- Some toys, like the Rubik’s cube, will never go out of style.
- Over the past few decades, technological advances have caused the entertainment market to change.
- Business Insider has consulted industry experts to identify 22 of the best-selling toys of all time, including the Rubik’s Cube, Furbys and the Game Boy.
- Many of these products remain popular today.
- Discover more stories on Business Insider Spain.
Although it became popular in the 1980s, Rubik’s cube remains a cultural phenomenon Today: 350 million have been sold worldwide.
Other products, such as elastic bracelets Silly Bandzhad a brief moment of fame until they were relegated forever.
And although toys are a constant in our lives, Physical toy stores are not going through the best moment in their history.
In the United States, Toys ‘R’ Us filed for bankruptcy in 2017, went bankrupt in 2018 and was absorbed by Tru Kids Brands last February. In Spain, the well-known toy store was saved from closure thanks to the Portuguese investment firm Green Swan, which acquired 60% of the capital of the Iberian subsidiary, and is now even considering its IPO.
Toys ‘R’ Us expects to close the 2019 financial year in Spain with sales growth of between 4% and 5%, even emerging from losses, despite the increasing competition it faces from other companies such as Amazon, El Corte Inglés or Carrefour, which have a considerable range of toys.
Business Insider has spoken with experts from the magazine The Toy Insider to identify The 22 best-selling toys of all time. The data is shown year by year with the number of units sold.
Read more: The best PS4 games (so far)
According to information from The Toy Insiderwhen Nintendo launched its first console in 1988, the company sold 7 million units and 32 million video games. In 1997, it was the turn of Tamagotchi, which raised 150 million dollars in sales.
From the Rubik’s cube in 1980 to rubber band bracelets loom bands in 2012, These are the 22 best-selling toys of all time.
1980: Rubik’s cube
Vince Talotta/Toronto Star/Getty Images
Sales: 4.5 million units.
1983: Cabbage Patch Dolls
Wallocha/ullstein bild/Getty Images
Sales: 2.5 million units, reaching revenues of 1 billion dollars.
1983-1984: Trivial Pursuit
Matt Faber/PA Images/Getty Images
Sales: 1.3 million units sold in 1983; 22 million units sold in 1984.
1984: Transformers
Kirsten Acuna/Business Insider
Sales: 10 million units.
1984: GoBots
James I./Yelp
Sales: 15 million units.
1985: My Little Pony
Matt Cardy/Getty Images
Sales: 16 million units sold worldwide since 1987.
1988: Nintendo
Nintendo
Sales: 7 million units, plus 32.5 million video games.
1989: Game Boy
François ANCELLET/Gamma-Rapho/Getty Images
Sales: 1.1 million units sold, plus 2.5 million game cartridges.
1989-1990: Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles
AP Photo/Richard Drew
Sales: 30 million units by the end of 1990.
1994: Tazos
Xavier ROSSI/Gamma-Rapho/Getty Images
Sales: 350 million units sold.
1995: Beanie Boos
AP/Peter Barreras
Sales: 100 million units between 1993 and 1996.
1996: Elmo plush toy
James Keyser / Getty Images
Sales: 1 million units.
1997: Tamagotchi
Reuters
Annual sales highlights: $150 million raised.
1998: Furby
The Asahi Shimbun via Getty Images)
Sales: 1.8 million units in 1998 and 14 million units in 1999.
1999: Pokemon
The Pokémon Company
Sales: $1 billion in revenue.
Read more: The best Xbox One games of the moment
2000: Scooters
MediaNews Group/Boulder Daily Camera via Getty Images/Contributor
Sales: 5 million units.
2001: Bratz dolls
REUTERS/Stephen Hird
Sales: 125 million units between 2001 and 2005
2006: Nintendo Wii
Reuters/Yuriko Nakao
Sales: 3.19 million units.
2007: Webkinz Plush Toys
Portland Press Herald/Getty Images
Sales: more than $100 million in revenue.
2009: Zhu Zhu Pets
John Phillips/Getty
Sales: 10 million units sold.
2008: Silly Bandz Bracelets
Richard Lautens/Getty Images
Sales: the peak was more than a million packs per week.
2012-2013: Loom Bands
Associated Press
Sales: more than one million units to date.
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Tags: Money, Nintendo, Video Games, Upday