100 Greatest Toys

[Iain]

Like we didn't already know it, but Channel 4 in the UK has just done the countdown of the 100 Greatest Toys, and Lego has come out at No.1!

Monopoly was second.

[hawkrider]

Well my congrats to LEGO for making a worthy product.

[RoryoCox]

And a well deserved award it was. I was sure going through the programme that lego would be in the top 5 but had a doubt that it would be number 1. A nice surprise indeed.

[prateek]

Obviously!

What other toy is still as successful as it was 50 years ago, besides Barbie?

[Mrlegoninja]

Obviously!

What other toy is still as successful as it was 50 years ago, besides Barbie?

Hot wheels!

It doesn't suprise me that LEGO comes out as first. It is the greatest toy.

I wonder how it ranks in "100 greates Hobbies"! It better be no. 1!

[Iain]

Barbie and Hot Wheels were way down the list, although both toys are very American and this was a UK poll

[SlyOwl]

I was nervously anticipating this result - as I couldn't think of what else could have won!

Although, as they said about Dungeons and Dragons, the poll wasn't the fairest as it was online - and as far as I know, the people who are most likely to vote online are the wealthier types - which fits Lego's target customers better...

...but I still concur with the result!

[lightningtiger]

Well then not much has changed in ten years......it was voted toy of 20th century ten years ago if memory serves me correctly !

Lego - the greatest toy of them all !

[CorneliusMurdock]

Congrats to Lego for a well-earned top spot in the ranking! No other toy could be as versatile as Lego is. Plus I don't know anyone who still plays with Hot Wheels or Barbies as an adult(without doing it with a kid). I know some adults collect other toys (and I'm not judging) but Lego is such a creative outlet that it just has to be played with to be truly appreciated.

[meyerc13]

Barbie and Hot Wheels may have been around a long time, but they have sacrificed quality over the past 20 years. I bought my 2 year old daughter a Barbie Doll, and instead of being a soft flexible plastic, the legs are hard and non-posable. I personally had hundreds of Matchbox and Hot Wheels as a kid, and you can tell the difference instantly when you pick up a current car vs. a car from 20 years ago, there is far more plastic and far less metal than there used to be.

I was away from LEGO for 20+ years until my son was old enough about 2 years ago, and while people complain about the cheap plastic and quality control, if there is any difference it is slight. Putting together a set feels just the same as it did 20+ years ago, and the quality is quite a bit better than a COBY pirate ship my in-laws bought (a ship made of parts that look like LEGO, but don't hold together at all).

So LEGO deserves to be the #1 toy. Out of my five nephews, all four who are old enough for LEGO, wanted LEGO for Christmas this year. That was the only common item on all four wish lists, which should tell you something about why LEGO is #1.

[LegoDad42]

LEGO reigns supreme!

Is there a link to the whole list of 100 Greatest Toys?

I wonder if Axis and Allies made the list. Loved that game with my older brother when I was a kid.

Also wondered where Star Wars action figures ranked.

As much as I love LEGO, when I was a kid a good rubber Spaulding handball was probably the greatest toy for us kids. From stoopball to punchball to stickball and everything in between. Wonder if it made the list.

[XimenaPaulina]

Was there ever any doubt?

[Rick]

This really was a no-brainer.

[Brickdoctor]

Congrats to Lego for a well-earned top spot in the ranking! No other toy could be as versatile as Lego is. Plus I don't know anyone who still plays with Hot Wheels or Barbies as an adult(without doing it with a kid). I know some adults collect other toys (and I'm not judging) but Lego is such a creative outlet that it just has to be played with to be truly appreciated.

Agreed, I know a couple adult fans of Barbie and Hot Wheels, but they're all collectors, not true players. I don't think there's any doubt that LEGO has the largest adult community both physically and online for any toy aimed at kids, and that makes it great because it means LEGO is not the kind of toy that gets discarded by everyone when the next big thing comes out.

The only other real big toy I can think of would be wooden trains, but the top brands (Thomas, Brio, etc. ) basically split the market whereas LEGO blows the closest thing it has to competitors out of the water.

[Runamuck]

I must say that the compatibility of LEGO is astounding. There are not many toys where 10,20,30,40 or maybe even 50 year old pieces are still compatible with what is being sold today.

[SilentMode]

One of those rare occasions where a Channel 4 "top list" got the #1 spot right! It's great to know that Lego is still popular, and I'd suspect that the AFOL community has a lot to do with it.

[buddy]

In my mind their wasn't any doubt that Lego is the greatest toy ever and that it would come out top on this list.

~buddy~

[Bricks2000]

Congrats, LEGO!

[Haltiamieli]

There just wouldn't be any justice in the universe if Lego wouldn't be number 1. It's so clearly on the class of it's own. Still I'm bit bummed that another childhood favourite of mine, Playmobil, apparently didn't get higher than #50.

[jm28cardiff]

I would have liked to see Fisher Price Adventure People make the list, they were truly my favourite as a kid. Then again, I didnt know a single other person who had any.

Edited December 20, 2010 by jm28cardiff

[Brickdoctor]

What I find greatest about this whole thing is that I went and Googled this show, and the first thing that comes up is a whole bunch of gaming forums. And while members there are complaining about the GameBoy getting this and the XBox 360 getting that, everyone agrees that Ch. 4 got #1 right. And then I saw another site asking people to vote for Dungeons and Dragons, hoping for it to get #1, and after the results came out the one commenter said that coming in behind LEGO is no shame. Then I see another gaming forum, and in the midst of the argument is a pic of Blacktron minifigs, and everyone agrees that that is better than their fancy consoles.

[Iain]

Here is a list of the entire top 100 - I've included some descriptions for some toys that were possibly not that popular outside of the UK

100 Boxing Robots

99 Teletubbies

98 Holly Hobby (rag doll)

97 Ben 10

96 Major Matt Mason (action figure)

95 Bratz

94 Peter Powell Kites (70’s kite manufacturer)

93 Pippa (doll - smaller version of Barbie)

92 Striker / Super Striker (table football soccer)

91 Beyblades

90 Johnny 7 (60’s toy gun)

89 Clackers (2 plastic balls on a piece of string!)

88 Trouble (60’s game with popomatic dice)

87 Cyberman Voice Change Helmet (2006 – from Dr Who)

86 Magna Doodle

85 Stretch Armstrong

84 Tickle Me Elmo

83 Crossfire (70’s football with guns and marbles)

82 Girls World (make-up mannequin head)

81 Stylophone (70’s miniature electronic organ)

80 Trolls

79 Weebles

78 Cabbage Patch Kids

77 Simon (70’s light sequence electronic game)

76 Polly Pocket

75 Escape From Colditz (70’s board game)

74 Furby

73 Six Million Dollar Man (action figure)

72 Beanie Babies

71 Buzz Lightyear

70 Power Rangers

69 Buckaroo

68 Tiny Tears (crying doll)

67 Sindy (British version of Barbie)

66 Hula Hoop

65 Tracy Island (Thunderbirds)

64 Hungry Hippos

63 Evel Knievel Stunt Bike

62 Mr Potato Head

61 James Bonds Aston Martin Car

60 Care Bears

59 Ker-Plunk

58 My Little Pony

57 Space Hopper

56 Tonka Toys

55 Game Of Life

54 Tamagotchi

53 Super Soaker (water pistol)

52 Operation (electronic doctor’s game)

51 Slinky

50 Playmobile

49 Yahtzee (dice game)

48 Mastermind (code guessing peg game)

47 Barbie

46 Chopper (70’s bicycle)

45 Pictionary

44 Frisbee

43 Jenga

42 Fuzzy Felt

41 Sylvanian Families

40 Mouse Trap (board game)

39 Hot Wheels

38 Battleship (code game)

37 Pokeman Trading Cards

36 Twister

35 Chemistry set

34 Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles

33 Yo-yo

32 Top Trumps (card game)

31 Roller Skate

30 Risk (world domination board game)

29 Spirograph (circular drawing tool)

28 Subbuteo (table soccer game)

27 Plasticine

26 Play-Doh

25 Atari

24 Rubik Cube

23 Teddy Bear

22 Etch-a-Sketch

21 Matchbox Cars

20 Action Man (UK version of GI Joe)

19 Airfix

18 Connect 4

17 Hornby Train Sets

16 Meccano

15 Cluedo

14 He-Man (homo-erotic action figure)

13 X-Box

12 Transformers

11 Star Wars Toys

10 Game Boy

9 Trivial Pursuit

8 Scalextric

7 Scrabble

6 Playstation

5 Nintendo Games Consoles

4 Wii

3 Dungeons & Dragons

2 Monopoly

1 Lego

Edited December 20, 2010 by Iain

[prateek]

I don't see how Wii is any different from Nintendo game consoles

I think other than the top 3, the whole list is messed up.

[fred67]

I don't see how Wii is any different from Nintendo game consoles

I think other than the top 3, the whole list is messed up.

I know, right? On what planet does Jenga beat Pictionary? I've had some of the best laughs of my life playing Pictionary.

Oh... and at number 14.

[Mrlegoninja]

I am also suprised that the Rubiks Cube is only 24. I really love solving them, and also collect them.

Edited December 21, 2010 by Mrlegoninja