'80s Kids Should Be Able to Identify All of These Toys!

By: Lauren Lubas
Estimated Completion Time
4 min
'80s Kids Should Be Able to Identify All of These Toys!
Image: susaro / DigitalVision Vectors / Getty Images

About This Quiz

If you think there's no market for the toys that were around when you were growing up, think again. Nearly every kid that grew up in the 1980s thinks back fondly on the toys they played with, the toys they wanted and the toys their friends had. Each toy is a memory in and of itself. These toys held magical powers that could take you to whole new worlds. Although there was a clear line between "girls'" toys and "boys'" toys back then, anyone with a sibling of the opposite gender would be able to spot those '80s toys from a mile away.

Toys and television came together to create backstories and intricate plots for the action figures and stuffed animals that we had in our toy boxes. Every character we saw on screen could be in our homes, for a not so nominal fee. This inspired even more playtime with even more creativity. Additionally, toys started doing more in the 1980s. They could transform from one thing to another (and we're not just talking about the Transformers toys). 

If you have a strong connection to the toys that came to the market in the 1980s, you probably think you're going to ace this test. However, we'll warn you now, we went pretty deep with some of the finds. Do you have what it takes to name all of them?

Smurfs
AllToyCollector via YouTube
What are these little figures called?
Snorqs
Little People
Cartoonies
Smurfs
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

We all remember the "Smurfs" cartoon series, but the biggest fans also remember the Smurfs toys and playsets. If you collected them all, you probably had multiple Smurfettes as well.

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Slip 'N Slide
Toys and Stuff HD via YouTube
What was this yellow slide called?
Backyard Water Park
Slip 'N Slide
Trippy Tarp
Flat Run
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Anyone who has ever been on a Slip 'N Slide probably doesn't let their children play on them. However, as long as you cleared the area of rocks before setting up the large yellow tarp, you probably sustained minimal injuries.

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My Little Pony
SaeLoveart / Pixabay
Can you name these magical creatures with wild hair?
Rainbow Brite
My Little Pony
Fobbs
Unicorn Dancers
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

My Little Pony figures were among the top-selling toys of the 1980s. They were colorful and came with accessories. For many girls back then, My Little Pony figures became Barbie's pets.

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Atari 2600
Evan-Amos via WikiCommons
Do you recognize this video game that nearly every '80s kid had?
Atari 2600
Commodore 64
Amiga
Turbo Graphic 16
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Few know that the original name for the Atari 2600 was the Atari VCS (Video Computer System). However, stand-alone video games broke away and made names for themselves separate from computers.

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Star Wars
Jedi3671 via YouTube
These toys are currently worth a small fortune. What franchise are they from?
Star Wars
Star Trek
Originals
Masters of the Universe
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Star Wars toys have an interesting history. A small toy company, Kenner, created them and made quite a bit of money in the '70s and '80s. Today these toys are collectibles, worth quite a bit of money.

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Rubik's Cube
meisjedevos / Pixabay
Can you name this puzzle game?
Primary Cube
Simon
Color Match
Rubik's Cube
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

The Rubik's Cube was one of the most frustrating games around. The majority of children who had one simply never got it back to a solid color on each side. On the other hand, there were the kids who could solve it quickly (or change the stickers around).

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Teddy Ruxpin
With or Without Fur via YouTube
This bear helped children learn how to read. Do you know his name?
Grubby
Doc
Fobbs
Teddy Ruxpin
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Teddy Ruxpin was a talking bear that came with books and cassette tapes. You'd put the tape into Teddy and press play ... then his mouth would move! This innovative toy gave children hours of educational playtime.

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Cabbage Patch Dolls
VICE via YouTube
Do you remember which dolls came with birth certificates?
Micro Babies
Betsy Wetsy Dolls
My Real Baby Dolls
Cabbage Patch Kids
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

When changing your Cabbage Patch Kid's diaper, you probably came across the Xavier Roberts tattoo on its bottom. While it was a clear stamp of ownership, it was also an odd placement.

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Transformers
Michael Mercy via YouTube
Can you name these toys that gave children vehicles and robots at the same time?
Gobots
Transformers
Dinobots
More Than Meets the Eye
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

The majority of '80s boys had at least one Transformer action figure. These were definitely a work of ingenious engineering, as the robots looked like actual vehicles when they were transformed.

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Rock 'Em Sock 'Em Robots
moxxi via YouTube
Who are these monochrome boxers?
Rocky Bots
Punchy Bots
Hitter-Droids
Rock 'Em Sock 'Em Robots
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Back in the 1980s, boxing was pretty big. However, in order to keep children from hurting each other, parents would generally get this toy for kids to take out their aggression. Whether you chose the blue guy or the red guy, your goal was to pop the opponent's head off.

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G.I. Joe
Michael Mercy via YouTube
Which action figures used to be about the size of Barbie, but were much smaller in the 1980s?
G.I. Joe
Star Wars
Combat Carls
War Machines
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

G.I. Joe dolls were originally marketed as bigger action figures with real clothes. However, all of that changed in 1982 when G.I. Joes were relaunched at a smaller size. This helped them nix the "boy-doll" characteristics of the toys as well as create an entire line of affordable vehicles.

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Big Wheels
Pharaoh Shamgod via YouTube
On a nice day, children could go riding on these without worrying about falling down. What are they?
Power Wheels
Go-Go Bikes
Big Wheels
Pipwheels
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Whether you had a brand new Big Wheel or a hand-me-down, you knew that this toy made you look cool. If you had to play with friends who didn't have Big Wheels, you'd simply flip it over and play ice cream machine.

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View Master
Tanja-Tiziana, Doublecrossed Photography / Moment / Getty Images
If you didn't go on vacation, you could always grab one of these. What is it?
Slide Clicker
Slide View
View-Master
Click-Master
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

View-Masters were around since the 1930s, but in the 1980s, you could get reels with your favorite characters. They were perfect for long car rides or situations that didn't involve television sets.

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Garbage Pail Kids
Buffalo Jr via YouTube
What are these collectible cards called?
Grotesque Guild
Garbage Pail Kids
Slurp Buddies
Garbage Patch Kids
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Garbage Pail Kids were card sets with stickers. They were a spoof on Cabbage Patch Kids, without the actual dolls themselves. In 1987 a movie was released about the Garbage Pail Kids, which any collector had to see.

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Puffalump
AZ 80's Girl via YouTube
Can you name these floppy stuffed animals?
Puffalumps
Moralambs
Rapamumps
Crumpets
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Puffalumps were stuffed animals that didn't have a whole lot of stuffing. They were made of nylon and soft cotton. If they ever needed to be washed, you knew it was the last you'd see of them — they didn't hold up well in the washing machine.

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Fashion Plates
Lucky Penny Shop via YouTube
Which toy helped children become fashion designers?
Fashion Plates
Color Forms
Trace Colors
Groovy Newbies
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Children could create their own outfits by switching these plates around and transferring them over to a piece of paper with a crayon. Once they completed an outfit, they could color and design it any way they pleased.

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Creepy Crawlers
Brick Mantooth via YouTube
Which toy helped kids make their own bugs and spiders?
Creepy Crawlers
Bug Machine
Machine Bug
Easy Bake Bugs
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

The "boy toy" equivalent to the Easy-Bake Oven was the Thingmaker II Creepy Crawlers machine. Children would squeeze a heated gel-like substance into a mold and let it cool until the toys became jiggly and, well, creepy. Unfortunately, this version didn't work nearly as well as the original Thingmaker of the 1960s, which featured a small oven that could burn fingers.

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Speak and Spell
FozzTexx via WikiCommons
This toy made learning to spell fun. What is it?
Talk & Text
Type & Say
Speak & Spell
Write Right
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

The Speak & Spell was an excellent learning tool for young children. While many games and toys in the 1980s focused on whimsy or destruction, the Speak & Spell showed kids that learning could also be a form of play.

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See 'N Say
80sThen80sNow via YouTube
Can you name this toy that helped young children learn new words?
Speak & Spell
Animal Farm
Noise Maker
See 'n Say
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

If you were younger in the 1980s, chances are you had one of these educational toys. With the See 'n Say, you'd turn the dial to the image you wanted the toy to say, and then pull a string. These days, the toy has a lever, but you got a pull string in the '80s.

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Electronic Football
The Retro Future via YouTube
Can you identify this electronic sports game that had a whistle sound?
Game Boy
Kickstart
Electronic Football
Madden '84
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Handheld electronic games were really booming in the 1980s. Electronic Football was a great game for children and adults alike. You could play multiplayer or against the computer, giving you the ability to move dots around on a calculator screen.

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Oozers
GESSO217 via YouTube
Can you name these monsters that had slime coming out of them?
Goobers
Losers
Grossers
Oozers
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

This was the type of toy that was heavily marketed around Halloween. However, once you ran out of the ooze that came out of these figures' eyes, ears and mouths, the fun ended rather quickly ... and your mom was probably mad that you got it on the couch.

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Snoopy
Cra-Z-Art via YouTube
Can you name this toy that gave children a delicious dessert?
Ice Creamer
Snoopy Ice Cream Maker
Snoopy Sno-Cone Machine
Snoopy Ice House
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

The Snoopy Sno-Cone Machine gave children the ability to crush their own ice and make their own snacks ... as long as their parents purchased (or made) flavored syrup to go on top. It was a great summer toy for any child.

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Monchhichi
LittleToyShelf via YouTube
Do you recognize these little furry dolls?
Monchhichi
Pry-Mates
Monkey Love
Just Bonanas
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

The Monchhichi was a mix between a stuffed monkey and a Cabbage Patch Kid. It had a hard face, hands and legs, but its fur was soft and pettable. It could hold onto its own feet and put a thumb in its mouth as well.

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Talking Whiz Kid
REPublishingCorp via YouTube
Before the iPad, this contraption helped teach children. What is it called?
Talking Whiz Kid
Commodore 64
Atari Learning LAN
Biz Buzz
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

The Talking Whiz Kid read game cartridges and allowed children to swap them out, depending on what they felt like learning. While the screen looked very much like a calculator of the same time period, the programming of this toy was intense.

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Starcom
G1Hexatron via YouTube
Which '80s toy was Earth's first line of defense?
Star Trek
Star Wars
Starcom
Mighty Men
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Starcom toys were pretty simple, but they came with a lot of accessories. Though the line isn't the most famous of the 1980s, they did make interesting commercials that explained how the Earth needed to be saved from outer space forces.

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Food Fighters
T2rx6 via YouTube
Here's a blast from the past! Can you name this fighting toy?
Eatery Featery
Bad Eats
Burger Boy
Food Fighter
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Food Fighters looked like pretty mean food. This toy line gave a new meaning to playing with your food. They seemed a little docile, but they were actually some intensely fattening foods with bad attitudes.

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Merlin
Junkyardsparkle via WikiCommons
It's not an old-school cell phone. Do you know what it is?
Controller
Wand Remote
Magic
Merlin
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Merlin was an electronic game without a screen. However, it did have a speaker, and you could play various one- and two-player games on it. This game gave children hours of fun play and learning time.

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Battle Beasts
Michael Mercy via YouTube
What are these anthropomorphic animals with weapons?
Microbeasts
Anthromaths
Wild Warriors
Battle Beasts
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

If you don't recognize these toys, you may be looking at the wrong ones — there were 84 different kinds of Battle Beasts on the market. These were small fighting/war toys for young children.

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Cassette Player
Scavenge and Sell via YouTube
This Fisher-Price product put some extra power into children's hands. What is it?
Taper
Fun Recorder
Cassette Player
Tracker
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

The Fisher-Price Cassette Player gave children their own personal boom box to play with. Not only did it play your favorite tunes, but it also recorded them for you (for personal use only, of course).

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JEM
Sallyheartsjack80 via YouTube
What is the name of this doll that challenged Barbie?
Skipper
Jem
Bratz
Martha
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

All '80s kids remember seeing "Jem and the Holograms" on their TV screens, and most girls wanted the dolls that went along with the series. Jem was the opposite of Barbie — she had wild hair and was an '80s rocker through and through.

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Army Ants
Michael Mercy via YouTube
What army toys had squishy butts?
Bug Bombers
War Insects
Army Ants
Insectors
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

The Army Ants had very interesting and catchy commercials. They would fight the flying ants. For the most part, however, young boys added them as mutants in their G.I. Joe war games.

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Colorforms
Vault 1541 via YouTube
Children could make their own stories with which quiet-time toys?
StickerBooks
Colorforms
Morryforms
Formalorms
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Colorforms let children use their imaginations while playing with their favorite cartoon characters. The clinging vinyl shapes could be arranged and rearranged on a background, allowing children to create their own stories over and over again.

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Dissect-An-Alien
Pixel Dan via YouTube
With this toy, you got to play with a lot of slime. What is it called?
Alien Innards
Dissect-an-Alien
Slime Buckets
Gross
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

This toy was so weird, it was even marketed as "gross" and "disgusting" for little boys. The inside of the alien you were going to dissect was covered in slime, and each of the pieces was a little dirty. It was a gross toy, but somebody played with it.

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Computer Warriors
Teddy Rubskin via YouTube
Do you know these toys that were created to fight computer viruses?
Commodores
Beta Fighters
Computer Warriors
CPU Fighters
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

In the age of Transformers, companies wanted to market things that changed into other things as much as possible. Computer Warriors hid in random things like Pepsi cans and clocks. They were cool toys, but we aren't sure that the creators really understood what computer viruses were at the time.

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Crystar
RetroToyReview via YouTube
What is the name of the toy series that included good wizards and bad wizards?
Masters of the Universe
Crystar
Trip Warriors
Warrior Wizards
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

The Saga of Crystar collection included crystal warriors that were either good wizards or evil wizards. While these are obscure toys, you might recognize some of the body types and weapons from the Masters of the Universe collection.

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Starlite
Retro Toys and Cartoons via YouTube
What was the name of Rainbow Brite's horse?
Starbrite
Starlite
First Star
Nitestar
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Starlite was a stuffed horse that could stand on its own and actually hold a Rainbow Brite doll of about the same size. This toy had rainbow yarn for hair and a star embroidered on its forehead.

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Rocks and Bugs and Things
Rob's Toy Bin via YouTube
Which toys turned rocks into bugs?
Bug Rockers
Rock Buggers
Camo Cult
Rocks & Bugs & Things
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Rocks & Bugs & Things were equal parts simple and frightening. What originally looks like a pile of rocks opens up to reveal a terrifying face. They didn't last very long, but they were an attempt at expanding the Transformer craze.

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Manglors
WishItWas1984 via YouTube
Do you remember these self-healing monsters?
Hatchers
Hatchlings
Manglors
Draglors
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

With options like dragons, lizards and demons, who could resist wanting at least one of these things? They came in their own eggs, and you could pretty much do anything to them, and they'd return to their original form.

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Chargertron
ashens via YouTube
Do you remember these short-lived robot vehicles?
Chargertron
Gobots
Micro Machines
Machine Bots
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Chargertron toys were basically a docking system with a car that transformed as it drove away. You needed batteries for them. While the commercial for them was rather exciting, they didn't work very well.

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Spiral Zone
Toy Bounty Hunters via YouTube
These Tonka vehicles were intricate and pretty cool. What were they called?
Spiral Zone
Beaters
Master Machines
War Machines
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Spiral Zone army vehicles were some of the most intricate toys of the decade. They had moving parts that worked in conjunction with the wheels, so when you pushed the vehicle, a large arm would move toward the opponent in a very aggressive manner.

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