Retro flashbacks are good to tell how far along we have come. The toy commercial industry has had its fair share of change over the years. Now, looking back to the ’70s, ’80s, and ’90s era, some keen memories are worth reliving. The 1970s decade saw some of the most excruciating wars against the toy commercial industry. Yet, it has some of the most memorable toy commercials to date. The ’70s produced toy hall of Famers. Proceeding to the 1980s, the toy commercial industry has started seeing its economic significance. However, it has its audience to cater to. Hence, it delved into customer satisfaction. Finally, in came the 1990’s era, which marked the end of both a century and a millennium. Currently, the computer age was already overhead. Therefore, this era marketed a lot of toys that had electrical functions.
Let’s delve into the top 10 toy commercials from the 70s through to the 80s!
10. Barbie Dream Kitchen [1984]
To start the ball rolling, let us make a trip to the late ‘80s for a famous Barbie fashion doll. As you may know, the Barbie doll line has a lot of Barbie dolls. Common examples include Totally Hair Barbie [1992], Pink Jubilee Barbie [1989], etc. But to break the ground running, let us consider the Barbie Dream Kitchen commercial. The reputable toymakers Mattel, Inc. manufactured this toy.
Many factors contributed to the popular name of Barbie fashion dolls. A standout factor is “Barbie Syndrome.” This is a myth about ladies doing things the way Barbie does. Many will argue that this is true, especially when you see the Barbie Dream Kitchen commercial. Some ladies who were kids in the ‘80s decade would not stop making kitchen purchase. The reason is that they believe that Barbie’s 60 kitchen playset is the start of the number of a kitchen set up.
9. Hungry Hippos [1978]
On the ninth slot of this list is a ‘70s classic, Hungry Hungry Hippos. Consumers also know this toy by the name Hungry Hippos, which excuses the emphasis in the name. Hungry Hippos is a tabletop game created by Hasbro. Although Fred Kroll first mentioned this idea in 1967, Hasbro allowed a decade to pass before producing it. The production proceedings took place under Milton Bradley, a subsidiary of Hasbro. Hungry Hippos is made for two or four players.
The making of the commercial features four kids. These youngsters surrounded the tabletop gaming board. In each corner of the board is a plastic hippopotamus head. Each head is brightly colored in red, pink, green, and yellow. At the end of each head, one can see the levers that players use to work the hippo heads. When a kid presses his/her lever, the hippo’s head extends to catch the plastic marbles rolling through the center of the board. Unquestionably, it is the hippo that eats the most marbles that win the game.
8. Great Moves [1978]
The eighth toy commercial on this list is a party game, Great Moves. The modish toymakers, Hasbro also created this game. Great Moves from Hasbro featured popular faces like Fred Allen Berry and Roz Kelly in their commercial. Being a multiplayer and a party game, it featured many other faces. This chicly composed game set incorporated pens, sheets of paper, a spinner, and cards.
The commercial showed how the spinner choose what part of the body would come into play during gameplay. For instance, a player is to wear a small whiteboard. Another player is to wear a pen. It also featured a scene where players must decide what object the other players would draw. Players decided these objects through cards. Depending on which part of the body that the spinner landed on and what object the card says, the players would come together. The commercial saw a set of players draw a teacup! How unbelievable?
7. Baby Laugh-a-Lot [1971]
Making it to number seven of the top toy commercials from the ‘70s to the ‘90s decade is Baby Laugh-a-Lot. Consumers also called this toy The Maniacal Laughing Doll or The Crazy Laughing Doll. Remco Industries, Inc created Baby Laugh-a-Lot. The commercial has a horror-comedy movie style.
Scenes from the commercial show a doll making a freak sound. Not so many Gen X kids were pleased with the voiceover. However, the doll does make youngsters laugh. Later in the commercial, kids began to giggle at the freaky doll. The only more intriguing sound you will hear is that of the doll when its battery is running low.
6. My Little Pony (MLP) [1989]
Hasbro’s My Little Pony (MLP) comes in as the sixth commercial on this list. Hasbro developed MLP to target girls. Bonnie Zacherle, Charles Muenchinger, and Steve D’Aguanno came together to create this fun masterpiece.
MLP’s commercial featured three girls leaning on a table. Each of these girls has a pony toy to play with. However, a pony stood out from the rest. This unique white pony sports a white pony wedding attire. Both the toy and its commercial gave kids back in the days a make-believe feeling of grown-up ladies.
5. Mr. Bucket [1992]
The fifth slot goes to Mr. Bucket. It is the second toy on this list created by Hasbro’s subsidiary, Milton Bradley (MB). It is an electrically powered bucket. The plastic bucket has a human face, which forms the eyes, nose, and much expedient mouth. As there are four colors of balls in the toy, the maximum number of players is four.
While watching Mr. Bucket‘s commercial, one can see that every youngster is bound to be fascinated by it. The four kids in the commercial could run after balls. As soon as Mr. Bucket pops out balls through its mouth, these kids use their shovels to pick up the balls spilled out. All the balls with the same color must be inside Mr. Bucket at once for a player to win the round.
4. Mouse Trap [1990]
If you are familiar with board games like Chutes and Ladders (Snakes and Ladders), Mouse Trap would not be so strange. This toy has enjoyed a great share of popularity. For instance, a British television show for children, Motormouth, featured this game in its programming. Ideal Toy Company first published Mouse Trap in 1963. However, it makes this list because of its 1990 commercial. This commercial corresponds with when it featured on Motormouth.
Why was the commercial of this Hasbro’s work of genius so fascinating? The obvious reason is the reputable character concept used. Only a handful of people are not familiar with “Tom and Jerry.” So, seeing a character figure like “Tom” running around the screen to save the day was a beauty to watch.
3. Mr. Potato Head [1975]
Mr. Potato Head is an incredible toy. That is why it is the third pick for this brilliant list. George Lerner invented Mr. Potato Head in 1949. However, this was a challenging time. Because of WWII and food rationing during this time, Lerner sold his product to a cereal company that used a plastic alteration instead of the original toy’s Potato fruit head. Later, in the ’70s, Hasbro came up with a mouthwatering commercial for Mr. Potato Head. The commercial came alongside the toy’s plastic model and its increase in size.
The talking point of this commercial is firstly the jingle. The jingle had the perfect mix of lyrics and a girly voice. The lyrics made much sense because it sounded like a nursery rhyme. Secondly, the beautiful girl putting Mr. Potato Head’s piece together was another stunning scene to behold.
2. Milky the Marvelous Milking Cow [1977]
A worthy mention as number two is Milky the Marvelous Milking Cow. Speculations surrounded Kenner Products’ introduction of Milky to the world in 1977. A major discourse was if Kenner Products’ acquisition by General Mills a decade before was a reason for the foodie toy. All that would matter less because the milk-yielding toy took the market by storm.
Apart from the toy’s foodie nature that got its customers, the commercial got a lot of audiences as well. Milky is 10.5 inches tall. It stood on a podium in the commercial, waiting for the two boys who were coming to milk it. As they got too Milky, one of the boys pumps the cow’s tail. Now, Milky is drinking the water in its trench. As soon as Milky fills up with water, it started mooing! Inside of Milky is a tablet that dissolves inside the water and gives it the milky look. Thus, the children marvelously milked Milky for some pretend milk.
1. Lite-Brite [1980]
At the top of the list is another Hasbro masterpiece with the name Lite-Brite. Lite-Brite is an art and craft toy invented by Joseph M. Burck. This masterpiece engulfs every other one. The reason is that the toy has color-by-letter templates. These templates help kids create characters like Mickey Mouse, Scooby-Doo, Transformer, and so on. There are templates for other toy characters as well, e.g., My Little Pony (MLP).
The much-talked-about commercial put some of these templates on display. The template makes use of multi-colored translucent plastic pegs. Players insert these pegs into the lightbox to create the intended lit pictures or shape. The ad also featured a catchy tune. Millennials have a fond memory of the commercial’s jingle “turn on the magic of shining bright!”
FINAL THOUGHTS
This list has done justice to help you relive the most amazing moments between the ‘70s and the ‘90s in the toy commercial industry. However, this article will not be complete without honorable mentions like Skip-It, Talkboy, Transformer, and so on.
Author: Chris Ingledue
Contact: email
Bio: I am the founder and owner of Wheeljack’s Lab pop Culture and Toy Shop. My vision has always been to reunite customers with their favorite childhood toys and pop culture, triggering fond memories, and reigniting their imaginations. Every day, I work in the “lab” where it’s Christmas 365 days a year. I scour the internet, like when we had the Sears Catalog of yesteryear, for the next great treasure. Then, I await the arrival of the postman as if he were Santa Claus himself and helping collectors worldwide with their own versions of Christmas. Every day as a vintage toy buyer is an absolute joy!