Christmas Gifts That Have Sleighed the Season

The popular Razor scooter not-so-subtly wrapped that was seen under many trees in 2000.

Tis the season for the newest gift fad to get popular. Every year, a brand-new, emerging product becomes the most sought-after gift for Christmas right around this time. Through the years, the list of these coveted gifts has piled up. So until this year’s golden gift is revealed, here are some top Christmas presents since the 70s that deserve mentioning according to pocket-lint.com.

1978: Simon

The “Simon Says” inspired game with four colored buttons that needed to be hit in sequence was a hit in 1978. People wanted to test their memory, and the result was that Simons flew off the shelves.

1979: Atari VCS

Two years after its release in 1977, the Atari Video Computer System’s popularity blew up and was the biggest Christmas gift in 1979.

1982: BMX Bike

Beginning in the early 70s, famous motocross racers inspired children to get their own bikes. By 1982, almost every kid had to have their very own BMX bike to race their friends with.

1986: Teddy Ruxpin

One of the original talking teddy bears before thousands more were created, Teddy Ruxpin had a cassette tape attached to his back and mouth and eye movements that synced with his stories.

1988: NES Console

Nintendo sold seven million of their first system by the end of 1988. Duck Hunt and Super Mario Bros debuted on the console that made Nintendo a household gaming name.

1989: Gameboy

The hand-held console’s first day in stores sold 40,000 units. In its lifetime, 118 million Gameboys were sold worldwide.

1993: Talkboy

This cassette player/voice recorder originated as a prop in Home Alone but was so desired that a functioning model was released on the market just in time for Black Friday that year. The deluxe model of Talkboy had a feature that could slow down voice recordings, and kids fawned over it.

1996: Tickle Me Elmo

This year, extra Christmas-crazy parents were arrested while fighting over the beloved Sesame Street character to keep their kids happy on Christmas morning. There’s even a rumor on Pocketlint.com that “one shopper paid $7,100 for a single Elmo in a desperate bid to keep their child happy on Christmas day.”

2000: Razor Scooter

2000 was the year of unsubtly wrapped scooters underneath Christmas trees. The Razor scooters took off after Dan Green landed a backflip on one. Five million were sold in just 2000.

2003/2004: Robosapien

The remote-controlled toy robot leveled up high-tech toys with 67 distinct pre-programmed movements and sound effects. 1.5 million Robosapiens were sold in the 2004 Christmas season.

2005: Xbox 360

The console built by Microsoft hit the shelves just in time for Christmas and immediately went out of stock. The Xbox 360 quickly made its way onto eBay, being sold for more than double its retail price.

2006: Sony PlayStation 3

Sony’s gaming machine wreaked havoc all over stores in 2006. Instances of gun violence, robbing, and even laxative poisoning in an especially long line show just how desperate consumers were to get their hands on a PS3.

2007: iPod Touch

The revolutionary gadget Steve Jobs referred to as the “training wheels for the iPhone” was at the top of many people’s Christmas lists.

2012: Wii U

Nintendo’s eighth video game console was released to try and compete with the PlayStation 4 and Xbox One. The Wii U ended up selling 13.56 million units worldwide.

2015: BB8

BB8 was a voice-controlled robot that began selling after his character hit theaters in Star Wars: The Force Awakens (2015).

2017: Cozmo

Anki’s tiny but mighty robot was created to teach kids how to code with its customizable and programmable features.

2020: PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X

It’s undeniable that these two consoles were all the rage in 2020. However, they were nearly impossible to obtain, being in such high demand. Resellers were selling the machines for hefty prices, and you had to be a lucky one to open up one of these on Christmas in 2020.

2022: Apple AirPods Max