Top 10 Toys With a Cult Following
#10: Beanie Babies
Top 10 Most Expensive Beanie Babies
So, have all Beanie Babies increased in value over the years? No...no, they have not. However, a certain number of these iconic nineties toys are worth a pretty penny, and as a result have earned themselves a dedicated following. Ok, so maybe the appeal of Beanie Babies isn't so much their cuteness (although they are cute) as it is their financial potential, but toy fans still seek them out for nostalgic purposes. Of course, it helps that Beanie Babies were designed to become rare and hard to find. It makes the hunt all the more fun!
#9: Transformers
Speaking of "nostalgia," is there any decade more steeped in this feeling than the eighties? It was arguably the decade for cartoon/toy tie-ins, an era where the Saturday morning show was green lit just to assist with merchandising. Of course, not every eighties toy was like this, but there are a number of iconic lines, including Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, G.I. Joe, and Transformers, that continue to resonate with their fans. The latter in particular has undergone so many transformations over the years, from comparatively simplistic "Robots in Disguise" to stars of their very own lucrative big screen franchise. Never underestimate the power of nostalgia and how much it means to adults with disposable income.
#8: WWE Action Figures
Top 10 Most Expensive Action Figures Ever
Professional wrestling can be sports entertainment for all ages, but adults of a certain generation will likely remember their initial experiences with the squared circle, and as a result have a deeper desire to reconnect with their inner child. Enter WWE Action Figures, the best way to celebrate your past while sharing it in the present with your kids. We all know that toys are meant to be played with, but we also know that many times the lines of WWE action figures never leave their plastic molding. However, the excess of loose '80s figures out there on the secondary market means that families can have their cake and eat it too when it comes to playing out their own wrestling storylines.
#7: McFarlane Toys
The WatchMojo Lady Origin Story, Ace Ventura 3, and Todd McFarlane on Spawn!
The success of a toy line isn't always necessarily based upon an original idea. Sometimes it can be an adaptation of an already established property. The people behind McFarlane Toys understood this very well, and developed a popular line of toys modeled after famous musicians, movie characters and athletes. The company brought to market such names as Metallica, KISS, and The Beatles, as well as T.V. shows like The Simpsons. And fans responded in droves, ignoring price points and paying up for their favorite media personalities. The toys themselves were also really well made, with great designs and excellent attention paid to detail.
#6: Hot Wheels
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It was the best of times, it was the worst of times. This was the age of the Toy Car War between Mattel and Matchbox, with the former's Hot Wheels line coming from behind to knock out its forebear and competitor, the Matchbox Car. Mattel may have bought Tyco Toys in '97, but the Hot Wheels brand didn't rest on its laurels, and the tiny little toy cars are as popular today as they ever were in their heyday. This might be due to the bevy of designs Hot Wheels puts out, from iconic movie cars driven by characters like James Bond, to limited edition pieces hunted by collectors. Any way you slice it, there's still plenty of tread left on the tires for these Hot Wheels.
#5: LEGO
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There are a myriad of reasons why we play with toys. Those reasons can also change as we get older. The appreciation behind LEGO is particularly multifaceted, as it not only connects us to our creative side when we're young, but also our emotions as we get older. That's because many adults use LEGO sets for stress relief and therapy, similar to how a small Zen garden might help at the office. The brand isn't just physical toys, either. LEGO has lent their name to everything from video games and T.V. to a super successful film franchise. Not bad for a small group of plastic bricks.
#4: My Little Pony
Top 10 Toys That Caused Parent Outrage
Ok, so we're gonna say the word before anyone else does: Bronies. This is the reason why the My Little Pony toy line makes our list, and why it's so high. Of course, we know that My Little Pony has been around for decades, but we're not sure it would've lasted this long were it not for the "Friendship is Magic" reinvention from 2010. That show, and its corresponding toy lines, were embraced by a surprising number of male fans, despite the program's intended audience of young girls. While we don't have enough time to properly dissect the pathos of Brony-ism, the fandom is certainly real for these tiny horses, and have seriously extended their shelf life way beyond the 1980s.
#3: Barbie
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She's been an icon for over sixty years, the DEFINITIVE toy doll for little girls all over the world. To be fair, however, Barbie's influence is just as important to boys, so huge has been her cultural impact throughout the decades. That's because, for better or worse, Barbie has shifted with the changing times, and as a result has sort of reflected the attitudes and mores embraced by society over the years. Today, the phrase "You Can Do Anything" is closely aligned with Barbie to promote a positive sense of self-worth and independence. It may seem silly to lay so much responsibility and influence at the feet of a kid's toy, but there's a reason why Barbie has endured for so long: and it's because of her fans.
#2: Star Wars
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Ok, so there are legions of fans dedicated to all sorts of "Star Wars" toys but realistically we gotta give it up for the OG: the original Kenner "Star Wars" line. That's because there are people who will literally spend a small fortune trying to buy up and relive their childhood memories...or create memories they wish they could've had. It doesn't matter if you're looking up a classic Boba Fett, a Death Star playset, or that elusive "Early Bird" voucher that held you over til your real figures came in the mail: "Star Wars" was a HUGE deal. A lot of the fun behind toy collecting is seeing what becomes a success and what doesn't, and Kenner had obviously struck the mother-lode with this one.
#1: Funko Pop
Top 10 Rarest Funko Pop Figures That Might Make You Rich
If McFarlane Toys pioneered pop culture toy licenses into the mainstream, then the Funko Pop brand has turned it into an art form. The "Field of Dreams" line could just as well be applied to Funko's seemingly endless line of pop culture figurines. Chances are that, if it exists, Funko will eventually make a Pop out of it, no matter how obscure or niche that character or property may be. That's because the company totally understands that everyone's a fan of something, and as a result, these toys have the ultimate appeal. There's literally a Pop out there for you, you and you...all of us, really. And that's just one of many reasons why people love them.
