Photo gallery: Hot gifts from the past
Relive the joy — and frenzy — brought on by these gotta-have holiday gifts, courtesy of the Toy Industry Association.
1938: View-Master 3-D Viewer
View-Master models that span 65 years of production are seen in this undated display. The earliest model is at the left, and the current model is in the middle. The View-Master has given generations a 3-D look at everything from man's first moonwalk to the adventures of Spongebob. AP Photo/Fisher- Price
1952: Mr. Potato Head
An original Mr. Potato Head is displayed at "The Potato Museum" in Washington, D.C., October 29, 1986. (AP Photo/Tom Reed)
1964: G.I. Joe
This is an undated handout picture of the original 1964 G.I. Joe action figure manufactured by the Hasbro, Inc., company. AP Photo/Hasbro, Inc.
1975: Pong
Cassie Roth, 11, right, and Hannah Roth, 6, both of Shrewsbury, N.J., play an original Pong video game at the Cyber Playground exhibit at the Liberty Science Center in Jersey City, N.J., Wednesday, April 23, 1997. AP Photo/Mike Derer
1979: Atari
Seated at the controls of the ATARI Video Computer System, built into Atari's modular game stations, ATARI International Asteroids Tournament contestants vie for top scores on ATARI's latest home video game program, Asteroids, Oct., 1981. Associated Press photo
1983: Cabbage Patch Kids
Two Cabbage Patch Kids dolls are shown in a window display at Cartier's in Beverly Hills, Ca., Dec. 10, 1983. Each doll comes with a birth certificate and adoption papers. (AP Photo/Mark Avery)
1989: Game Boy
An unidentified Tokyo salesperson plays with Nintendo's latest computer game, "Game Boy, shown in 1989, Tokyo, Japan. Nintendo spent most of its one-hundred-year history producing playing cards, but lead the toy industry with computer games. AP Photo/Tsugufumi Matsumoto
1995: Beanie Babies
Arizona Daily Star file photo / Linda Seeger Salazar
1996: Tickle Me Elmo
Tickle Me Elmo's designer, Mark Johnson-Williams is shown in this Dec. 1996 file photo. AP Photo/San Francisco Examiner, Mark Costantini
1998: Furby
Furby, shown in this October 1998 file photo, which cost about $30 in a store if folks could find one, was selling for as much as $125 in newspaper classified ads and on the Internet.
1999: Pokemon
AP Photo/HO, Hasbro
2000: Razor scooter
Volunteers of America sidewalk Santas ride "Razor" scooters after a training class Tuesday, Nov. 21, 2000, in New York. AP Photo/Marty Lederhandler
2001: The iPod
Photo by Knight Ridder
2004: Robosapien
At 14 inches tall, Robosapien — a programmable entertainment robot — has 67 pre-programmed functions, including picking up, throwing, giving a high-five, whistling and dancing - all of which is programmed with a remote. Photo: Business Wire
2006: Nintendo Wii
Models show off handset of Nintendo's new Wii game during the Tokyo Game Show 2006 in Makuhari, east of Tokyo, Friday, Sept. 22, 2006. AP Photo/Koji Sasahara
2009: Nook
Nook, sold by Barnes & Noble, is the first Android-based electronic book reader with a color touch screen for navigation. The device features a paper-like display, 3G wireless and Wi-Fi connectivity to access over one million eBooks and other content, free in-store browsing of complete eBooks at Barnes & Noble’s stores nationwide and a breakthrough lending feature. AP Photo/Seth Wenig
2009: Zhu Zhu Pets
In 2009, the hot toys for kids were toy sets or figures kids could collect. Cepia's Zhu Zhu Pets hamsters were targeted to girls, specifically. Photo: Business Wire
2010: The iPad
A Jan. 27, 2010 photo shows Apple CEO Steve Jobs holding up the new iPad during a product announcement in San Francisco. The iPad, is a portable device for reading books, watching video and surfing the Web. AP Photo/Paul Sakuma
This Black Friday, big chains offering mega-deals are banking that consumers will storm into their stores before the turkey even has a chance to cool. In years past, the shopping frenzy began in the wee hours of the morning, but this year retailers have pushed the starting time even earlier.