spending

15 Toys With Timeless Value

Don’t get us wrong: We love Wii and PS3 as much as the next kid-at-heart, especially under the tree on Christmas morning.

by: Kiplinger Team

January 1, 2012

istockphoto

Don’t get us wrong: We love Wii and PS3 as much as the next kid-at-heart, especially under the tree on Christmas morning. But toys guaranteed to amaze and delight the child in all of us have been around for centuries, and they don't cost nearly as much. Here are 15 timeless toys likely still to put a smile on any youngster's face. Chances are they put one on yours one winter morning many years ago. The slideshow begins with the navigation bar to your right:

December 2010

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Lincoln Logs

Hasbro

Current Price: $27 for the basic set
First Year on the Market: 1916

Lincoln Logs were invented by John L. Wright, a son of legendary architect Frank Lloyd Wright. Total units sold: More than 100 million.

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Lite Brite

Hasbro

Current Price: Starting at $11
First Year on the Market: 1967

Lite Brite allows budding artists to create a glowing picture. Most come with a set of starter patterns, like this clown.

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Easy-Bake Oven

Hasbro

Current Price: Starts at $23
First Year on the Market: 1963

About 20 million Easy-Bake Ovens have been sold since they went on the market. The original price: $15.95. An ordinary incandescent light bulb was the original heat source, but now the ovens use a true heating element. Cookies, anyone?

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Ant Farm

Uncle Milton Industries

Current Price: Around $8
First Year on the Market: 1931

Originally patented by Dartmouth engineering professor Frank Austin, more than 15 million "farms" have been sold by Uncle Milton Industries, a California-based educational toy company that owns the name ant farm. The scientific term for an ant colony enclosed by transparent plastic or glass is a formicarium.

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Remote-Controlled Cars

Masterboy

Current Price: Starting at $10
First Year on the Market: 1966

Italian toymaker El-Gi introduced radio-controlled cars to the toy market in the mid '60s. Remco’s Wheelies, popular in the '60s and '70s, were battery-operated stunt cars with antennas and motors. Today, radio-controlled cars are significantly cheaper than some of the advanced models. The most popular brand: Nikko RC Cars.

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Jigsaw Puzzles

CrazyPhunk

Current Price: Generally just a few bucks
First Year on the Market: 1870

Jigsaw puzzles were originally created by painting a picture on a flat, rectangular piece of wood, then cutting the picture into small pieces with a jigsaw, hence the name. Iconic toymaker Milton Bradley created the first puzzle, called “The Smashed Up Locomotive.” They have become more intricate and harder to piece together. But jigsaw puzzles are still cheap, engaging gifts that provide hours upon hours of fun.

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Silly Putty

Crayola

Current Price: Around a dollar
First Year on the Market: 1950

Around 6 million eggs are still "hatched" every year; two million are sold annually in the U.S. alone. The miraculous substance was created by accident during research into potential rubber substitutes for use during World War II. What's the formula? 65% dimethyl siloxane (hydroxy-terminated polymers with boric acid), 17% silica (crystalline quartz), 9% Thixatrol ST (castor oil derivative), 4% polydimethylsiloxane, 1% decamethyl cyclopentasiloxane, 1% glycerine, and 1% titanium dioxide. Silly Putty's unusual characteristics are mostly due to the ingredient polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS), a viscoelastic liquid. Today it's a bargain: the original price was $2.

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Yo-Yos

Duncan Toys

Current Price: Around $2
First Year on the Market: 1928

While working as a bellboy, originator Pedro Flores read an article about a millionaire who made his money by selling a ball attached to a rubber band. The article reminded him of of a toy known as the bandalore in his native Philippines. The yo-yo was born. Most popular brands: Duncan and Yomega.

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Beanie Babies

Jonny

Current Price: Around $1
First Year on the Market: 1993

Ty Warner Inc. has earned more than $6 billion as the manufacturer of these soft, squishy stuffed figures. There's still a strong secondary market for popular beanie babies.

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Super Soaker

Hasbro

Current Price: Around $10
First Year on the Market: 1991

Invented in 1988 under the name of the "Power Drencher," more than 250 million Super Soakers have been sold. With their power, range and accuracy, they put old-fashioned squirt guns to shame.

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Furby

Hasbro

Current Price: Starting at $10
First Year on the Market: 1998

Furby was one of the first commercially successful electronic robots in the toy market. Around 40 million have been sold. A newly purchased Furby starts out speaking entirely Furbish, the unique language that all Furbies use, but is programmed to speak less Furbish as it gradually starts using English. There are Furbies that speak in 24 languages.

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Rocking Horse

Radio Flyer

Current Price: Starting at $25
First Year on the Market: Late 19th century

Predecessors of the rocking horse may have been used in the Middle Ages for jousting practice, some scholars believe. It existed as a toy as early as the 17th century, although rocking horses weren't commercially sold until much later. The most popular brand: Radio Flyer Liberty Spring Horse.

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Slinky

Poof-Slinky

Current Price: Around $4
First Year on the Market: 1946

Invented by a naval engineer in the early 1940s, Slinky was first marketed in 1946. More than 300 million Slinkys have been sold. It first sold for around $1.

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