It's hard not to get nostalgic when we think about the toys we loved growing up.
The kinds of toys children enjoy have changed considerably over the last few decades in line with technological advances. But if you happen to have some of your childhood favourites hidden in the loft or in a dusty box at the back of a wardrobe, you could make yourself some serious money.
Cath Kidston has compiled a list of some of the most popular toys from the 70s, 80s and 90s to see what they could be worth today. Here we take a trip down memory lane to look at some of those toys – from Cabbage Patch Kids to Fisher-Price Little People.
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If you have any of these toys hidden at home, or if there's any classics we've missed off the list be sure to let us know in the comments below.
Hot Wheels
The miniature toy cars took the toy industry by storm shortly after their release in 1968, but they became a definitive toy of the 70s and they’re still popular today! Designed to be used with track sets and playsets, children fortunate enough to own models such as the Grand Prix and the Heavyweights were able to race and play with their cars in multiple different settings.
If you were to sell your 1970s collection of Hot Wheels cars you could be looking at a sizeable sum of money, depending on which cars you have in your collection and what condition they're in.
In 2022, the 1971 Magenta Sugar Caddy was valued at £1,053, and the 1971 Porsche 911 Momo 277 Urban Outlaw at £1,620.
Fisher-Price Little People
Fisher-Price Little People were first released in the 1950s, but they remained a popular toy throughout the 1970s, with the figurines eventually changing from wood to plastic.
If you’re having a clear-out and considering selling your Little People, you might like to know that vintage sets are going for almost £300 on eBay, which is a good indication of what you might be able to secure for your own toys.
Cabbage Patch Kids
In the early 1980s, toy company Coleco introduced a line of dolls called the Cabbage Patch Kids, each one featuring a round head, chubby cheeks and the instantly recognisable “Cabbage Patch” hairstyle. The dolls came with their own adoption papers and birth certificates and were designed to look like real babies.
If you've got a Cabbage Patch doll hiding in your home it could now be worth hundreds of pounds. Teresa Ann, a 1985 Cabbage Patch Doll, recently sold for £1,600 on eBay, and somebody else paid £655 for a 1986 Anna Greta.
My Little Pony
In 1982, Hasbro released a line of small, colourful, plastic ponies that came with a variety of grooming accessories including brushes and combs. Whether you had the earth ponies, the pegasus ponies, or the unicorn ponies, you were guaranteed endless fun acting out different scenarios and stories, as well as grooming and accessorising to your heart’s content.
If you’re the owner of an original collection you could be sitting on hundreds of pounds. In fact, the rare baby minty pony can pick up around £420 on the resale market, and the rarer rapunzel my little pony can sell for over £1,200 on eBay. Perhaps it’s time to get up into the loft and retrieve those beloved plastic-hoofed mammals?
Tamagotchi
Designed as a small, egg-shaped device, we were able to pop a Tamagotchi in our backpacks or pockets and carry it around with us wherever we went, feeding it, playing with it, and caring for it while on the move.
Keeping your Tamagotchi alive each day was a serious task for children who grew up in the 90s. The small hand-held devices required users to feed and nurture their pet creature to ensure it didn’t ‘die.’
If you happen to have an original English Tamagotchi, you could sell it for up to £3,500, while if your parents blessed you with a Tamagotchi Original White Lotte on your 10th birthday, you could sell that one for £50,500.
Power Rangers
A line of action figures, playsets, and other merchandise was born out of the popular TV show Mighty Morphin Power Rangers.
The show and its accompanying goods quickly became a cultural phenomenon, with every kid wanting to get their hands on Power Rangers.
While your action figure sets might have meant the world to you at the time, it doesn’t look like you’d make too much money from them in 2023.
Again, this will depend on which character you have to sell, and if it’s in excellent condition. To give you a rough idea, most of the current listings on eBay range from £1.50 to £39.99, although there are a few going for £100 to £200.
Polly Pockets
Polly Pockets were an iconic toy which were popular throughout the 90s.
If you were lucky enough to own your own collection of Polly Pockets you'll recall the cute shell and heart compacts that transformed into a living space for the tiny dolls. You could spend hours dressing Polly Pockets in different outfits and taking them on trips in a stretch limousine.
It entirely depends what Polly Pockets you have left lying around the house as to how much money you'll get for them. A Vintage Polly Pocket Mermaid Kingdom is currently selling on eBay for £200, while a rare and complete 1992 vintage Polly Pocket birthday party stamper is listed for £1,125.96.
A La Carte Kitchen
The trolley sized A La Carte Kitchen was a popular toy with children throughout the 1980s.
It's hard to get your hands on the retro toy today, but if you still have one hanging around your house it could be worth hundreds of pounds. An original A La Carte Kitchen is currently listed on eBay for £140.
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