10 most wanted Christmas toys of the 1960s

All we wanted were small kitchen appliances and lifelike dolls.

Image: Thinkstock

Let's face it, kids just wanted to be little adults in the 1960s. From small kitchen appliances to baby dolls, the toys of that era were pretty mature.

Well, now the joke's on us. We would give anything to play with an Easy-Bake Oven again instead of cook dinner for our families. 

These were the toys every kid wanted to find underneath the tree Christmas morning in the 1960s. Did you have any of them?



1. Chatty Cathy

This talking doll gave Barbie a run for her money in the 1960s, becoming the second highest-selling doll of the decade. Pull the string from her back and Cathy would speak one of 11 phrases. "I love you" was one, of course. Even Marcia Brady was a fan!

Image: mycomicshop.com

2. Ken Doll

Barbie made her debut in 1959, and went without a companion for two years before Ken arrived in 1961. The doll had "real" hair (made of felt) its first year on the market before getting a plastic 'do.

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3. Barbie's Dream House

Dolls were hot commodities in the 1960s, and they needed a place to live. In 1962, some prime real estate opened up for Barbie - a cardboard ranch complete with mid-century modern furniture. Years later, she would add levels and decadence to her abode.

Image: flickriver

4. Easy-Bake Oven

Teaching kids how to bake at a very young age, the Easy-Bake Oven utilized two light bulbs and came in two colors — yellow and light blue. 

Image: Pinterest

5. G.I. Joe Doll

Dolls got a little more masculine in the mid '60s with the introduction of G.I Joe. An army of little plastic toy soldiers just couldn't stand up to Hasbro's mighty doll.

Image: Action Man HQ Forum

6. Wham-O Super Ball

Wham-O produced many of the most memorable children's toys of the 1960s and 1970s, but this was one of the most popular. The company's "super" rubber contained polybutadiene, hydrated silica, zinc oxide and stearic acid. But who cares, those things could BOUNCE!

Image: Pinterest

7. Suzy Homemaker

Like "Chatty Cathy," Suzy Homemaker was so popular, it became part of the American vernacular. This line of shrunken appliances, introduced in 1966, momentarily made children forget about their Easy-Bake Ovens.

Image: Lizzie Tish Vintage

8. Lite-Brite

When launched in 1967, Lite-Brite was billed in catalogs as "an amazing new toy that lets a child color with light." It came with 16 pre-printed picture sheets to lay on the "magic box." Soon enough, kids across the country quickly learned what real anger felt like when the box was tipped over while working. 

Image: nostalgicevocations

9. Hot Wheels

Matchbox had been selling tiny cars since for over a decade when Mattel jumped in the game with Hot Wheels in 1968. The initial line of models included American muscle like Camero, Corvette, Firebird, Mustang and more.

Image: White Metal

10. Flatsy Dolls

Ideal Toy Company premiered these sort-of-two-dimensional dolls at the end of the decade. They came in three sizes, and each with a theme. These groovy, mod relics are quite collectible.

Image: National Museum of Play

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15 Comments

francolaguna1 37 months ago
Oh yeah PROUD to say I had an Easy Bake Oven in the 1970's! My brothers and cousins took care of anyone who gave me lip about it.
DebbieMillsBond 38 months ago
My wants for Christmas in the 60s. Matty Mattel talking doll, Mr. Machine, Vacuform, Think Maker Machine, and the best of all...the Johnny Seven OMA (one man Army gun). I was quite the tomboy and that gun was the best gift ever on my 10th Christmas!
Bestie3 39 months ago
I have an easy bake oven I trough it away the frosting was gross the only thing that was good was the brownie and the sprinkles my little bro got hot wheels the
Terry72929 39 months ago
I still have my Chatty Cathy Doll. My brother had a GI Joe.
JimSeely 39 months ago
I pert near removed the finger prints from my right fingers when for some reason I was convinced that my neighbor's Easy Bake Oven was just a toy. Dumb!
melanieofoz 39 months ago
My sister had Barbie's Dream House. I was about 4 years old when I decided to sit on the cardboard couch. Well, let's just say it wasn't as comfortable as I would have liked. I flattened it to death LOL We (from unauthorized sharing) also had the Ken doll, GI Joe, Super Ball and Hot Wheels. The one doll my sister and I always wanted on Christmas and birthday was Liddle Kiddles.
DarioWiter 42 months ago
Tinytoyarcade.com sells Super Balls for rough $6. I recently purchased one a few months for kicks, since it came out few years before I was born. ☺️
Kevin 49 months ago
Major Matt Mason was one of my favs

idkwut2use 52 months ago
Had an Easy-Bake, Lite-Brite, tons of Hot Wheels...but omg, I want to literally LIVE in Barbie's gorgeous house. Wish I'd had that. Maybe my mom did...
WLN111 52 months ago
Liddle Kiddles, Jingle Jump, Little Red Spinning Wheel, Hands Down Game, Ker-Plunk, Silly Putty, Thumblina Doll, Ginnette Doll, Suzy Cute Doll, Incredible Edibles, Slinky.
ndebrabant 52 months ago
I just wanted #5., G.I. Joe Doll and 6., Wham-O Super Ball. I got the Wham-O Super Ball.
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