Top 10 Toy Lines of the 2000s

Let’s face it, a lot of us wanted to be able to skate... But not a lot of us could! Thanks to the fingerboard, everyone could score a skate-park experience, without the grazed knees! Sometimes they’re used to plan out elaborate tricks that’ll later be tried out in real-size; sometimes they’re just used for fun. With a huge variety of wheels, trucks and deck designs, these tiny toys were like little windows into your personality! If you wanted to look tough, you’d go for a flaming skull... If you wanted to look sensitive, you’d go for a non-flaming skull... Knuckle-pads weren’t necessary, but a gnarly attitude was!

Nerf had been the main supplier of harmless playground weaponry for years, but even they outdid themselves with their newest and most badass line yet, N-Strike. These things are so powerful; surely you need a license! And they are massive as well! You have to work out before you can wield one of these bad boys! The commercials told us to build a house of cards and knock it down, but we all turned on our best friends with this in hand! How could you not let this sort of power go to your head??

Computer technology inevitably crept into our toy boxes during this decade, and Tekno was one of those leading the way! First we had real-life pets, then we had Tamagotchi, and then in 2000 came this! Tekno was the dog that lived to please! He didn’t need walking, his food didn’t smell bad, and he was definitely toilet trained! In return for his low maintenance, a set of batteries would have his eyes lighting up, and his tail wagging! Man’s best friend had just become very, very functional, and gave birth to a line of other, not-so-furry friends!

In 1998, the toy construction system got serious! With Geomag, the imagination was fuelled by magnets! A box full of magnetic balls and short connecting rods, these were definitely small parts to keep out of reach of children! But if you were old enough not to eat everything you got your hands on, then you were old enough to enter into the murky world of magnetism! If you ever made anything of any note, you felt like a real-life engineer! If you ever made anything that moved, you felt like Einstein! It was enough to win Geomag the title of 2005’s Toy of the Year.

The days when a simple soft toy was sufficient were long gone in this decade! Introduced in 2005, Webkinz was all about merging the cute and cuddly with the World Wide Web! You bought the animal toy, you retrieved your unique code, and you went with toy in hand to the computer. That’s where the magic happened! A few left clicks here, a few passwords there, and all of a sudden your Pug-dog plaything had been pixelated! From this point on, the possibilities were as endless as your internet allowance, and by 2006 one million online accounts had been created!

Collectible somethings are a toy-shop standard for any generation, and Mighty Beanz were the craze for the 2000s kid, with their licensed designs and compact size! Way back when, there was the clown that, no matter how hard you hit, you couldn’t knock down. Introduced in 2002, Mighty Beanz employed the same simple technology, but made it mini and flickable! The game was like modern day marbles, and the toys were like up-to-date Crazy Bones! They were “really somethin’ when they were jumpin,” and they were really cool if you were at school!

Mighty Beanz were a must-have, but Beyblades were the biggest miniature accessory between 2000-2005! Straight out of Japan, in simple terms, these things reinvented the spinning top! You could personalize and strengthen your toy for optimum performance, making this game as much about strategy as it was about spinning! With a range of dynamic designs, and an anime series built around it, you felt pretty cutting-edge with a Beyblade in your pocket! If ever you were scheduled at the Beystadium at break-time, then nerves would not allow you to concentrate in class!

Extreme sports have garnered an incredible following since the turn of the century... From skateboards, to snowboards, to surfboards, to scooters?... Made popular around the turn of the new millennium, razor scooters became the coolest way from A to B! And while they were an awesome addition to playtime, sports-time or just as a mode of transportation, the wicked thing about these wheels was the way we carried them! No longer was the scooter cumbersome: these things folded into functionality. They looked best poking out of your backpack, or casually held under one arm. They were ‘Pimp My Ride’: Playground Edition!

If you had a ‘passion for fashion’, or perhaps you wanted one, or perhaps Barbie just wasn’t fitting the bill anymore... Then Bratz were the toys for you! Brought to market in 2001, these dolls had an attitude that set them apart from the rest! They demanded to be taken seriously, and their owners demanded the same! ‘Don’t theorize, accessorize!’ is what we were told... And that’s exactly what we tried to do, even if we didn’t entirely know what that meant! With Bratz, the time for play was over! The time for trends was now! Though they prompted a Mattel lawsuit, and accusations of sexualization, the Bratz brand – with its TV, web, film and music presence – thrived.

Before we pull our top pick out of the toy box, here are a few honorable mentions:
- RoboSapien
- Uglydolls
- Heelys
- RC Helicopters
- Caster Boards
- Superhero Gadgets & Costumes

Interconnecting pieces of plastic sold in bright colors, Lego was first invented by Ole Kirk Christiansen in Denmark. And, while it was first manufactured in 1949, and it was still a top toy in 2009! There is some serious longevity in those little bricks! The first decade of the new millennium saw the company really expand into all areas of media, and enjoy particular success with their specific themed sets. Harry Potter Lego was a huge hit, as was Lord of the Rings Lego, Disney Lego, pretty much every type of Lego you could think of! Where other traditional toys have tried and failed in the modern market, these guys have gotten even greater!

Do you agree with our list? Which toy did we leave behind? For more fashionably fun top 10s published daily, be sure to subscribe to WatchMojo.com.