Xmas Past and Present!

With Christmas just around the corner we though we would have a look at what was the big thing to get for Christmas when we were younger whilst also looking at what is big for this year.Tamagochi, Gameboy Colour and Furbys aplenty!

Tamagochi- Who would have thought that these little virtual pets would have caused such a stir, but at some point nearly every child must have had one. They came in many different incarnations from baby to dinosaur so there was something for everyone. The only downside to these toys is that they were like having a real pet and demanded attention even when you didn’t want to play anymore. The incessant beeping also caused many parent to “lose” the batteries so that our little pets ceased to exist. Fun for a while but we really should have remembered that mantra, a pet is for life (and will beep all day and night) and not just for Christmas.

Gameboy Colour- Smaller and more fun that its big brother the Gameboy colour brought a new dimension to gaming. Finally we got to see Mario’s little red dungarees in all their primary coloured glory. Along with the invention of the Gameboy colour came the game Pokemon that was all the rage at the time, now you could catch and interact with those weird creatures rather than just swap them on bits of card. The Gameboy remained popular for many years and has been reincarnated today in the form of the DS (we all know it’s a Gameboy but with better packaging).

Buzz Lightyear and Toy Story- Ok so the film was fab but did there really need to be queues half way around the block to get your hands on a talking Buzz Lightyear? Having said that it was pretty cool, and it did talk and had pop out wings and everything. I was rather envious of my little brother when he opened his on Christmas day. Everything toy story was huge Christmas 1996 and with the release of toy story 3 looks set to be big again this year.

Folding scooters- a good idea in theory but in reality just a bit of a hassle, small kids taking down old people on the high street. And worse than that if you got a cheap version you ran the risk of losing you handle or one of the wheels whilst cruising along. They were popular with all ages and did look pretty swish. It was the one-year we prayed for a non-white Christmas so we could go play out on our shiny new gifts.

Furby- creepy little gremlin type things that could learn words, or so the legend went. Furbys were the bigger, more real version of the tamogotchi. You had to feed them, and when you did they made cute yum sounds, as well as keep them entertained. Everyone seemed to have a furby at one point and the good thing was they could interact with each other. My problem with them was that they were a bit too AI for my liking, its weird toys talking together without you knowing and any robot that can learn is a bad idea. They had the same downsides as other virtual pets that they didn’t respect when you wanted to sleep and talked into the weird small hours. Mine also gave me a bit of a scare when the batteries started to wear down and it sounded like the terminator.

Barbie and Action Man- these are still really popular today mainly because there is one to suit all tastes from teacher Barbie to ninja action man. They came with some really cool extras too, I was always jealous of my brothers action man sports car that shot missiles from the boot, mainly as I didn’t have a car for my Barbies. With endless clothes choices and accessories this s a toy that will probably be around for a while yet.

Wii- This console changed the face of gaming again, and interactive console where you are the controller. The success of the Wii was down to its simplicity of use; everyone from the very young to your granny could play as long as they could move their hands. A wide range of games are available for all tastes and ages, with add on's such as the Wii fit it brought a new dimension to how we play games. Endorsed by celebrities and loved by many it is still a very popular choice for Christmas this year.

Personal CD player- just a little bit cooler than the personal cassette player we finally had something to listen to the new musical media on, except it was a bit ambitious but rubbish in reality. If you moved the CD skipped, if you got it cold it wouldn’t work, and if you wanted to listen to more than one CD you had to carry them all about. You couldn’t run with it, it barely fit in your pocket generally it was a bit rubbish. Yet I still begged my mum to get me one for Christmas.

IPod- Far superior to the personal CD player, but not really to the humble MP3 player so what makes the IPod so special? Well one it was made by Apple and they were the epitome of cool, and pretty much still are. It let you interact with your music in a new way, and its visual element was pleasing. It sorted out all the problems of previous personal music players, it was small and practical and really shiny. The IPod is still cool even now, and its new versions are still must haves every Christmas.

There are so many toys and gifts from the past that weren’t mentioned but like scrooge lets look at the gifts of Christmas present to see what we all want to get under out tree this year:

I-stuff- be it pod, phone or pad if it has an I in front its cool. No MP3 player will outdo the cool new Nano with its touch pad menu and cool colours. The iPad is still a must have item even though they are still extortionate and impractical for stuff other than App’s. And the iPhone is still one of the best smart phones out there as well as looking really cool. I wouldn’t mind any of these under my tree this year.

Motion controlled games- After the success of the Wii, Xbox and PS3 have got in on the act with there versions, Kinect and Move, there are a range of games for both but the dance based ones seem to be the most popular.

Nintendo DS- Still a massive hit 3 Christmas’ on, with games to keep all the family happy and its practical size its no wonder this is still a Christmas best seller.

Faye Cawood!