Sold out / impossible to buy toy trends over the years.

[lunaalice]

I'm just trying to to think back.

I know recently it was PS5, Gaby's Doll House, the Guinea Pig.

When my kids were young it was Furby's and Fingerlings.

When I grew up 80/90s I can only remember my dad driving around trying to find me and my siblings a Tamagotchi.

Back in the 90's - Power Ranger figures

This was my parents trying to get one for my little brother. I'm 6 years older, so I do have a vague memory of being in a shop and there being huge crowds of adults all scrambling to get one.

Teletubbies

Wand of light barbie

Approx 2004/5ish I had a quiet afternoon at work, kudos to my manager who turned a blind eye as I tried to track down on the phone Serafina cat toys and I needed 2 of the things.

Finally tracked them down and manager was like go,go,go and so I drove several hours to the store and got them. They were played with for about 2 days and not looked at again.😂. I made up the hours but always appreciated the fact that as she gave me time to sort them out.

Ah yes, tamagotchis! I queued in Mothercare when they had them in stock to get one, and we weren't allowed to choose a colour, you just got what you were given as they were hard to get hold of. I also remember the Blue Peter Tracey Island.

Hatchimals. I ended up getting one from French Amazon in the end. We spent Boxing Day watching it hatch and never saw it again.

@NotanotherboxofFrogs I also did the Seraphina hunt (for the same child that wanted the pink DS). I think it was abandoned by the time school went back in January 🤷🏻‍♀️

Beyblades.
I used to work for Woolies. Beyblades practically caused riots. Half the time parents didn’t know what they were actually looking for and when handed the tiny box they came in would say “is that it?”.
I’ve never understood parents/grandparents who just buy something from a list without knowing what it actually is.

I remember going to a shop mid January when furby came back in stock. Weirdly I don't actually remember being upset or even noticing that I hadn't got one at Christmas, it was probably on the list, but I was about 6 so there was a lot on the list and whatever I got was probably exciting. I definitely remember the outing to get a toy mid January though, as that never normally happened.

I remember being chuffed with myself for getting hold of a Disney Store Elsa dress for DD. I may have bought two and shamelessly profiteered by selling one on

@YesItsMeIDontCare oh yes the Tracey Island debacle of the early 90s. Managed to get one for my son in Woolworths at Bromley on the Christmas Eve

Yellow was laa laa, green was dipsy. I had laa laa too🙂

I have a memory of going to Smyths for something very desirable and being told it was sold out but they had a delivery on Thursday morning so I could pop back then and try my luck - but can’t remember for the life of me what it was. I have a feeling it was Pokémon related.

If it is one of my children's 2 things on the santa list, I don't care what it is as long as it is not an offensive weapon or smth. Whatever toy it is, I will do my best to find it. Twice that has been a thing that is no longer made, but I tracked them down. I will do whatever I can to ensure Santa delivers.

Friends daughter mad for care bears, they'd bring out the ultimate one at Xmas, she wasted hours searching for them

@Snugglemonkey no you really should know what you are paying money for. Children ask for toys they’ve seen advertised or their friend from school has one etc. Half the time they don’t even know what the toy does or what you can do with it. They want it because it “sounds cool” or comes in a brightly coloured box.

My parents tried to make one using the blue peter instructions. I think they still have it somewhere. It was awful!

Now I'm quite tempted to try and make one

And?

This one

The one that comes to mind is the singing Elsa doll.

Santa visited df’s preschool and told them a lovely story about how hard the elves were working but how they just weren’t going to be able to manage to make one for everyone who wanted it. Fortunately dd hadn’t seen the ads and had her eye on a pair of Elsa and Anna dolls that didn’t sing. She was so chuffed on Christmas morning because she had concluded that if the elves couldn’t keep up with the Elsa demand, they definitely weren’t going to have time to make Anna dolls.

@Snugglemonkey because we had people returning toys on Boxing Day for refunds because it wasn’t suitable for the child (ie Robot Dogs aimed at 14+ bought for 5 year olds), toys that you needed extra parts to really be able to play with it (and they didn’t buy extra parts), toys that they couldn’t actually use because you needed a lot of space and they didn’t have the space. And many other reasons.

Go Go Hamsters about 2009 I think? I got 2 by sheer chance (saw someone post on here that Argos had them in stock) I was really excited but Dc were really indifferent!

I remember one year needing to get DS a finger ling but really he wasn't arsed and played with it a tiny bit then ditched it

I remember my gu-mam trying to find my cousin a Tracey Island. I think it was Thunderbirds....

I seem to remember a huge craze (not children but adults) for Beanie Babies a few years ago - in the late 1990's I think. What was that all about?