Top 10 90s Toys That Don't Exist Anymore

While there are new Elmo dolls being produced on a yearly basis, none of them will ever stack up to the hysteria surrounding the “Tickle Me Elmo” craze of 1996. The ticklish and talking doll was the most in-demand toy during that year’s holiday season. So much so, that it caused a feeding frenzy among desperate parents. This excessive example of supply-and-demand is nothing new of course, but the level at which consumers were determined to acquire a Tickle Me Elmo doll was unprecedented. Today, re-releases and re-packaged Elmos can surely be found, but it’s safe to say that the hype for the OG version of this doll is behind us.

The origins of Kenner’s “Baby Alive” dolls dates all the way back to the early 1970’s. However, there was one upgrade released during the nineties that barely got out of the starting gate before being recalled. This, of course, was the Talking Baby Alive doll. Unearthed in 1992, it featured all of the excitement that comes with feeding a toddler and having it go potty. Ok, so exciting might not be the best word to use. Unfortunately, the doll had parents and children slightly disturbed by its deep adult-like voice. It also featured quite the noisy operation, which ultimately led to Kenner to give it the boot.

We’re willing to bet that you’ve heard of Tamagotchi and Giga Pets. But, what about Nano Babies? The idea was certainly similar - a small, egg-sized virtual toy that needed some real care and attention in order to keep it “alive.” The average Nano Baby needed to be fed, changed, loved and cared for until it turned into a toddler. Then, it would (for reasons of which we’re not quite sure) sprout wings and…fly away? Needless to say, the popularity of the Nano Baby wasn’t quite on par with its more famous cousins, causing it to quickly fall by the wayside.

While variations of the Skip-It do still exist, they’re not exactly how you remember them from back in the day. The OG Skip-It was actually first developed back in the late eighties, but the “Skip-It Renaissance,” as it was called, didn’t occur until its re-launch in the nineties. Here, a counter was added to help kids keep track of their skips as they leapt over a ball that was attached to their ankle. It proved extremely popular, to the point where Hasbro kept the line going after they absorbed Tiger Electronics. However, the Skip-It adjacent products that exist today have received multiple facelifts since their old school heyday.

#6: Dream Phone

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Nineties nostalgia is a big deal to many people and Dream Phone is definitely a throwback to a more “innocent” time. This was a board game where the object was to find out the identity of your secret admirer. The game’s telephone offered recorded clues and players had to figure out who likes them before anyone else. It was so popular that it actually made a brief comeback and was available on Amazon in 2019. However, a search of the site at the time of this recording came up empty, leaving us disappointed that we’ll never know who our secret admirer is.

It isn’t often that a movie prop gets licensed for a crossover toy line. But, that’s exactly what happened when Tiger Electronics developed the Talkboy for use in the movie “Home Alone 2: Lost in New York.” You may remember Kevin McCallister using the Talkboy device to alter the sound of his voice at various points during the film, but surprisingly the initial retail version didn’t include this feature. Thankfully, Tiger Electronics quickly got with the program and made the addition. This led to the Talkboy being one of the hottest toys of the 1993 holiday shopping season! There was even a pink version dubbed the Talkgirl that debuted in 1995. The design would continue to get upgraded until the patent was finally abandoned in 1999.

#4: Sky Dancers

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You’d be forgiven for not remembering that these cute little toys actually had a tie-in cartoon show that ran for one season back in 1996. The Sky Dancers were winged dolls that flew in the air after they were placed into a pedestal and a long pull string was tugged. The effect was fairly impressive for the time, although some parents complained that the wings would occasionally fly off with intense force. This reportedly resulted in over a hundred injuries, and even temporary blindness in some kids. Needless to say this prompted toy maker Galoob to recall the Sky Dancers from retail.

If it seems like we’ve spotlighted a lot of Tiger Electronics toys, it’s because we have! And we’re not stopping just yet. Dear Diary was an electronic planner/diary/time-waster. Admittedly, it was ahead of its time, serving as sort of a proto-PalmPilot for the pre-teen gang. Kids could see their horoscopes, create lists, do simple math and yes, keep diary entries on this small portable device. Dear Diary was also password protected, which almost certainly helped in households with multiple children. We absolutely salute this toy’s forward-thinking contributions to secret-keeping everywhere.

The history of the Cabbage Patch Dolls dates all the way back to the late seventies. However, the controversy behind our penultimate pick lands us straight in the mid-90s, a bit after Cabbage Patch hysteria. During this time, the dolls were being expanded upon with fresh new ideas. This was all in the attempt to remain competitive. The Snack Time Cabbage Patch Doll tried to achieve this via a mechanism that enabled the doll to consume fake plastic food. However, many children were apparently getting their hair and fingers caught in the doll’s metal rollers. We’re pretty sure the kids weren’t meant to be the snack…

#1: Steve Urkel Doll

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Is there any doll line that screams “I love the nineties” more than a Steve Urkel doll? Well, perhaps one of those Spice Girls dolls - but we digress. We hope that actor Jaleel White got a kick out of being immortalized in doll form, because this Urkel doll is admittedly kind of cute. It also does all the things you’d expect an Urkel doll to do, including spouting off catch phrases like “Did I do that?” and “Got any cheese?” Needless to say, you’re not going to find these dolls on the shelves of any toy store these days. Perhaps your local thrift or antique shop might have a little Steve Urkel waiting for you though!