$1000 for this one. Now think of the trees you can save by not having to print all that money you’d have to spend to buy the real one.
http://gadgets.gunaxin.com/ridiculously-expensive-star-wars-lego-sets/21100
http://gearcrave.com/2009-02-05/linkcrave-the-cost-of-building-a-death-star/
3. LEGO 8088 Star Wars ARC-170 Starfighter – 2008
Again with our Star Wars theme, here’s another cool toy you’ll want to own. The Lego ARC-170 fighter used to be priced over $100 bucks but it’s gone down since 2008. This kit has over 390 pieces that’ll guarantee hours and hours of time consuming fun. But they are a hot item now that prices are low so you might want to line up for them now if you want one.
http://shop.lego.com/Product/?p=8088
http://ezinearticles.com/?Hot-Christmas-Toys-For-2008&id=1604300
4. 3-D Motion Simulator – 2006
Johnny Quest and Tron were all about virtual reality and for any Sci-Fan, that’s the dream. But unfortunately our technology isn’t quite up there yet so if you want the closest thing, you’ll have to settle for a Simulator.
The Morphis 3-D motion simulator carries 8 people and it’ll simulate aviation-quality motion. It’s ergonomic too so you’ll never worry about back pains even if your on it for hours and hours a day.
And how much is this extremely high tech toy you ask? It’s only worth $300,000. A steal right? Just about the same price of a house. But why would you buy a house when you can just live inside your simulator and experience roller coaster rides, car races and space adventures all day.
http://www.bornrich.com/entry/300000-3-d-motion-simulator/
5. Playstation 3 – 2006
The Playstation has always been one of the leading console brands in the world. Kids, old bearded dudes and yes… even women have been glued to their screens for days on end all because of the retarded fascinating consoles they’ve come out with. And here it is again, Playstation 3, another one that’ll get you working part time to earn cash so that you can spend your days afterwards doing nothing but wasting away in your room.
The PS 3 was actually unveiled in 2005 but it never came out till 2007. An estimated 81,000 items were sold just within a day from its release. It pre-sold for much much more than it’s regular price online and a couple of violent incidents were even linked to the PS 3′s release.
http://www.toptenz.net/top-10-hot-christmas-toys.php
6. The Genuine 7-foot Robby Robot – 2005
If you’re a fan of the classic film “Forbidden Planet” then you’ll love the “Robby the Robot” toy. If you don’t know who Robby is then you were probably too young or weren’t born yet when the film came out. Still, this is a 7 foot robot with its own remote control so no matter how old or young you are, you just can’t dislike something like that. It delivers lines from the movie too so you can reminisce about the old Sci-fi days. Great isn’t it? Now you just need to go to the bank and get a $49,999.99 loan so that you can buy one.
http://money.cnn.com/popups/2006/consumer/expensive_toys/3.html
7. Robosapien – 2004
If you’re looking for the most high-tech NASA grade robot then the Robosapien is what you need. It’s the perfect 14 inch toy that can break dance, belch and fart. It’s got 64 more moves like that in its arsenal so you’ll never get bored with this baby.
If a war between man and machine ever happens like in the Terminator series, these guys will be at the forefront of mech show-biz with their cute little dance moves and 68 other quirky actions.
http://www.esquire.com/the-side/2010-holiday-gift-ideas/2004-robosapiens
http://www.vitrolenta.com/business/biggest-selling-toys-of-the-last-25-years.html
8. MicroPets – 2002
MicroPets are 2 inch little toys that were constantly sold out in 2002. They’re miniature toys that react to their owner’s voice. They also respond to other MicroPets making a bunch of them a joy to play with. They can sing together, play and even mope around when they get left out.
There are a total of 10 MicroPets and they answer to 18 different commands. They’re one of the more advanced collectable sets that both the old and young will appreciate.
http://www.micropets.com.au/micro-pets-articles/2002/12/7/micropets-easy-alternative/
http://news.bbc.co.uk/cbbcnews/hi/uk/newsid_2280000/2280425.stm
http://www.toysit.com/micropets/
9. Pokemon Trading Cards – 2000
When the Pokemon Trading Cards came out in 1999, the Wizards of the Coast company sold about 400,000 copies in less than 2 months. That’s 10 times more than they were expecting to sell. The card game was so popular that a lot of sports card series were discontinued just so the printing companies could make more Pikachu, Charizard and Bulbasaur cards for kids to play and trade with.
The Card game won the National Parenting Center’s Seal of Approval in 1999 because of its impressive concept and popularity.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wizards_of_the_Coast#Acquisition_of_TSR_and_Pok.C3.A9mon
http://pokegym.net/forums/showthread.php?t=32321
10. Furby – 1998
Furbies are domesticated robots that were designed to be the perfect home companion for you and your kids. They start out speaking Furbish, the official language of the Furbies (duhhh) and then start to slowly learn English later on. For one reason or another, they seem to have identified English to be the language they need to learn no matter what other language is being used around them.
These toys initially sold for $35 when they came out. They became so popular though that stores were sold out instantly and the demand for them drove the price up to hundreds of dollars.
Sellers started classifying certain types of furbies as “rare” like the “wedding furby,” “tuxedo furby” and the “biker furby.” These were sold at auction houses for prices that came close to and some times went over $300 each.
In just one year 27 million furbish speaking toys were sold both off and online.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Furby
11.Toy Story Buzz Lightyear – 1996
Buzz Lightyear, the other protagonist in Disney’s wildly popular film “Toy Story” was the unexpected hit of the 1996 Christmas toy sales. The manufacturers were thinking that Woody would get the most buys but apparently kids liked Buzz more.
Demand for Buzz was so high that supplies ran out for that Christmas and sadly, some kids had to spend it without the galactic space hero under their trees.
Vintage copies of the toy are currently being sold online for prices that go over $100 a piece.
http://www.amazon.com/1996-11-Intergalactic-Buzz-Lightyear/dp/B000XUC3FM
http://www.vam.ac.uk/moc/collections/toys/character_toys/buzz_lightyear/index.html
12. Thunderbirds Island – 1992
In the early 90s the Thunderbird’s Island playset was the must-have toy. It was based of the wildly popular Thunderbirds series, a British science fiction show. The set was so popular that the manufacturers were never able to catch up to the demand. Even the Blue Peter fact sheet that provides details on how you can make your own island became difficult to find.
They’re currently considered collector’s items and are highly sought after.
http://www.themoderndaypirates.com/pirates/2008/12/best-selling-toys-of-our-childhood/
http://collections.vam.ac.uk/item/O164973/playset-thunderbirds-tracy-island-thunderbird-1-thunderbird/
13. Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles – 1990
The teenage mutant ninja turtles franchise was immensely popular in the 1990s. The TMNT craze produced typical action figures for regular playtime to the more advanced ones that could shoot pizzas. Kids all over the world were trying to collect all the figures from Bebop to rock steady to Donatello and the rest of the gang.
http://guyism.com/lifestyle/most-amazing-toys-1990s.html
14. Nintendo Game Boy – 1989
The pioneer of portable gaming, Nintendo’s gameboy remains to be the best selling handheld console to date. The portability aspect of the console was its biggest attraction and the first shipment in the US sold out in just a couple of weeks.
They’re brilliant travel companions and you’ll never be without your mario game again.
http://www.themoderndaypirates.com/pirates/2008/12/best-selling-toys-of-our-childhood/
15. Transformers – 1985
The classic transformers toys were the rage in the 80s. Optimus prime was the toy to have back then and along with his robot pals, they were the pride and joy a kid’s toy collection. These car-to-robot transforming action figures were so popular that the manufacturers couldn’t keep up with the demand which lead to a lot of shortages
http://www.squidoo.com/popular-christmas-toys-of-the-last-60-years
http://pleasesavemerobots.com/vstp/vstptf85.html