Ten Decades Of Britains Best Selling Toys
Woolworths celebrates its 100th birthday this month and commemorates the landmark by revealing the best-selling toys over the last ten decades.
1909: Kewpie Doll
Kewpie dolls and figurines were one of the most popular toys of the early 1900’s and were based on comic strip-like illustrations that appeared in Ladies’ Home Journal.
1919: The Hornby Train
The Hornby Train was a model train made by Meccano and was based in Liverpool, the same town where Woolworths first made its name. The Hornby brand went on to be a huge success with boys and men alike worldwide.
1929: Duncan Yo-Yo
US entrepreneur Donald Duncan can be credited with making the Yo-Yo one of the most popular toys of the 20’s. The Yo-yo has continued to be popular into the 21st century.
1939: Monopoly
The famous board game was patented in the 1930’s and is one of the most commercially-successful board games in history with 485 million players worldwide. How many family fights and arguments has this gem been responsible for?
1949: LEGO
LEGO bricks were first introduced to the toy market in the late 1940’s. The ‘Automatic Binding Bricks’, a forerunner of the LEGO bricks we know today were first introduced in four colours.
1959: Barbie Doll
Barbie was first introduced in 1959 as a teenage fashion doll and in its first year of production alone sold over 350,000 Barbie dolls. More than 40 years later, Barbie continues to be one of the most popular toys available.
1969: James Bond Aston Martin toy car
This model Aston Martin DB5 car was launched by Corgi just before release of Thunderball in December 1965 and was hugely popular in this decade. It became Corgi’s most popular product with over seven million sold.
1979: Trivial Pursuit
It was developed in the late 1970’s and became an instant hit sensation with families. Its success was based on the development of worldwide pop culture and the game still remains an after-dinner favorite.
1989: Rubik’s cube
As of January 2009, 350 million cubes have sold worldwide making it the world’s top-selling puzzle game. It is also widely considered to be the world’s best selling toy ever.
1999: Pokemon trading cards
The collectible card game based on the Pokémon video game series was a huge hit in the world toy market in the late 1990’s. Upon its release Pokemon immediately became one of the most sought-after card games in history.
2009: X Factor Karaoke Machine
This party gift set is Woolies’ most popular toy so far this year. Complete with illuminated mirror ball, karaoke machine, two microphones and CDs with 30 tracks it shows how much TV programmes dictate toy fashions today.
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