I wish these toys from my childhood were still around today

Let’s face it: the 1960s were a great era for toys. Sure, today’s kids have an endless amount of technology at their fingertips, but if you grew up in the ’60s you could argue that nothing beats the thrill of a real, tactile toy or activity set.

Think back to the hours you spent in your bedroom or backyard with nothing but your favourite birthday present and the power of an active imagination. Looking at today’s children engrossed in a tablet, mobile phone or video game, it’s hard not to wish they could have that same wholesome, hands-on experience.

It’s time to bring that excitement back!

A lot of the toys released in the ’60s were popular for years after and some, like GI Joe, Twister and Operation, can still be found on shelves today. Remember when these toys were first released in the ’60s?

At the time so many young boys liked to play with military-themed toys, which is why molded plastic sets (army men, civil war, cowboys and indians etc.), plastic guns, and cannons and tanks were some of the most popular toys in the ’60s. Electric ovens, steel kitchen appliances, plastic dishes etc. were loved by girls. The Easy-Bake Oven was renowned for the treats made by little girls.

You don’t see too many of these ovens around the traps anymore. In fact, in the early-2000s the Easy-Bake was inducted into the American Toy Hall of Fame, which is pretty special for something that was literally a glorified light bulk inside a plastic and metal box.

While the yo-yo is still around (and has been — in some form — since around 500BC) it is perhaps not as popular with today’s children as it was when you were growing up. Countless hours were lost trying to master ‘walk the dog’ or ‘go ’round the world’.

Similar amounts of time were spent bouncing our Super Balls. These were certainly popular in the mid-’60s. Who could have predicted that it would be so much fun?

Did you have a Wooly Willy? The original magnetic drawing toy came out in the mid-’50s, but was still making kids in the ’60s laugh and smile. Willy’s face was printed on cardboard and under a bubble of plastic filled with metal filings, you could create features like beards, moustaches and shaggy eyebrows using a magnetic wand.

From wooden spinning tops, marbles and balsa wood glider planes, to the Slinky, Chatty Cathy and image projectors, the toys and games of your childhood were great for bringing families and friends together, and it was so much better playing with an actual person than an avatar.

What toys did you have as a child? Share your memories with us.