From Hatchimals to Mr. Potato Head: Hot holiday toys through the years

Heritage Woods of Bolingbrook resident Vonnie Heagy, 74, rolls another strike as she plays Wii bowling from her wheelchair. In November 2006, Nintendo released the Wii, which used a simpler handheld pointing controller to appeal to a wider audience, even getting older adults into the game. It became popular as a more affordable alernative to Microsoft’s Xbox 360 and Sony’s PlayStation 3.

Beanie Babies surged in popularity in 1995 and peaked in 1998 after creator Ty Warner got the idea to “retire” some of his successful babies, turning the tiny stuffed toys into valuable collectibles. The craze soon ended, prices plummeted, and those who saw the toys as investments were left with bins of Beanie Babies worth far less than they hoped. Most recently, Warner pleaded guilty to tax evasion and was sentenced to probation. In this June 30, 1999 file photo, Sammy Sosa gives President Clinton a Cubs Beanie Baby after a game at Wrigley Field.

The Rubik’s Cube became a sensation in 1980, selling 4.5 million units. The toy had actually been invented in 1974 by Erno Rubik, but didn’t take off until Ideal Toys introduced it at international toy fairs. In this file photo, a participant at the U.S. Rubik’s Cube Open works to solve the puzzle at the Chicago Cultural Center on June 17, 2007.

The Atari VCS (Video Computer System) originally came out in 1977, but with few games available, sales were sluggish. By 1979, the Atari VCS became a hot Christmas toy bolstered by a growing game library, including Superman, one of the earliest licensed video games. In this photo provided by Strong National Museum of Play is the Atari video game system inducted into the Toy Hall of Fame in Rochester, N.Y., Thursday Nov. 8, 2007.

A Star Wars Empire Strikes Back seven-figure multi-pack is among the items of Star Wars collectibles displayed during a press preview at Sotheby’s December 2, 2015 in New York. Since Kenner didn’t have time to manufacture action figures by Christmas 1977 after George Lucas’ “Star Wars” became a blockbuster, kids received an “Early Bird Certificate Package,” with information about the figures they would be able to get a few months later.

In this Feb. 19, 2009 file photo, Ron Biallas, of Algonquin, and President of the Chicago G.I. Joe Collector’s Club poses with part of his vast collection of over 250 G.I. Joes. Hasbro came up with G.I. Joe after seeing the popularity of Barbie. The figures sold $16.9 million in that first year.

In this Feb. 13, 2009 file photo, The 50th anniversary of Barbie is commemorated by a lineup of Barbie dolls from different eras, starting with the original Barbie in a black and white swim suit, right, in a display by Mattel at Toy Fair 2009 in New York. Ruth Handler, who co-founded Mattel with her husband, came up with the idea of an older doll with changeable outfits as appealing to young girls. Mattel executives were skeptical, but 300,000 dolls were sold in that debut year and sales continued to rise, topping $1 billion annually by 1993.

Sen. Barack Obama holds a Mr. Potato Head that someone handed him at a campaign event in Waterloo, Iowa, on Feb. 10, 2007. In 1952, Hasbro began producing the toy as separate plastic parts with pushpins that could stick in actual potatoes or other vegetables. Mr. Potato Head became the first toy advertised on television and sold more than 1 million units in the first year for 98 cents each. The more familiar plastic body was introduced in 1964 after government regulations forced the parts to be less sharp.