30 Old Toys From the 90s and 00s You Completely Forgot Existed

To find out more about the Vintage Toys subreddit, we got in touch with one of the group's moderators. They were kind enough to have a chat with Bored Panda and share some background information about the community.

"r/VintageToys came about from a desire to have a place to discuss older toys. The modern toy scene, to our perspective, regularly seems to have issues of scalpers, unmet release dates, the unhealthy drive of chasing that new shiny release and just drama," the mod noted. "Yes, there is some of that in the vintage scene as well, but in my experience it just seems less."

"By focusing my collection on older toys, I'm aiming to avoid SOME of that nonsense. It has been a little weird watching the community grow from nothing. It's been very organic," they explained. "I'm not out there trying to recruit viewers or anything. Just posting about old toys and occasionally keeping the peace."

So what makes vintage toys so special? "To my eye, vintage toys are just beautiful," the moderator says. "I view them as art pieces that can connect me to my childhood."

We also wanted to know if they had any favorite childhood toys. "I still have a good amount of my childhood toys. Unfortunately, my parents did purge a large part of my Jurassic Park collection when I was storing it in their basement during college," they shared. "I've spent years restoring it piece by piece. Yes, I could go online and buy most of it, but that takes the fun out of the hunt."

"I prefer checking out small Mom and Pop geek stores whenever I get the chance. One thing you can find at these smaller brick and mortar stores that you don't find online is local connections," the creator says. "My favorite location, Galactic Comics and Collectables in Bangor, ME, is a perfect example of this. They have really helped me fill some of the holes in my collection. Recently they were able to hook me up with a bunch of Battle Beasts."

We also wanted to know what the members are like in r/VintageToys. "The community itself is quite peaceful and rarely needs much moderating, despite the growing amount of traffic," the moderator says.

"It helps that it really isn't a divisive topic. Honestly, most of the moderating is removing people trying to sell stuff unsolicited," they continued. "Our community is a place of appreciation, not a marketplace. People come here to talk about and look at cool vintage toys. There are more than enough digital marketplaces; we don't need to be another."

Finally, we asked the moderator about their favorite posts in the group. "My favorite posts are when someone has been trying to identify or locate a replacement for a particular toy, and the community comes through and is able to tell them what it is and where they can find one," they shared. "This is especially true for plush toys. Almost everyone grows up with some kind of stuffed animal and remembers it fondly. However, most of them are hard to ID. So when we can help those people, it is very satisfying."

What was your favorite toy as a child? Were you super into Legos or more of a Lincoln Logs kid? Or perhaps you loved Barbie and Polly Pocket? Personally, I was super into Webkinz and American Girl Dolls. I even took a trip to the American Girl Place in Chicago to have a tea party with my mom, and it was an experience I’ll never forget.

Nowadays, kids seem to have extremely high-tech options when it comes to toys. I see many playing games on iPads and zooming drones through public parks. But even though the toys of the past were simple, they were extremely loved. And many encouraged kids to actually use their imaginations! 

Many of the toys featured on this list were all the rage decades ago. But some of them are still super valuable today! Paris 35 wrote a piece explaining why that is, and they first noted that these old school toys “carry history, culture and the tech know-how of their eras.” These toys are rare today, and they have a certain je ne sais quoi that you just won’t find in the mass-produced plastic toys being shipped out from Amazon warehouses all over the globe.

When we look back on toys from the past, Paris 35 notes that there have been several distinct vintage toy eras. First, we had early wooden toys. Then tin toys came onto the scene. After World War II, new materials like plastic started appearing in children’s toys. Then, licensed merchandise started becoming incredibly popular. In fact, this is still the case today, as Star Wars, Disney and similar franchises seem to dominate the toy aisles.

If you’ve got some vintage toys of your own laying around the house and you’re curious about how much they’re worth, Paris 35 says that it depends on a few factors. First, consider the rarity and demand of the toy. How many were produced, and how widely available were they back in the day? And if you manage to get your hands on something rare today, it will be a lot more valuable if it’s in great condition. Of course, it also has to be an authentic piece, rather than a knock-off.

Some of the most popular vintage toys that are certainly worth collecting are classic action figures, timeless board games and beloved childhood dolls. If these items are still in their boxes in mint condition, you could probably sell them for a pretty penny. But you might not even want to! They could be special family heirlooms that you’ll want to continue passing down for generations. And if you’re holding onto a board game, be careful not to lose any of the pieces!