What toy did you pine for as a kid and did you ever get it?
Posted by HedgehogNo8361@reddit | GenX | View on Reddit | 269 comments
Stretch Armstrong and no, I didn't get him.
I wanted one *so* bad, but I didn't get an allowance. I was SOL.
I'm still bitter lol
PoopCooper@reddit
Turbo Hopper RC Car
ottermann@reddit
A Red Ryder BB gun with compass in the stock. Dad got me a .22 instead. But when I was about 50, my dad did get me one for Christmas.
hdckurdsasgjihvhhfdb@reddit
Star Wars AT-AT. Even now, at 49, I’ve told my wife and kids that I would still gladly accept one and put it in my office
JuJuMan7817@reddit
After 25 years my wife is finally believing me when I tell her stuff like that. I don’t want something new and fancy. I want something stupid that feeds my inner child and all my man child friends think is cool.
hdckurdsasgjihvhhfdb@reddit
Well…yeah
phlpw@reddit
didn't get it. Got the AT-ST instead and had to build my own ATAT using a huge ass box, a tissue box for the head, paper towel roll for the neck, and more paper towel and toilet paper rolls for the legs and paper plates for the feet 🤣🤣🤣
RVAblues@reddit
There is eBay…
LariRed@reddit
Hungry hungry hippos and an easy bake oven. My dad thought I’d burn the apt down with the oven and I dunno if he forgot about the hippo game. He didn’t seem to consider that I could burn the apt down with the actual oven in the kitchen I guess.
JuJuMan7817@reddit
My kids wanted an easy bake oven and I was like screw that and just taught them to bake instead. I should have bought the toy. It would have been easier on my waistband.
FelicitousLynx@reddit
I finally got to use an easy bake oven at 40+ when my stepdaughter was old enough, thinking we could share something together. It was annoyingly slow, and she lost interest pretty fast. I was sad. I imagined all sorts of tiny tea parties and mini things we'd bake. Of course, now she's big enough to learn to bake in the real oven, and she's COMPLETELY disinterested. Her mom raises her on DoorDash, takeout, and convenience foods, so she has zero desire to learn to cook. We tried though, for what it's worth.
:(
CountessOfHats@reddit
In her defence, difficult to go from food delivery to substandard fare half-baked with a light bulb. 💡
FelicitousLynx@reddit
Well, it was years ago when she was around 7. She's 13 now and typical teenager. Lol
CountessOfHats@reddit
Ah yes, I have one of those.
Dangerous_Abalone528@reddit
I wanted one SO BADLY. My mother pranked me in college with one for Christmas. I should have found it funny but nine year old me really didn’t.
ExpertRegister1353@reddit
I got every toy I ever wanted and learned that material posessions matter little.
Specific_Cancel_5116@reddit
remote controlled tank
inspctrshabangabang@reddit
The Lego pirate ship. My grandpa came through when I was eleven. Best Christmas ever.
chezjvr@reddit
Gameboy. I knew a cousin and a neighbour who had it and i would always look at them with envy. When i got older and able to afford then i lost interest already. I tried my best to like them but i realised im not into gaming lol. I bought several gaming gadgets (several gameboys, playstation, nintendos..) that i always end up giving to my nephews.
mamachonk@reddit
Does a Members Only jacket count...?
A-Druid-Life@reddit
Was wondering about that, and parachute pants along with those fat boys shoe strings.
BottleAgreeable7981@reddit
Members only hypnotizers
Move through the room like ambulance drivers
Slink_0@reddit
Chain smoke Kansas flash dance ass pants
HedgehogNo8361@reddit (OP)
This is funny. Remember OP corduroy shorts?
biggcb@reddit
They were great
sungodly@reddit
Yes! My wife does NOT remember those shorts for some reason. She was talking about OP shorts once and we couldn't get on the same page because I could only think of those and she had no idea what I was talking about. I don't remember any other OP shorts but she seems to.
ms5h@reddit
I always wanted patent leather shoes. Never got them, never asked for them
A-Druid-Life@reddit
The Mean Green Machine......I was already in the emergency room every other weekend when younger.
I still wonder why my parents noped out of that every time I asked.
Stefgrep66@reddit
Pool table and yes I did🙂
Middle-Painter-4032@reddit
Still waiting on that Big Trax. Im also convinced my parents just kept reboxing and giving me the same broken slot car racing set every Christmas. Finally, I did get that ultra cool Cale Yarbrough/Richard Petty one with the lap counter though.
StockerFM@reddit
Snake mountain - Skeletor's lair from Masters of the Universe
Wonthebiggestlottery@reddit
A Rip starter.
RevenueOld4357@reddit
Cabbage Patch Doll - the bald boy. I did get him and actually still have him. My grandma got to Toys R Us right as they restocked - lady in the aisle holding the last two. One was the bald boy and the other was a girl. My grandma asked the lady if she was buying both and when she said no, asked her to please let her get the bald boy for me. My grandma was the best.
Legitimate_Teacher20@reddit
The Millenium Falcon..wanted it didnt get it..I got one ofJabba's flunkies... Fast forward, I aint paying that kinda money for one!
daniel940@reddit
Sneaker skates. The blue ones with the stripes.
birdlord_d@reddit
I loved sneaker skates. They were also a Christmas gift!
birdlord_d@reddit
Not a toy but I wanted (and received) a satin jacket so badly. In fact, I wouldn't mind one now. I am guessing I was like 10 or 11.
lonerstoners@reddit
I wanted an easy bake oven, never did get it though.
SnooCupcakes7992@reddit
Same - but when the opportunity came along for me to get my goddaughter one for Christmas you better believe I was first in line the day after Thanksgiving!
CanadianExiled@reddit
I wanted one so bad, my parents were scared it would make me gay... My usual punishment was no dessert, I was just trying to remove consequences to my actions.
itwillmakesenselater@reddit
The five lion Voltron, and no. No I did not receive the only toy that would have made my life perfect forever! But I'm not bitter ot anything.
farrieremily@reddit
I got that one and have no idea how my parents pulled it off. We were just “shy of homeless” poor, maybe it came from a grandparent or something. Asking or hoping for something was always disappointing.
marshallkrich@reddit
I got Voltron Lions, and the car version as well.....
KLLR_ROBOT@reddit
Same 🤝🏼
gobobro@reddit
I never got it as a kid, either… Then I found big bad toy store, and bought a crazy version of it two years ago. Don’t go down the rabbit hole willy nilly, and never tell your spouse what you paid for your toy if you do… Also got a VF-1 Valkyrie from Robotech… and a Nerf dart gun modeled after the pulse rifles from Aliens.
RVAblues@reddit
Yeah. I got the stupid cars Voltron for Christmas one year. Forgot to specify with “Santa” and didn’t have the heart to tell my mom.
freakdageek@reddit
The Millennium Falcon, and yeah, I did. I suppose it’s all just kinda been gravy since then.
Lumpy_Tune@reddit
In the lead-up to Christmas, I was not at all subtle about how much I wanted it. When a wrapped box arrived under the tree, I went to Sears and measured the dimensions of the Millennium Falcon box on the shelf. Exact match. The next few days before Christmas took forever.
Slink_0@reddit
I had the Falcon and the Darth Vader head action figure carrying case.
TBarzo@reddit
I have that one too!
TBarzo@reddit
That thing was amazing. I still have it stored in my garage. It was my Red Ryder gift.
Low_Cook_5235@reddit
Star Trek communicators. Sold out so mom bought some kid walkie talkies instead that never worked.
Fine_Comparison9812@reddit
I got one for Christmas one year and a Shawn Cassidy record player. One of my best memories.
FrankenGretchen@reddit
I wanted a Green Machine. Never got it.
Fine_Comparison9812@reddit
I got one and it was fantastic. I rode it so much I eventually broke the back axle.
architectzero@reddit
My brother and I wore out the front wheel waaaaay before we could wear out anything else. Same with our Big Wheel. There’s only so many sweet drift-donuts in one of those before they give up the ghost.
Turk482@reddit
Same here. The commercials made it look so cool.
Jolly_Grocery329@reddit
ColecoVision. All we had is PONG.
-ACatWithAKeyboard-@reddit
The USS Flagg. Way too expensive for my enlisted dad to swing.
elphaba00@reddit
One of my friends got one. He had to share it with his brother. Every once in a while - quite possibly to rile everyone up - he'll post about it still hanging out in his parents' basement. There is then a social media chorus of "fuck off" from a bunch of guys pushing 50.
TBarzo@reddit
Bingo. Everyone I knew who was in to GI Joe wanted that. It was $109.00 in the catalog. An insane amount of money for working class families. I only ever saw one "in the wild". One of my neighbors got it from Dad after his parents divorced.
Efficient-Hornet8666@reddit
That one and the Night Raven plane were forever out of reach.
dirt-daddy-9407@reddit
I got the Night Raven for Xmas. Hard to fathom $22 back then was so much money if you see the ads.
Efficient-Hornet8666@reddit
What’s funny is that I had a Castle Greyskull and Snake Mountain playset, but I never got the GI Joe collection I wanted.
I had a lot of great toys, I just also had a lot of varied interests. It didn’t help that all of our cartoons were basically commercials.
dirt-daddy-9407@reddit
Im jealous. Castle greyskull was always iut of reach for us. I got usually one small vehicle for my Joes for bday, and a bigger vehicle and figures for xmas. The flagg and terrordome were always too much. I was into MoTU, but not as much as GI Joe and hot wheels. I tim my hat to your collection as a kid!
elphaba00@reddit
The original Nintendo. My mom was of the opinion that video games would rot my brain and that $100 was out of the budget. So when I was older and got my own eBay account, I got one for like $30 and a whole bunch of games. I also married someone who came with a whole bunch of gaming systems. Do we play them now? No. But we have them.
Noodlepip_toodlepip@reddit
A trampoline. Didn’t get one.
So 2 years ago I bought myself one (retro 8’x12’). I’m in my mid 50’s. I love it (it’s also a supergood workout for the pelvic floor muscles!)
thunderwarm@reddit
Same. Bought my kid a big trampoline for our backyard for Christmas last year…
Frequent-Ad2981@reddit
I'm 58 and finally have a BMX bike like I always wanted!
Noodlepip_toodlepip@reddit
Good for you! Better late than never eh?!
Aircooled2088@reddit
Lego castle set, nope
AquaLimeFresca@reddit
I was desperate for a Cabbage Patch Doll. My parents didn’t have much money and I was the oldest of four kids. I got one for Christmas when I was 9. Forty years later and I still remember every detail of that experience like it was just this morning. She was amazing. I was over the moon. I signed the adoption papers. My mom and dad were the witnesses. My next gift was a box with several outfits that my mom sewed for her. We never bought new outfits from the store. My mom would make us matching outfits. I’ll never forget my brightly patterned jams shorts and top, my doll “Margaret” wore the same as me. I still have her :)
ConsuelaShlepkiss@reddit
Milky the Marvelous Milking Cow....when my relatives were farmers with actual cows.
Maude007@reddit
Lol! We’re the same. I just posted this on Facebook as my unrequited toy love.
KorryBoston@reddit
Not necessarily a "toy" but goddamn it, I never went to Disney. My parents were never Disney people. So I never went. To this day, I'm 53 and still have never been to Disney
cattreephilosophy@reddit
You should definitely go!
cattreephilosophy@reddit
I wanted a Lite Brite forever. I finally decided as ask adult to buy one, then found out they had been discontinued. They exist again, but of course they are different.
HedgehogNo8361@reddit (OP)
This hit me hard: '...of course they are different'. :(
bjb8@reddit
The green machine. Never got it.
movieator@reddit
The
HatesDuckTape@reddit
Every one of us wanted this, and none of us ever got it. Except for my friend across the street. And honestly, it was a huge pain in the ass. Took up most of the floor in his bedroom, and it didn’t do anything. He couldn’t fit more than one friend in his room at a time to play with it lmfao.
LatkaGravas@reddit
A friend of mine just got one. He's 48.
HatesDuckTape@reddit
🤣
Kind-Dog504@reddit
The GI Joe USS Flagg. To be fair, no kid got this toy. It would take up the entire living room and your parents Christmas budget
TBarzo@reddit
I only ever saw one. This kid had a permanent playroom in his crawlspace. The Flagg lived in there.
LatkaGravas@reddit
Atari VCS
Adventure Vision
Vectrex
Atari 5200
ColecoVision
My parents wouldn't spend money on a video game console, but they did get me a Commodore 64 for my birthday in 1984. Best present ever.
SeaGranny@reddit
An Atari 2600 - never got it but saved up my money for a C64 and got one as a teenager
LatkaGravas@reddit
I still have a C64. Best computer ever.
walter_grimsley@reddit
G1 Shockwave and the Ghostbusters HQ. Still waiting for Shockwave. I cant complain as I had a ton of great toys. The Firehouse in hindsight isn’t that great.
Br00klynBelle@reddit
Barbie Dream House and a Snoopy Snow Cone Machine.
Sadly, I never got either.
zootnotdingo@reddit
I got the Snoopy Snow Cane Machine years later after my parents found out I was sad I never got one. And it was not great. It just shaves an ice cube veeeeeery slooooooowly. Kind of like turning a crank on an old school ice cream maker. So hopefully that can make you feel a little better
Br00klynBelle@reddit
It does, thanks😀
ClassicOutrageous447@reddit
Can concur. I had the Snoopy Snow Cone Machine. Just tiny chips of ice flying out of the front. Pretty anti-climatic.
zootnotdingo@reddit
ClassicOutrageous447@reddit
Simon or Merlin. Never got either but played with my cousin's.
SnooGoats3915@reddit
Legos and no. I’ve never stopped reminding my mom that I suffered with cheap imitations.
HedgehogNo8361@reddit (OP)
Imitation Legos are an insult.
Mrjlawrence@reddit
Stretch Armstrong. I’m sure he didn’t last a week before he was cut open to check out the goo inside.
HedgehogNo8361@reddit (OP)
That's exactly what I would've done, too! lolol
Specialist-Eye-6964@reddit
The USS Flagg and no it wouldn’t fit under my bed 🥺
GenXstasy@reddit
Never got my land speeder, but my neighbor did. “Hello new best friend!”
phlpw@reddit
the figures never stayed in place on the back and how was Luke supposed to drive with a lightsabre sticking out his wrist?
GenXstasy@reddit
kevbayer@reddit
The Transformers Jetfire, which was really a Macross Valkyrie. I traded my Optimus Prime for it, but the other kids' mom made him trade back.
The Robotech Cyclone with Scott Bernard that converted from motorcycle to armor. I bought it with my allowance, but it was really expensive and I had buyer's remorse so I returned it. I was at that age where I didn't really play with toys much anymore, and I didn't know about collecting just to have something or think about future value or nostalgia.
One-Pangolin-3167@reddit
Two-foot tall Shogun Warriors Great Mazinga from the 70s. Never got one. Still want one.
drunkenwildmage@reddit
My family had the original Pong system, but after that, we (or I) never owned anything you could play games on until I got my first PC in high school.
Sareee14@reddit
Cabbage patch doll. I did get a knock off one
LogEnvironmental5454@reddit
Barbie Dream house. Never got it.
BoeshanePeninsula@reddit
The Barbie alone was a huge get. I built my own damed dream house (estate) out of shoeboxes.
LogEnvironmental5454@reddit
That’s awesome.
pepperandbonnie@reddit
Same. Got her townhouse.....not the same!
Logical-Jury-1974@reddit
Same!! 😭🤣
doc_witt@reddit
Wonder what housing Barbie could afford in the present?
therealsylviaplath@reddit
Barbie in a Van Down by the River
LogEnvironmental5454@reddit
But the townhouse did have that elevator….
Hungry_Spring_9079@reddit
I never got one either. My parents thought it was frivolous. I stopped asking when I didn't get it for my 12th birthday and my parents said I was too old to play with Barbies after that. I made sure my daughter and granddaughter got one.
Wonderful_Judge115@reddit
I did get the pink corvette though
LogEnvironmental5454@reddit
Damn!
Federal-Muscle-9962@reddit
Me too! My sisters and I got one for Christmas. We couldn't believe it.
LogEnvironmental5454@reddit
Lucky!
KLLR_ROBOT@reddit
Big Trak!
Opinions711@reddit
Cabbage Patch doll and eventually yes we got one. My sister and I had to share.
Financial_Coach4760@reddit
The GI JOE aircraft carrier. Never even saw one outside of the store.
bluntpointsharpie@reddit
In 1980, there was a schwinn 12 speed with disk brakes I wanted from Gambles. I worked mowing lawns, delivered door hangers, washed cars and sold black market penny candy at school. I had almost enough to buy it . Came home one day it was sitting in my room. My mom had bought it for me. Apparently, she put it on lay away for me without me knowing. It was awesome! I rode the wheels off that bike.
Ok_Fig7692@reddit
Metroplex from Transformers - and no.
Excellent_Budget9069@reddit
A hot wheels track with the loop de loop and the garage and everything. I asked my mom why I never got anything like that and she said "Because you never asked." And she was right. Little girls weren't supposed to like shit like that. I guess I figured I wouldn't get it.
ideknem0ar@reddit
Cabbage Patch Kid, embarrassingly enough. Mom found a knock off pattern and sewed one. It was perfectly adequate.
Meatloaf_Mondai@reddit
Easy bake oven and a Fashion Star Fillies. I think my mom thought I was gonna burn down the joint or something with the oven.
Carbontee@reddit
Snoopy Snow Cone machine and NOPE.
MDEnce@reddit
Star Trek communicator walkie talkies. Got a model of the communicator and phaser and some regular walkie talkies.
They were the same like your mom's pressed piece of hamburger on a slice of white bread is the same as a hamburger from McDonald's.
bvt40@reddit
A Punky Brewster doll. Yes I got it
Miserable_Drop_5398@reddit
Barbie Carousel Kitchen. No.
magerber1966@reddit
I wanted the Mouse Trap game SO badly, but "It has too many pieces that are easy to lose." I also wanted Operation (the game), but I knew that was out of the realm of possibility because we weren't allow to have any toys that required batteries.
Jameson-Mc@reddit
Ping Pong Table - Yes
Free_Island_8475@reddit
Barbie motorhome. Nope.
Stubborn_Strawberry@reddit
One of the Holly Hobbie dolls, and I did get the one with the green dress for Christmas.
Affectionate_Song_36@reddit
A Big Wheel. And I’m a girl! My parents thought it was too dangerous. I told this to a neighbor kid across the street, and when he got one, he invited me over to play with it. I loved every minute. He and I are FB friends to this day.
HedgehogNo8361@reddit (OP)
I never had a big wheel either :(
They always remind me of that scene in the Shining, where Danny's riding it through the carpeted hallways of the hotel and sees the twins.
peach_dragon@reddit
I was pretty spoiled as an only child. The only thing I really pined for and saved up money for was a Roller Racer. I went to Kmart with my $35, then had second thoughts because it was a lot of money, and I knew I wouldn’t ride it all that often. I didn’t buy it and didn’t ever regret not buying it.
Naughty_Teacher@reddit
Snoopy snow cone maker
MyriVerse2@reddit
I was too old for The Green Machine. It was the first toy that I was envious about.
SquirrelBowl@reddit
Big wheel and sit and spin
66Lightning650@reddit
I wanted a Big Wheel so badly, but those were for boys so I never got one. When I turned 18 I bought my first motorcycle.
Fit-Air-2476@reddit
I didn't get a Big Wheel either because I was a girl. Still grumpy about it 50 years later.
jonnythewanderer@reddit
Girders and panels construction set 😔
Hideo_Anaconda@reddit
If it's any consolation, my brother and I got that one year and the quality was utter crap. They were a 3rd rate erector set knockoff, but even that oversells the quality by quite a bit.
Alycion@reddit
Main Street Lego set. Boy did I work my butt off for it. My neighbors had a reliable do almost any errand or crap job girl for 6 months.
Life_Transformed@reddit
Light Bright, never got one
Aimless_Nobody@reddit
Same. Got one on Amazon last week. Scared to open the box (I don't want to confront my emotions). I don't remember the item being so small. It is a knock-off or was I way smaller as a kid.
So_Sleepy1@reddit
I think the new ones are LED so they’re smaller. The original ones were big and the light inside got pretty hot.
Alycion@reddit
That and the easy bake oven were the main causes of burns in our house. Boy were our toys safe. 😂
bumuser@reddit
OMG! Stretch for me as well. I did end up finally playing with one and quickly realized it wasn't so much fun. I was also non-stop asking for a jet ski, never got one of those either.
Wide_Breadfruit_2217@reddit
Dawn doll with red hair. I've always liked any toy thats smaller. Searched Ebay as adult and learned copper wire in joints oxidised so blue knees. If she couldn't wear a mini not interested!
Medium-Mission5072@reddit
I guess this counts as a “toy” but Metroid for the NES. All my friends had it, I rented the shit out of it from the local video rental store when it was actually in, but my mom refused to get it for me because “I had enough games” (a whole 6).
I asked grandma if she could get it for me on my 8th birthday as she was usually good about coming through like a good grandmother would. My birthday comes, I see an NES box shaped wrapped gift and thought “grandma came through”. I open it, it was an NES game alright, Micky Mousecapade.
I looked at her and she said “I saw that “metro” game you asked for but when I saw this Mickey Mouse game I knew you would like better because he’s more popular than whoever that “metro” person is”.
The game sucked and I only played it a few times before I tried to trade it with a friend for Metroid, failed, and ended up with TMNT.
Cut to a few years ago I bought an NES and a few games from a now closed retro gaming store. One of the game I bought was Metroid, and I play it frequently.
Objective-Holiday597@reddit
I wished for a Lite Brite every year. Never got it. Bought it for one of my kiddos when they were old enough.
Ok-Somewhere-2325@reddit
The G.I Joe hovercraft. And the Lego deep freeze defender. And no to both. They cost too much for a poor kid in the 80s and they cost too much as a poor adult in the 25s
Ceciltheseamonster@reddit
I have three. I really wanted Baby Alive. My blunt mother told me no, because worms would grow in her. I did get my daughter one, she rarely played with it.
Any Star Wars toy. Didn’t get those because they were too expensive.
Started asking for a piano at 5 because we stored a friend’s while they were between house for about 6 months and taught myself to play using their books in the bench. I did get one, when I was 15 and didn’t really have the time for lessons.
B00bsmelikey@reddit
Aerialbots/Superion. Yep, got it.
Stephvick1@reddit
I wanted a Redline BMX bike, I got a schwinn from the police auction, I fixed it up and it was a great bike!!
deadbwalking@reddit
The Black Stallion, and no
tragicsandwichblogs@reddit
This one or this one?
deadbwalking@reddit
Oh, I wanted the actual horse himself haha
tragicsandwichblogs@reddit
Same! I got to see him a few times in San Antonio.
ThisSpaceIntLftBlnk@reddit
For me, it was this one.
Still have my other Breyers in the garage though (a little afraid to open the box after all these years)
Tall_Girl_97@reddit
The rock tumbler from the Sears catalogue. Nope.
DidAnyoneFeedTheDog@reddit
Play doh barbershop and the big Barbie head are the two that stand out. Never got them.
So_Sleepy1@reddit
A Snoopy snow cone machine! A friend had one and my jealousy knew no bounds. Never got one.
biggcb@reddit
Atari. Eventually got one like 3 years later. And not a.toy,.but always wanted a drum set. Never got one.
AquaValentin@reddit
Voltron. Nope. But I got 2 of the lions, which was better than nothing
Aliceduwonderland25@reddit
Barbie Dreamhouse. Never got it. Still torment my mother about it every Christmas.
My Barbie had to live in a camper!!!
Fyreflyre1@reddit
The Cross Boss. Man i wanted that thing.
Never got it.
pootenshammer@reddit
I always wanted one of those giant rubber bouncy balls with the handle that you could bounce around the house on. Never got it. I know it wasn't because of cost because they weren't that expensive. The only thing I can figure is that they assumed I would try to ride it down the basement stairs and injure or kill myself.
CountessOfHats@reddit
Snoopy snow cone machine. I bought one myself a few years ago. I’ve actually never opened the box, but dammit, it’s mine.
penguinwasteland1414@reddit
Cabbage patch kids. Yes, I got 2.
Defiant_Quarter_1187@reddit
G.I. Joe aircraft carrier. Toy store in town has two for purchase…soon my precious, soon.
fridayimatwork@reddit
Everything but scented markers
txa1265@reddit
I actually got one for Christmas! However, we also had a very playful cat - and after several months I was playing and the cat swatted it and snagged a hole in an arm with his claw. I did numerous patch attempts but it was never the same and was trash by the following Christmas.
charliefoxtrot9@reddit
Transformers Devastator & Jetfire/Skyfire. Not yet. But I should. You're right.
CanadianExiled@reddit
I wanted the Death Star playset and the Millenium Falcon. I got the X-Wing, the Y-Wing, the Tie Fighter, and Vader's Tie Fighter. Those were leagues cheaper to get for my parents. And I didn't get all 4 at once, that was 2 Xmas a d a birthday.
Silly-Shoulder-6257@reddit
A play kitchen
Fine_Comparison9812@reddit
Atari. Never got one since my dad was convinced it “pickled your brain”. Maybe he spared me a life of video addiction. 😂
DeCoyAbLe@reddit
Oh I know it’s not a toy but I wanted a yellow sony walkman so bad. The water proof one. I was only able to save enough for the black one. Haha
drummerboy-98012@reddit
The original G1 Optimus Prime, and yes, I got him! Man, if only I kept him and the original box…
DeCoyAbLe@reddit
I’m with you I wanted the G1 Hound (green Jeep) was so sad when they ‘upgraded’ him. I was able to get the G1 Ratchet in a lego type build about 10 years ago.
Efficient-Hornet8666@reddit
I always wanted the Megatron, but never got it.
NCSubie@reddit
Maybe not a “toy” in the sense of the word, but a Mongoose BMX bike with the mag wheels. 😢
Redsmoker37@reddit
I really wanted the MB Dark Tower game. It was expensive, family was kinda poor at the time, and it was only available in 81/82 before they stopped making it due to a lawsuit.
HelendeVine@reddit
Chemistry set and model train set. Still sad.
Full_Mission7183@reddit
Remote control plane. Still don't even own a drone.
XerTrekker@reddit
Snoopy Sno Cone Machine, never got it. Seems like it was too hard to use anyway.
Cabbage Patch Kid, got it after I had outgrown the desire to play with it.
somewherein72@reddit
I remember this instance where I was at a yard sale with my mom and they had a 15" xenomorph figure from Alien for $1.50. well, my mother said it was ugly and wouldn't get it for me. Later on, I found the same figure in a price guide and it was worth a crazy amount of money. I showed my mother the price guide, she just said it's still ugly. And, I never got a xenomorph figure.
tragicsandwichblogs@reddit
G.I. Joe
HedgehogNo8361@reddit (OP)
This reminded me:
My older sister had a godfather (Fred); I did not (I don't know why).
It was painfully obvious, even to me (8F), that Fred heavily favored his my sister (10F) and his own kid, Jessica (7F), over me.
They came to visit one year and he gave each of us 3 girls a present:
My sister and Jessica got the Bionic Woman action doll (basically a Lindsay Wagner Barbie with long blonde hair) and I got the 6 Million Dollar Man. He had plastic hair and a literal hole through his head where his eye-socket was. It scared me and I *hated* it.
I distinctly remember Fred telling me that the store only had 2 Bionic Woman dolls and "you don't mind the boy, right?". What a sucker punch that was.
I never liked him much after that lol
(Pic of creepy 6 Million Dollar Man doll)
tragicsandwichblogs@reddit
Fred was a jerk.
zootnotdingo@reddit
All my homies hate Fred
HedgehogNo8361@reddit (OP)
Close up of the head:
ms5h@reddit
I had the Bionic Woman doll and it was amazing. Who'd want that creepy 6M Dollar Man when you could have the Bionic Woman? You got shafted!
frank_the_tanq@reddit
With the kung fu grip?
DooDooCat@reddit
Star Wars action figures. As an adult I recognized that my mother would work a seasonal job just to afford Christmas for me and my brothers.
OldBanjoFrog@reddit
Lazer Tag
Kamimitsu@reddit
Kinda same, except I DID get it (I saved up my money and bought it) and my dad made me take it back and return it to Toys-R-Us. "It's a waste of money!" OK, but it's MY money to waste!
I was PISSED. I have no idea what lesson that was supposed to teach me. Anyway, the neighbor got a set and was nice enough to lend me one of the guns so we could play in the woods together.
GrumpyCatStevens@reddit
I wanted a slot car set, and I never got one.
dirt-daddy-9407@reddit
USS Flagg aircraft carrier for my GI Joes!
charo36@reddit
Lite Brite.
tk2old@reddit
Up and over that four foot ditch!
Hell_Camino@reddit
I really wanted this mobile crime lab kit when I was a kid and got one Christmas. It was awesome. I was lifting fingerprints all over our house.
https://ebay.us/m/fuMTTw
Ecstatic-Club-1879@reddit
Voltron...the metal lions. I got the plastic ones
tk2old@reddit
I wasn't allowed to have the evel knievel sst "up and over the 4 foot ditch"
:-(
My friend had it though :-)
ONROSREPUS@reddit
Wasn't a toy. I wanted my own .22 rifle like dad's. I never got one given to me. I had to buy my own like he did as a kid. He did buy me a lot of .22 shells thou and I mean lots!
jarhead3088@reddit
Hutch or redline bike I wanted to be rad so bad
HatesDuckTape@reddit
I wanted the neon green Diamondback my friend across the street had.
jarhead3088@reddit
Diamond backs were hot ! I worked all summer and got a mongoose Someone stole it at school lol
Kauffman67@reddit
USS Flagg. Still want one.
jdub67a@reddit
The Merlin electronic game console! You could play 6, yes 6, different games on it!
marshallkrich@reddit
GI Joe - USS Flag.
suigeneris8@reddit
The Millenium Falcon….and I am still hoping it shows up under the christ,as tree every year
TyeMoreBinding@reddit
I never wanted anything as bad as the original NES. Ralphie’s longing for a Red Ryder paled in comparison to how obsessed I was.
If you asked me which day brought more joy: my first child’s birth or Christmas of 1985, I’d have a hard time answering…. It was fucking magical. (The birth. Of course;)
wophi@reddit
NFL Electronic Football.
Never got it.
Also, my friends who had it never wanted to play with it and I never understood why...
Briilliant_Bob@reddit
Snoopy Sno-Cone Machine. I never got it.
Guess who bought one for herself this past Christmas? 😄 Still riding that high...
johnnycat75@reddit
If you're a male within a certain age window, there's only one answer and it's The USS Flagg.
And hell no I didn't get one, but I did get to see one once.
Whovian73@reddit
I remember seeing it in the toy store and how much it was. I never asked Santa because I knew it was too much. That Christmas I did get the Tactical Battle Platform and loved it so much. Held many battles around that base.
Massive_Spinach_459@reddit
The real Barbie Doll, I only received the fake barbie.
Whovian73@reddit
I wanted an Atari but got a Sears Intellivision instead. Wore out and replaced 2 controllers before Nintendo came out.
All of my friends had Atari, so my Intellivision was the cool game system that they didn’t have.
Puzzleheaded_Use_566@reddit
Cabbage Patch Kid when it was all the craze, but I didn’t get one then. I got one the next Christmas, but I wanted one with black hair and blue eyes, I got a redhead with green eyes (because my sister wanted a redhead with green eyes and my mom thought we should have “sister dolls.”)
She was fine, just not as special as I had hoped.
Auferstehen78@reddit
More Legos. I only had the one small generic set.
When I got a job and had extra cash is when I started buying the Lego I wanted.
gravitydefiant@reddit
A Cabbage Patch doll, and yes, I got one eventually. After my parents got us knock-offs for Christmas, saw a news story about knock-offs spontaneously combusting, freaked out, returned the knock-offs, and took us shopping to pick out our very own real Cabbage Patch dolls.
Whovian73@reddit
Didn’t know about the fakes! Scary!
My sister got a real one on her birthday in May after all of the craziness at Christmas. I remember watching the news and seeing parents fighting over the dolls that Christmas.
CleverJerzGirl@reddit
An Easy Bake Oven and no. 😭
But when I was in my 20s, me and a friend bought one for shits and giggles and had a grand ole time getting drunk and making cake with a light bulb! 🤣
MadMatchy@reddit
The Alien figure
Ok_Perception1131@reddit
Weebles.
Never got them.
NotDougMasters@reddit
GI Joe USS Flagg Aircraft Carrierwas the dream toy.
mollybewe@reddit
Trampoline.
alchebyte@reddit
Evel Knievel Stunt Cycle. was a bit of a disappointment ofc.
frank_the_tanq@reddit
Green Machine. No.
But I did have a Stretch Armstrong. As it turns out there actually were limits to how far he could stretch.
monkeymuscle1974@reddit
GI Joe Aircraft Carrier
ellylions@reddit
The mere fact that you used pine, instead of opine, made me want to answer this.
A mini bike. And no I never got it.
Itchy_Undertow-1@reddit
A swing set from the S&H catalogue. Did not get it.
Reachforthesky777@reddit
The big die cast Voltron lions that transformed into the big Voltron robot. I wanted that toy so much. Now I can't remember what I liked about it.
I-Am-All-Me@reddit
Castle Grayskull, never got it. Mom got She-ra's castle for me instead. I was upset.
Logical-Jury-1974@reddit
Barbie Dream House and a Holly Hobby Oven. Never got either lol.
Efficient-Hornet8666@reddit
I wanted all of the Constructicons so I could combine them into Devastator, but never got a single one of those neon green dudes.
colonelangus68@reddit
A black Mongoose bike with the 5 spoked wheels in yellow. Never got it but it lived in my memory forever.
ms5h@reddit
I always wanted those baby dolls that came with a bunch of clothes and a little storage trunk for them. I’d flip through catalogs just desperate for one. I probably would have gotten one had I ever mentioned it to anyone!
Effective_Echidna438@reddit
I always wanted a Raleigh Chopper but never got one
FeDude55@reddit
I had a Boba Fett that got lost as a kid, and my Mom couldn’t afford to buy again. I bought one a few years ago for myself. Sadly, I had a house fire and he was frozen in his carbonate packaging when the heat melted the plastic.
PahzTakesPhotos@reddit
The Lone Ranger and Silver.
I got Silver and months later, I got the Lone Ranger that fit with him. Turns out that my dad had to get a rain check from the Montgomery Wards catalog store because they sold out of the Lone Ranger.
I still have the articulated Silver and all his tack. But the Lone Ranger died in an incident that left him with a superglued leg and eventually he died from that… and being consistently dropped.
RVAblues@reddit
In recent times, thanks to the internet, I’ve been able to get every video game I’ve ever wanted. I’ve also gotten several pinball games. ANd any Lego set I ever wanted was or is just a click away on eBay.
And I’m one of the few 80s boys that didn’t ever really care about getting the GI Joe aircraft carrier.
But there is only one thing that I pined for as a kid that I have yet to acquire: The Heinz H-57 Burger Blaster.
I think I’m okay without it though.
Ihaveaboot@reddit
RocketTubes, 1979.
https://i.redd.it/qv6as31b87af1.gif
satyrday12@reddit
I still have this. Nothing beats Micronauts.
Weird-Ninja8827@reddit
Micronauts Rocket Tubes. And yes.
FowlTemptress@reddit
When I was very young, I desperately wanted a Sit and Spin. Looking back, I realize my parents would have gotten me one if I had just asked. I don’t know why it seemed like an unattainable toy to me.
Effective_Coach7334@reddit
never got my big wheel
BaldDudePeekskill@reddit
I wanted that Rock Tumbler Thing and the Pottery Wheel. I have zero crafting ability now and probably had less then zero back then so I did not get it.
It would probably still be in my "crafts" box that I collected over the pandemic that never got used.
Best gift I DID get....a freaking piano. I was taking lessons and had a small 22 key air pump organ. I asked my parents for the next size up and those crazy parents went and bought me a piano. I've been playing for the last 45 years and even do it professionally. Thanks Mom and Dad!
smokin_monkey@reddit
Go cart, no,
Upstairs_Fudge_9982@reddit
I wanted a ZX Spectrum, because its what all of the kids had, but I didn't get one until 1989. although I did get an Amiga A500 the following year, so it wasn't all bad!
No-Mechanic3931@reddit
Erector set
venerablem0m@reddit
An Easy-Bake Oven. I never got one, but did get one for my own daughter (along with custom pre-mixes from Etsy which was neat). So, I got to live out my dream vicariously through her.
I also wanted a telescope, and after forty years of wanting one, my husband fulfilled that wish!
Forlorn_Hopeless@reddit
Transformer "Soundwave" with a mini cassette that transformed into a bird. Also wanted the Voltron cats that turned into a big robot. Never got either.
cacecil1@reddit
Easy bake oven and a Lite Brite
Narcissistbutnice@reddit
The senior deluxe art kit from Sears. Asked for it for many years. One Christmas I didn’t ask for it. Mum drops that she’d tried to buy it for me that year. I responded with a no you didn’t it was discontinued the previous year.
Pristine_Poetry1340@reddit
the big Kenner Godzilla seemed like every other kid in the neighborhood had one
matador_girl@reddit
Atari 2600, I got one on eBay in the ’s & still have it!
MSB218@reddit
When I was very little, Glo Worm; when I was a little older, Nintendo.
PhotographsWithFilm@reddit
A HO scale train set.
And I got it.
I so much wanted a train set. One year for Christmas, there was a box of Lego under the tree with a note attached explaining that Santa couldn't do it that year, but maybe one day.
Well, I got that trainset the year after. It was a Lima set and what made it better is it had a South Australia Railways 930 class Loco.
Actually, I welling up a bit. Growing up, I never thought that we were on the lower socio economic scale. But as an adult, I know it now.
I've never mentioned it to my mother before, but I gather that they simply couldn't afford it that one Christmas.
Nedstarkclash@reddit
Authentic leather football
Gvajr77@reddit
Gi Joe Tomahawk, never got it
Suspicious_Tax_6215@reddit
A Light Brite. Sadly, I never got one.
FeralBanshee@reddit
Cricket
Sitting_pipe@reddit
The Millennium Falcon, by the time i got one i didn't want it, the time had already passed and the same thing happened for the Atari. BY the time we got one i was busy with friends.
HedgehogNo8361@reddit (OP)
I absolutely *loved* Frogger! First and last video game I've ever played lol