When you are watching your favorite show, commercials cutting in after every second or third episode would seem disturbing. Now, in an era where there were mind-blowing technology advances, you would not mind the interruption. Why is that? The reason is that the commercial is a classic innovation of what you had wanted. The ’80s decade offered a great deal of audience satisfaction with its jingles. But the ’90s is an era of more electronics and fewer jingles. Since the advertising industry’s economic dominance was booming, the ’90s era commercials were not just trying to sell the product. The decade did make sure to entreat the fancy of every toy lover.
To help re-experience this striking era, here is a list of 10 toy commercials from the 1990s. This list explores every ad that ‘90s kids wish were longer than the usual 30s.
Presenting the 10 Most Striking Toy Commercials from the 1990s!
10. Creepy Crawlers [1994]
To begin this list, we are considering Mattel’s activity toy by the name Creepy Crawlers. This toy has a second name, Thingmaker. The scene of the commercial follows that of a scientific laboratory. Of course, the laboratory has a scientist. Like many ambitious scientists, the scientist in this lab has a creation. His creation is the Thingmaker. This Thingmaker is a Creepy Crawler Oven set used to create a graveyard fright. It included the stomach, heart, and brain of a skeleton.
9. Talkboy [1994]
It is the first century, and everyone with a digital gadget has a sound recorder on their gadget. But in the ’90s, what you would find on kids was Talkboy. Home Alone 2: Lost in New York featured the use of this toy. In the comedy film, Kevin McCallister used the Talkboy as a cassette recorder and player. Later, the Home Alone movie production team allowed Tiger Electronics to design a retail model.
The commercial projected high-tech fun for kids, but just one boy enjoyed all the fun in the commercial. He recorded a girl’s voice saying, “Hey, stop drooling on me!” to her dog. Then he used this recording to disturb the romantic setup of a guy who was about to “drool” on his lady. He repeated his naughtiness with another recording. Now, he used the voice-changing feature so the man and his lady would not know it was him.
8. Skip-It [1991]
The eighth choice for the 90’s striking toy commercial is the ankle game Skip-It. The trio of Maggie Harvey, Avid Arad, and Mel Kennedy came together to invent the toy. Time Magazine included this outstanding in the 100 greatest toys ever. In the early ’90s, Skip-It was getting its second production called the “Skip-It Renaissance.” This was after the commercial success of its initial release in the ‘80s.
What gave Skip-It Renaissance the edge in the ‘90s over the success already gotten in the ‘80s? The reason must be the introduction of a counter on the Skip-It ball. It records the number of skips the user makes. Its commercial featured a couple of kids sharing in the fascination of this toy. As the toy makes its 360-degree rotation, another player can be a part of the fun.
7. Socker Boppers [1997]
Back in the late ’90s, Big Time Toys rolled in the fun for kids with Socker Boppers. The toy line has spin-offs with Sock’em titles. That is the reason why some ‘90s kids would refer to the toy as Sock’em Boppers. That name would not see the light of day again after Mattel sued Big Time Toys for trademark infringement. Mattel alleged that the name infringed on their property, “Rock’em Sock’em Robots”. Hence, Socker Boppers was the wicked slang of the ‘90s.
Big Time Toys imprinted the slang on the hearts of their audience via their sumptuous commercial. Even Nintendo considered buying the franchise hoping it will boost the sales of their products. However, the deal fell through, but the commercial strikes on. The commercial is a modified approach to pillow fights. Blow the toy up, put your hands in it, and the fun begins.
6. Polly Pocket [1994]
Our sixth array of striking toy commercials for the ’90s is one belonging to the ladies’ fashion line. It is the Polly Pocket toy line. Mattel produced this line of dolls with different accessories. Chris Wiggs, who is the first designer, made the design for Kate, his daughter. His passionate, fatherly design used a makeup powder compact.
It is the often-conspicuous pinkish mix of coloring that sets the female accessories apart. Looking at the Polly Pocket commercial, this concept was in play. A Barbie-looking doll made the introduction with few ballerina spins. After which, the scene shifts to display two girls with their own set of compact Polly Pocket. The most salient moment in the commercial was the ending. Mattel reminded us that there is more to lady shapes than circles and oval.
5. Do not Wake Daddy [1992]
Choosing the next toy commercial from the ‘90s, we are going for a board game. SSHH! Do not Wake Dad! Parker Brothers produced this game. Over the years, Do not Wake Daddy has had its owner’s name changed from Parker Brothers to Milton Bradley, and now to Hasbro. Parker Brothers designed this game for a quartet or a pair of two.
The commercial started with four kids (two boys and two girls) getting off their bed. They began to make their way to some snack, tiptoeing to the refrigerator. They must do this without waking their sleeping dad. The striking bit is that the game has a noise space for its player’s messiness in case they make noise. Now, they can press their dad’s alarm to make it look like he was in a nightmare.
4. Magic Potty Baby [1991]
Our fourth pick is one most common to the young ladies back in the ‘90s. However, Tyco’s Magic Potty Baby is the most controversial member of this list. Favorable comments from critiques have not met it. Nonetheless, it is still quite outstanding. The idea of sitting a doll on a plastic toilet is not one every Tom, Dick, and Harry will find striking.
It is important to give little children potty training. But not every kid knows how to handle the mess during their potty training. That is the reason why Tyco promised a mess-free toilet. Hence, the “magic” of Magic Potty Baby that prevents mess. In the commercial, the beautiful little girl took care of her doll and gave her Magic Potty Baby a “magic” potty-training!
3. Gak [1992]
The third commercial on this list is one of the funniest commercials from the ‘90s. It is Nickelodeon/Mattel’s most popular compound. Yes, Gak is a compound. It looks like a few pounds of mashed potato. Anyway, this compound is oozy. If you are familiar with Nickelodeon’s Green Slime, Gak is just a little different from that. ’90s kids will tell you the difference between the two is that the Green Slime is more liquid. Hence, while one pours Green Slime, you dump Gak on a target.
The 1992 commercial tells us more about Gak. The commercial starts with the big question: “What is GAK?” Different kids answer this question. The first one said, “Gak is great stuff.” And the other kids had other things to say about Gak as well. The commercial’s intriguing parts were how the kids were playing with Gak and making funny sounds with it. And there is also a funny-looking lady.
2. Mr. Bucket [1992]
The first runner-up on this list is Mr. Bucket. Milton Bradley (MB), a division of Hasbro’s toy-making company, created this toy. Mr. Bucket is a plastic, electrically powered bucket. The “mister” title would ring a bell in the minds of ’90s kids. That is a reminder that it has the face of a human. However, audiences often remember this toy for its scintillating commercial.
Mr. Bucket’s commercial explores the fun triggers of kids. Talk about the colors; red, blue, yellow, and green. Kids with this toy must run around and burn some of their gushing adrenaline. The most conspicuous part of Mr. Bucket’s face is the mouth. With it, Mr. Bucket pops out balls. And there are shovels to pick the balls spilled out. Seeing four young lads on your TV set having this fun is a striking piece to watch.
1. Mouse Trap [1990]
At the top of this list is a board game, something like Chutes and Ladders (Snakes and Ladders.) Hasbro originally published the Mouse Trap game in 1963, but they updated and adjusted the game for modern times. Its 1990 commercial corresponds with Mouse Trap’s adaptation into a British Children Television Show. The fun fact is that kids who contested in the show picked spots on a life-size board game. They would be the mice.
Hasbro did not need to use the British Children Television Show, Motormouth, to strike its audience’s fancy. Instead, it utilized a more “Tom and Jerry” kind of concept. Of course, the characters were nothing like the legendry “Tom and Jerry,” but they will give the legend a run for its money. A boy and a girl seem to have had their chips stolen by a mouse. Then in comes the cat character to save the day with Mouse Trap!
FINAL THOUGHTS
The ’90s era had a lot of toys to offer. Picking out the striking ones was not an easy task. ’90s kids would agree with me that these commercials got you glued to your TV set. Much more, these toy commercials were what got you interested in many of the toys. Many ’90s birthday and thanksgiving wish list were inspired by commercials streaming on the TV.
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!