Why 1980s Toys Are More Valuable Than Ever

The 1980s were an iconic decade with changes in technology, fun fashion styles, bright colors, and amazing music. Many things made the 80s a decade worth savoring and remembering. One thing from the 80s that still lives on heavily today is the toys. The 1980s showed a massive spark in toys with new designs that would carry into future generations. These toys live on in the minds of many people as they remember simpler times playing with them and diving deep into the franchises that made up their favorite characters.

Today, these toys from the 1980s continue to stand the test of time and rise to high, expensive prices. People all over the world have started collections of vintage toys and search for these items all over online markets and in person auctions to get the most valuable items for their collection. Follow along in our blog with us to see why these toys from the 1980s are more valuable than ever.

See The Value of 1980s Toys

Toys from the 1980s not only rise in value due to the great childhood nostalgia they bring, although this is a major reason. They also rise in value due to their rarity, creative marketing and innovation that the 1980s brought and continue into the toy market today. Along with this, technology has made it possible for people all around the world to get their hands on these epic toys. With reboots still releasing, people all over the world begin to gain interest in these 1980s collectible items. Continue following along in our blog to journey through these factors that made these toys so memorable and continue to capture the hearts of many in their now expensive state.

Nostalgia

As mentioned above, Nostalgia plays such a large factor into why 1980s toys are more valuable than ever. The people buying from the vintage toy market today are mostly adults from ages thirty to sixty. Many of these people purchasing vintage toys remember playing with them as a kid. They are now at a point in their lives where they can afford to invest in them or spend high amounts of money to start a collection of these toys they remember so well.

Many of these toys that are so high in value now are those that are high in demand due to nostalgia. People are reminded of their childhood days playing with these toys and watching the movies or television shows that featured them. They remember playing with their friends and creating fun action-packed scenes with their favorite figures and vehicles. 

Some of the toys that are high in value today from nostalgia include G.I. Joe toys, Transformers, Star Wars figures, He-Man toys, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, and so much more. People don't simply get nostalgic over the way the toys look or the different versions that released, they get nostalgic because these toys capture memories for them. These toys allow people to reminisce on days of the past and the feelings that came with getting the toys they loved years ago in the mail to treasure on display shelves for years to come.

Rarity

Another factor why these toys from the 1980s are so expensive today is due to their rarity. Toys from the 1980s are no longer in production. There may be new toy lines of these characters still releasing but not the original ones. From this, 1980s toys are rare which raises the value. They were most likely only in production for a few years making the ones still being sold in the vintage toy market very valuable. Many of these toys over the years have also gotten lost or thrown away, making the vintage toy market more scarce with the ones still in circulation. 

Also, many of these toys have gotten damaged over the years which causes them to go down in value. Although the slightly damaged toys can still get sold, the really valuable toys are the ones still in good condition. These toys still in good condition are so rare today making them soar in value, even still as the years go by.

Marketing

With so many different toys released during the 80s, many new marketing strategies began for toy companies to try to sell their items effectively.One of those is what the 1980s toy world classifies as the "cartoon craze". One creative strategy toy companies used in the 1980s to sell their toys was by producing television shows to go with their items.

This gave kids animated shows featuring characters that also released as action figures along with their vehicles and playsets. From this, kids could dive deep into the character's personalities and storyline through watching them on screen, deepening their love for the entire franchise. These cartoons were marketed as basically longer commercials to promote the toys and it worked so well, many toy companies did the same thing creating this craze for kids to enjoy their toys even more.

Companies made the packaging on boxes strategically creative with specific designs and colors geared towards different groups of kids to making the items more appealing. Companies began making packaging on toys intended for boys with action scenes and dark colors while toys intended for girls featured harmonious scenes with light pastel colors. These were intended to make kids want their items more as they went down the toy aisles at stores and creatively grew these companies' sales quick since they were so desired and popular.

Today, these toys are super valuable as these iconic marketing strategies are still being used today. This marketing also had an impact on nostalgia today since many people remember these toys from the creative marketing strategies used in the 80s. These marked such a big transition in the toy selling business making them so desireable today.

Innovation

Many of the toys released in the 1980s also marked an iconic time of innovation. Whether it was a societal shift, technological advances, or a cool feature on a toy no one has ever seen before, the 1980s had it all. Many of these toys showcased the culture at the time and give time stamps for when inventions came out that shifted the toy industry for years to come.

Toys such as Transformers opened up a new world of innovative transformative toys that allowed children to turn one awesome action figure into a vehicle or another figure. These toys gave kids the incredible option of two toys in one! Another example of how the 1980s brought innovation to toys is found in the Visonaries toy line. These toys featured holographic images that moved to multiple images when looked at from different angles. This unique factor makes these toys still sought after decades after they went out of production.

Many toys from the 1980s also included cool mechanical features that shot out weapons, lit up, or made cool sound effects when played with. This gave an exciting twist to regular toys and made kids want to purchase them when they first released. Today, these items are high in demand since they were often the first to include these features and give so many people nostalgia for how impressive these features were when they first came out.

The Online Market

With the advancement in technology and online websites, vintage toy buying and selling has sparked in popularity greatly over the past decade or so and especially over the past few years. More and more people come across these websites and begin starting their collection or find toys they own to sell to other collectors online.

The online market allows people to search through items others are selling and to sell their own toys to make some money and help grow someone else's collection. With so many people searching for these toys online, the demand for them goes up. These toys are rare and many of them rise to high values from so many people wanting the same items.

Along with the online websites, social media also plays a big role in this with people showcasing their collections and demonstrating the different qualities of vintage toys. This allows thousands or even millions of people to enjoy them and look into starting their own collections or investing in these expensive vintage toys themselves.

Reboots

Another thing that makes 1980s toys more valuable than ever are the reboots that cause people to remember the original toys and grow in their love for them again or for the first time. Some of these reboots include a new line of toys that released years or decades after the original toy line but features the same classic characters. Often, these new toy lines bring back memories of the past from the original ones and cause people to become interested in them again.

Another reason these toys become so valuable today is with new television shows, movies, and other media releases. Media releases for these original iconic characters allows for people to remember the toys they used to love and search the web to see if they can own them again. They spark old memories for some and get new fans interested in the vintage toy market.

Some other reasons these 80s toys have become so valuable and high in demand is from the trends of the decade coming back again. New media releases based off of the 80s such as Stranger Things allows for new and younger fans to appreciate this time period and look into the now vintage toys that made up the era. Also, as trends make their way back and 80s music and styles make a comeback again, people gravitate towards all of the things that make up this time period, allowing more and more people to get interested in these now incredibly valuable vintage toys. 

Final Thoughts

1980s toys are now more valuable than ever due to the nostalgia they bring, the rarity they show, and their iconic mark on the world. These vintage toys bring people back to a simpler time and can be used as investments while also reminiscing on a large part of their childhoods. Websites also make buying and selling vintage toys accessible all around the world, bringing so many people into the vast world of 80s toys and growing the demand along with their love for the items.

Do You Have Old or Used Toys?

Don’t let your collection sit in storage gathering dust—turn it into cash! At Wheeljack’s Lab, we specialize in evaluating and buying vintage and used toys, from single standouts to entire collections.

Our friendly, expert team has decades of hands-on experience in collectible toys, so you can expect honest evaluations and a smooth process from start to finish. Ready to sell? Call us at 888-946-2895 and let’s get started.

About the Owner, Chris Ingledue

Chris is the founder and owner of Wheeljack’s Lab Pop Culture and Toy Shop. His vision has always been to reconnect collectors with the toys and pop culture that shaped their childhoods—sparking memories, nostalgia, and imagination along the way.

Each day in the “Lab” feels like Christmas year-round. From scouring the internet for the next great treasure—much like flipping through the Sears Catalog of years past—to eagerly awaiting the postman’s arrival like Santa himself, Chris lives and breathes the thrill of the hunt. Helping collectors around the world experience their own version of Christmas is what makes being a vintage toy buyer an absolute joy.