08 Dec 11 Nostalgic Gift Ideas For Kids
These nostalgic fail-safe toys and Christmas gift ideas have stood the test of time and are still available today. Here are some of my favourites.
1. Book sets:
Peter Rabbit + Goosebumps The Peter Rabbit mini library collection is the perfect gift for a new baby, and as an older child I couldn’t wait until the next Goosebumps book came out. It was an exciting day when I’d unexpectedly see the new edition on the bookshop shelf before the actual release date. I’ll be taking my nephew to see the new Goosebumps movie when it comes out early next year.
2. Space Hopper
Once you started hopping, you just couldn’t stop!
3. Lego
I would spend hours playing with my Lego sets. Fave collections included Fabuland, Pirates and Enchanted Islanders.
4. Trampoline
So many hours of my teen years were spent jumping on the trampoline with my walkman, listening to Mariah Carey and John Farnham cassette tapes.
5. Mouse Trap + Board Games
I didn’t personally own Mouse Trap, but some of my friends did, so I’d always request to play it when I was over at their houses. We had travel sets of Connect 4 and Monopoly, so my sister and I could play boardgames on holidays.
6. Sylvanian Families – Dollhouse
My dad built my sister and I a wooden dollhouse and gave it to us for Christmas one year. Every so often (when we were really good or had a birthday) we’d get some new Sylvanian Families bunnies and furniture to deck out the house with.
7. Fuzzy Felt
The Fuzzy Felt sets were fun to play with and always taught you about something, like what happened at a hospital or how to make a treehouse.
8. Velcro Tennis Bat + Ball Set
My nan gave me a velcro tennis bat and ball set when I was young. My sister and I would play with them all the time.
9. Mr Potato Head
I had one of the sets where you could put arms, legs and eyes etc. in playdough to make your own Mr Potato Head.
10. Cabbage Patch Kids
I loved how the Cabbage Patch Kids dolls came with a birth certificate and sometimes a little book about them. I also used to collect ‘Garbage Pail Kids’ collector cards. They were the subversive version of Cabbage Patch Kids, with names like ‘Potty Scotty’.
11. Swing Set
One Christmas morning, I woke up to find a yellow and green double swing set in our backyard. Our backyard was the place to be for the next few years.
