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Kids’ Christmas Wish Lists In The '80s And '90s Vs. Today

by Team Scary Mommy
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Kids’ Christmas Wish Lists In The '80s And '90s Vs. Today
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1987.

Am I right?

Okay, maybe for you it was ’83 or even ’91. But back in the day, the holidays were pretty magical. The tinsel covering every inch of the tree. Cassette tapes playing holiday albums like John Denver and the Muppets in the background. Watching Christmas specials live, when they aired, WITH COMMERCIALS. And let’s not forget the Christmas “Wishbooks” that we used to peruse for hours, circling the latest amazing toy we hoped to get.

Those were the days. That’s not to say these days aren’t equally as awesome for our kids. They’re just… different. Here are a few ways kids’ wish lists differed from the 80s & 90s vs. today.

Then: The Walkman

It skipped if you jumped around, there was no easy way to get to the next song other than playing roulette with the fast-forward button, but it played the crap out of Debbie Gibson, Tiffany and Michael Jackson. It was something we all wanted.

Now: iPhones, iPods and Other iDevices

The sky is the limit with options for our kids. If they want to listen to music, they’ve got a plethora of devices to choose from. Can you imagine telling your 7-year-old self that one day you’d be listening to music through your phone? How long the cord would have to be!

Then: Nintendo

Remember Gameboy? Man, that was good stuff. Super Mario, Luigi, Princess Peach, Legend of Zelda. Those were the glory days. If you didn’t know what “up, up, down, down, left, right, left, right, B, A” meant, you just weren’t living your best 80s life.

Now: Nintendo

The New Nintendo 2DS XL is like today’s version of the Gameboy. It’s the perfect portable personal gaming system for a great price and it ticks off all the boxes as an awesome gift for the youngest gamer in your house. Plus, it comes with Mario Kart 7 preinstalled. Mario Kart—ah, the memories. And let’s not forget Super Mario, Luigi, Princess Peach, Legend of Zelda. They’re all back, baby! Nintendo Selects are classic Nintendo games at a really great value. And now they can be enjoyed in a whole new way by your kids.

Then: Popples

Ah, Popples. Those odd stuffies that folded into a little ball. Somehow, they provided hours of entertainment. Our parents didn’t get it, but that’s because they were kind of lame.

Now: Flipazoos and Beanie Boos

The Flipazoo stuffy folds and turns into something else, and Beanie Boos have big, creepy eyes. Odd stuffies don’t seem to go out of style, now that we think of it.

Then: Sweet Secrets

One of the best toys. Why? We don’t know. Again, it had something to do with the great appeal of folding toys into pocket-sized shapes. Bonus points for it being plastic and easy to lose.

Now: LOL Dolls

Tiny, plastic dolls that are easy to lose and don’t do much. Oh, and each one comes wrapped in seven layers of paper and encased in a plastic ball. Fun!

Then: ThunderCats, He-Man & She-Ra Action Figures

There was no other excitement like yelling out THUNDERCATS, HOOOOO! Plus, He-Man and She-Ra were pretty bad ass.

Now: Fingerlings

Not quite the same in terms of bad-ass level. But the kids seem to love them, and they are pretty cute.

The ’80s were definitely a great time to be alive.

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