Top 10 Most Valuable Toys From Your Childhood

McDonald’s introduced the world to the Happy Meal in 1979 and the toys in those first boxes were things like erasers, wallets, stencils, and tops. And while we aren’t sure what you could get for a mint-condition Happy Meal eraser from 1979, we do know that you could get up to $70 for a complete set of either the “101 Dalmatians” or the “102 Dalmatians” toys. The “Wizard of Oz” Happy Meal dolls collection could bring you $80 and the Snoopy World Tour set of figurines are going for around $200 on eBay. Think of all the Happy Meals you could buy with that money.

Before 1989, if you wanted to get your friends wet, you had to use cups of water, water balloons, or just push them into the pool. But as the 90s dawned upon us, that all changed with the introduction of the Super Soaker water guns. Well actually, up until 1991, they were called Power Drenchers and were rebranded Super Soakers after that. At the time, you could use the guns to soak your friends with water, but now you can use those same water guns to soak your wallet with extra cash. Some of these vintage guns have sold for upwards of $600, with the original Power Drenchers being the most sought after.

If you were alive in the 90s and not living under a rock, you knew about Beanie Babies. Today, many of the more common Beanie Babies go for $100 or less. However, there are a number of rarer ones and ones with factory mistakes that go for more than 10 times that figure. Such as the Royal Blue version of Peanut the Elephant, whose coloring was a mistake with the dye, making it quite rare. If you have one in good condition you could get as much as $7,000 for it. Now, if you happen to have the purple Princess the Bear produced in 1997 as a tribute to Princess Diana, that one is listed on eBay for half a million dollars!

There have been many Nintendo game systems, but the N64 system from the 90s is still one of the most beloved. The nostalgia factor is high on this one. Who doesn’t miss blowing on the cartridges to make them work? And while there were loads of games released for the N64, “Mario Kart 64” is no doubt one of the favorites. The value of the cartridge can vary quite a bit depending on the condition and whether you also have the instructions and the box. Also, certain gaming systems become popular at different times. So, one day it might be worth around $70, and months later you could sell a top-graded cartridge for closer to $700.

The Furby was the most sought-after toy of 1998 and there were so many sold that the supply still outweighs the demand for the standard versions of the toy. However, when it comes to the rare ones, now those are worth hundreds of dollars. On the Furby boxes it says, “The more you play with me the more I do!” And the commercials showed us Furby saying, “Pick me up,” “tickle me,” “pet me.” But, if you have a “Special Furby Angel” and DIDN’T play with it, then you could be sitting on $800. A mint-in-box “Kids Cuisine” could fetch you over $500. We think we know what your Furby would say today… “sell me.”

When it comes to the value of the Game Boy, as with everything, condition is key. There’s a big difference between a device in near perfect condition and one that’s been played with and dropped on the floor a few times. An old Game Boy could fetch anywhere from 50 to 100 bucks or so, while one in good condition complete with the box and all the original papers could get you double. You can get even more, we’re talking in the $500 range if you somehow manage to still have one brand new in a sealed box. Looking for even more money? Well, search the attic for that Game Boy Light special edition and you could be looking at over $1,000.

No doll has been as popular and has stood the test of time like Barbie. Introduced to the world on March 9th, 1959, there are over 60 years of Barbie dolls out there. However, unless you were a kid in the 50s and 60s, the run-of-the-mill barbies from your childhood aren’t going to make you rich today. But there have been special and limited edition dolls released over the years and those do command a pretty penny. The 1992 Totally Hair Barbie goes for about $160. The 1989 Pink Jubilee Barbie is selling for $800. And for the curious among you, a mint condition, first-edition Barbie has sold at auction for just over $27,000.

American Girl Dolls are very popular, but they are also very expensive. To go and buy one today, you are looking at about $150-$200 with clothes and accessories. If you’re buying one because your child loves them, then it’s worth it. If you’re doing it with the hopes of selling it and making a big profit in the future… it’s probably not. However, if you, and your parents, got in on the American Girl Doll craze right at the beginning, then the investment was definitely worth it. Samantha, Kirsten, and Molly were the first three dolls put out in 1986, and individually they can sell for over $1,000, or over $5,000 if you have a set of them still in their boxes.

Do you have a Pikachu Illustrator Card? Well, allow us to congratulate you and be a little jealous. There were only 30 ever made and one of them has sold for over $250,000. If you don’t have that one, don’t lose hope. Look for holographic cards, ones with printing errors, and first edition cards. You didn’t have to catch them all, but if you caught some of those you could have some serious money coming your way. You can get hundreds to thousands of dollars depending on the card and the condition. And some of the extra rare ones, like the Holographic Shadowless Charizard, can fetch over $12,000.

Before we unveil our top pick, here are a few honorable mentions.

Lionel's Pennsylvania 'Trail Blazer" Train Set
Prices Vary, but You Can Expect to Get at Least $400-$500 for These Choo-Choo Sets

Hot Wheels
The Valuable Ones Are Worth from $100 to Over $100,000; Go Check Your Collection Now

Lite Brite
Sell Your Classic Lite Brite & Heavy Up Your Wallet with About $300

Vintage Colorforms
You Can Find Plenty for $20 or So, But the Most In-Demand Ones Can Bring You $200-$400

Polly Pockets
Certain Pre-1998 Polly Pockets Could Put $500-$2,000 in Your Pockets

If you want to make your friend crack up at a piano recital, then the Tweety Bird Pez dispenser is priceless. However, if you want to put an actual price on it, then it’s only about 10 bucks. Donald Duck, on the other hand, could dispense $1,000 into your wallet if you have a 1979 Donald soft head dispenser. Because there are so many Pez dispensers out there, the value will vary greatly. While a basic dispenser is barely worth a few bucks, there are a number of old ones, rare ones, and ones with various mistakes and misprints that have values ranging from $1,000-$10,000.