If you grew up during a toy frenzy, you may recall playing with a Teddy Ruxbin, a popular G.I. Joe, or an “adopted” Cabbage Patch Kid. If you treasured those toys so much that you kept them, you may be sitting on a sizable fortune. In some cases, these popular children’s toys are worth hundreds, if not thousands, of dollars.
We have included some rare prototypes that you should be on the lookout for in our list, mixed in with some more popular toys that you may already own from the past fifty years or more! Which of these toys do you own?
For more information on these uncommon old games, some of which are worth hundreds of dollars, continue reading on the next page…
The Original Lite-Brite Is Now A $300 Buy
The Original Lite-Brite, which debuted in 1967, cost only $10. You may now obtain a 3000% return on your investment! It was a simpler time in 1967, and youngsters did not require an iPad to be entertained.
When switched on, Lite-Brite has a lightbox with tiny, colorful plastic pegs that glow. Children might even make masterpieces by arranging pegs on the provided templates, instantly converting themselves into painters. Red, blue, orange, white, green, yellow, pink, and violet pegs were included in the original set.
The $20,000 Superman Toy
Ideal Novelty and Toy Company produced a 13-inch tall Superman action figure in 1940. The toy was composed of wood, save for the head and upper torso. The toy has become one of the world’s most valuable collectibles.
This is the first doll ever manufactured for the series, and it cost only 94 cents when it was launched. It is currently worth about 30,000 times more than the initial MSRP, with a selling price of more than $20,000.
The Cabbage Patch Kid ‘Adoption’ Fee Has Gone Way Up
A Cabbage Patch Kid may be purchased for $40 as an “adoption fee” in 1984. Xavier Roberts created the dolls as hand-stitched “sculptures” in 1976, but they emerged in a fresh form eight years later.
If you have one of the original 1984 dolls, you might sell it in immaculate condition for up to $1,000 today. The doll was recently re-released, although not with the same enthusiasm that it garnered over 30 years ago.
The 1978 Telescopic Light Saber Darth Vader Is Worth $6,000
When George Lucas unveiled Star Wars, the world watched in awe as he provided a new high-tech approach to filmmaking. Millions of people came to their local theaters to see Star Wars, and a toy monster was swiftly developed.
Toys from the Star Wars universe cost $2.49 in 1978. One of these toys is a must-have for every serious collector. In today’s toy collector market, the telescopic lightsaber Darth Vader toy is worth USD 6,000. Kenner produced only a few hundred of the toys because the extended lightsaber was deemed unappealing by purchasers.
A $900 Furby Can Annoy You For Years To Come
Remember when the Furby first appeared in 1998? Parents were battling each other in shop aisles for the technological present. The toys could communicate with one another, make strange noises, and have frightening blinking eyes. The National Security Agency (NSA) once banned the toys from Fort Meade because of worries that they may listen in on conversations.
The toys were initially $35, but some of the rarer first editions in immaculate condition are now going for up to $900. That’s a lot of money to spend on something that so many people dislike.
Teddy Ruxpin Now Sells For $400
A Teddy Ruxpin doll could be purchased for $69.99 in 1985. The cuddly animal with a built-in tape recorder was an instant success for kids. The doll knows who you are, narrates tales, and even twitches his eyes to make him look more genuine.
While costs vary depending on the state of your Teddy Ruxpin, we have seen one sell on eBay for $400. Even if you didn’t take proper care of your doll, it may still be worth up to $150. Try obtaining that much money for a regular tape player.
The $1,000 Strawberry Shortcake Doll
When I was a kid, I used to let my G.I. Joe’s play with my sister’s Strawberry Shortcake Dolls. It turns out that instead of smashing the dolls in an act of infantile warfare, I should have been assisting her in caring for them.
My sister had the Mint Tulip doll, which she had acquired some years before. The doll initially arrived in 1979, and I utterly smashed it in a 1985 G.I. Joe vs. Shortcakes duel. That doll, which was originally sold for pennies on the dollar, is now valued at $1,000.
The Mail Order My Little Pony And A $900 Price Tag
In the 1980s, if you desired a My Little Pony, a fast trip to Toys R Us or KB Toys would allow you to obtain one of the famous toys. However, the collection’s holy grail could only be obtained through a mail order method.
Rapunzel is a pink My Little Pony with an exceptionally long mane of yellow and gold hair with pink tinsel. You had to order this pony via mail and then patiently wait for it to arrive. If you went through all of that trouble, you now have a My Little Pony that might bring up to $900, or even more if you find the proper brony prepared to part with some cash.
The $25,000 Luke Skywalker Toy You Need To Own Right Now
We couldn’t discuss Darth Vader without addressing Luke Skywalker. In 2015, a mint-condition, still-in-box Luke Skywalker toy sold for $25,000 at a Sotheby’s auction.
Nigo, a Japanese designer, decided to sell the item – a 1978 Luke Skywalker action figure — and he made a tidy profit. He also sold numerous more uncommon Canadian and Hungarian copies of the bounty hunter Boba Fett for $6,250 and $15,000, respectively.
The $20,000 Barbie In A Swim Suit
Due to the doll’s extraordinarily rapid increase in popularity, a large number of Barbies were produced when it was originally revealed. Some of the original Barbie dolls may sell for up to $1,200 per piece.
If you had the holy grail of Barbies, you may afford to purchase a new automobile with the proceeds from the sale of the one-of-a-kind doll. At the auction, a first-edition Barbie in the famous black-and-white striped bikini is now valued up to $20,000. Not bad for a doll that cost $3 when it first appeared in 1959.
Meet The $72,000 Hot Wheels Van
Mattel soon canceled the pink rear-loading Volkswagen Beach van when it found it wouldn’t operate on its race circuits. The design is quite uncommon for Hot Wheels, with a surfboard protruding from the back of the toy.
Only two of these very unusual toys have been unearthed so far. One of the vehicles was sold at auction for a mind-boggling $72,000, illustrating unequivocally that some individuals never outgrow their love of childhood memories.
Check Out This $13,000 Matchbox Car
Matchbox vehicles cost less than a dollar when they first appeared in 1953. Millions of youngsters adored the automobiles, and the toy firm behind them, Lesney Products, was later purchased by Mattel.
Fast forward to 2004, when Jim Gallegos, a well-known Matchbox collector, paid $13,000 for a brown No. 30 crane. That’s a more than 13,000% rise in the toy’s worth. Gallegos own more than $1.4 million in Matchbox cars.
An $85,000 Toy Crane
The Lionel 3360 Burro Crane served as a pattern for numerous model cranes that followed. This prototype masterpiece, built in the 1950s, has proven extremely difficult to locate.
The vendor received $85,062.25 from an eBay auction for the Burro Crane. Lionel trains are regarded as some of the best-built models of all time, but we can’t imagine paying this much money for a collectible toy.
The Pokemon Pikachu Illustrator Card Is Priced At $150,000
The Pokemon trading card game became popular in January 1999 and has remained so among both children and adults. If you want to get your hands on the rarest card in the game, go no further than the Pikachu Illustrator card.
The card has a rare double star on it, which has already raised its worth. When you consider that only six of the cards were produced, they quickly becomes one of the most valuable collector’s treasures in the world of toy collecting.
The Adam Garbage Pail Kids Card Is Worth $4,000
When the collector card craze was in full bloom in the 1980s, the Garbage Pail Kids were experiencing a revival. Toys that were among the best-selling of the decade drew a large crowd of children.
If you were fortunate enough to obtain an Adam card and have preserved it for all these years, it is now worth roughly $4,000. Even less uncommon cards may fetch upwards of $700 apiece. If the cards are still in their original packaging, they are considerably more valuable.
You Might Want to List Claude the Crab on eBay!
Collectors have taken notice of Claude the crab, another Beanie Baby. The adorable tie-dyed crab originally appeared in stores on May 11, 1997, during the Beanie Baby mania!
This small crab is selling for as much as $8,000 on eBay! According to CompleteSet, a Claude crab sold for $7,200 in August 2020.
Wun-Dar He-Man Goes From Free To $1,000
In the 1990s, it was impossible to watch Saturday morning cartoons without seeing He-Man. The popular mascot sparked a $1 billion toy-purchasing craze, which lasted barely a few years.
The Wonder Bread team decided to include a “Wun-Dar” He-Man as a free present with the purchase of their bread. Many of the toys were never made, and many were lost over time. Wun-Dar He-Man is now worth $1,000. Even out of the box and in less-than-perfect condition, this toy sells for more than $120.
Ty Beanie Baby Spinner the Spider
Spinner the Spider is another Ty beanie baby that some collectors believe is quite valuable. Spinner, a black and gold spider with red eyes and black legs, was released on October 1, 1997, and retired on September 19, 1998.
This beanie baby is being sold online for between $300 and $400 with the swing tag still attached.
The $32,205 PEZ Dispenser
PEZ dispensers have always been popular collectibles, but none more so than the 1982 World’s Fair Astronaut B PEZ Dispenser. This valued artifact is said to be a prototype for a World’s Fair board.
When the dispenser appeared at auction, it instantly drew the interest of collectors and sold for $32,000. This collector’s item is by far the finest value for money we’ve found. It is also extremely uncommon due to its one-of-a-kind prototype design.
If You Have One Of These American Girl Dolls, Consider Yourself Very Fortunate!
Molly McIntire was one of the first Historical Characters released by American Girl. She represents the World War II era when she was released in 1996. Molly was retired (archived) by American Girl in 2013, making her even more precious to collectors today.
The bespectacled beauty is dressed in a blue, red, and green argyle sweater over a white blouse and a navy blue skirt. Top-condition Molly McIntire dolls now retail for up to $5,000 after being purchased for roughly $85.
