50 Great Toys: The Frankie Roberto List

Over the last few weeks in the run up to Christmas, every newspaper magazine I’ve read has featured a ‘best 50 toys’ list - presumably to entice the desperate last minute shopper.

As these lists seem to be fairly arbitrary - I spent a few hours over the last few days compiling my own list of 50 great toys. These toys are mostly ones I’ve either owned, childhood friends have owned, or I’ve seen in shops recently. They’re probably a bit biased towards boy-toys, but there we go…

1. lego designer sets - LEGO is always great, but these sets differ from others by not having an external brand attached, and by having instructions for several different models, and ideas for many more. Imagionation-tastic.
2. brio - a wooden toys done simply and beautifully. I grew up with the wooden railway. A more recent addition is smart track, using sensors on the track to control the trains.
3. building blocks - the wooden variety. The simplest toy in the world, but full of possibilities, including the ‘how high can you build a tower’ challenge…
4. monopoly - a personal favorite, and always a classic. You have to have the [UK] original London edition though, not one of these newfangled localised versions full of sponsored logos.
5. domino rally - a strange toy, designed to make setting up domino rallies easier by hinging a load of plastic domino blocks onto bits of track. Sounds like cheating, but the sets are fairly inventive.
6. geomag - a fairly recent invention, employing strong magnets in short rods which open up the possibility of an impressive number of designs.
7. remote control car - the batteries soon wear out, and the motors don’t last forever, but fun while they last.
8. scalextrix - the original slot car racing game has just invented ’sport digital’ - allowing you to have more than one car per lane.
9. logic blocks - no longer seem to be available, but logic blocks were an electronic construction toy teaching the basics of logic gates.
10. spitfire airfix kits - all boys experiment with airfix kits at some point, I know I did, even though I got glue everywhere. The spitifire model is always a favorite.
11. magic pens - everyone had these for christmas one year - draw in one colour, then go over it with the ‘magic white pen’ to change the ink to a different colour. Magic!
12. globes - seeing the world as a 3D sphere rather than as distorted 2D maps is something everyone should do as early as possible.
13. etch a sketch - classic! even though it’s impossible to draw anything.
14. pack of cards - infinite possibilities, including ‘cheat’ and ‘texas hold em poker’, two of the most entertaining games.
15. cd player - something everyone needs at some point. Getting your first cd player is a coming-of-age thing. How high dare you set the volume?
16. wind-up radio - a great British invention. I haven’t got one, but I’m sure I’d never get bored of the novelty of it.
17. retro computer games - once upon a time, sonic the hedgehog and a sega mega drive was the best thing you could own - now you can fit it all into a tiny battery-powered box that plugs into your telly.
18. plastic soldiers - re-enact battles, in minature.
19. toy cars - another boy thing, I’m sure, but everyone needs some toy cars…
20. spud gun - fires chunks of potato. Makes a mess, but is fun.
21. Model sets made of folded paper - still available from craft shops. Takes a lot of patience and good ’scoring’ technique, but rewarding on cold wet winter days.
22. yoyo - a recurring playground fashion. The invention of yoyo ‘clutches’ sparked a new generation of the craze, allowing a whole new series of tricks.
23. juggling balls - everyone should learn to juggle. It only takes a week and a bit of perseverance.
24. unicycle - a bit more ambitious, and requiring a bit more room outdoors, but more impressive if you can master it.
25. super soaker - water pistols are a childhood favorite, and super soakers were always leaders of the pack.
26. mp3 player - iPods and the like are now cheap enough for everyone to own.
27. bop it - a more recent toy, in various versions, requiring quick reactions. Fun for all the family.
28. plastercine - it all turns to grey in the end once it’s all been mixed up, but fun while it lasts. And cheap too.
29. jenga - an original game with a simple premis - keep removing blocks from the tower til it falls over. Full of tension. The original branded wooden version is the only one worth getting.
30. draughts - the strategy game that’s easier than chess
31. the budlam cube - a wooden puzzle. ‘As seen on Dragon’s Den’
32. typewriter - an odd choice, perhaps, but playing on my mum’s typewrite was always fun, and in many ways, giving a child a typewriter rather than a PC might still be more rewarding.
33. mechano - the original construction toy. I never had it - but it looks complicated and cool.
34. rubik’s cube - plus instructions, so you can learn how to complete it in 30 seconds to impress your friends.
35. jigsaw puzzles - for cold wet days
36. dart board - with real darts, none of this felcro stuff. Although be prepared to put holes in the wall…
37. subbuteo - the original minature football game. Gives you carpet burns if you’re not careful, and required patience, but nicely detailed.
38. crayons - wax fun
39. knitting set - all children learn how to knit at some point. And then soon forget.
40. rollerscape - a suprisingly flexible marble rollercoaster building kit.
41. walkie talkies - probably were more fun pre-mobile funs, but still cool.
42. skipping rope - an old favorite
43. frisbee - there are thousands of different types of frisbees available now, and even a sport made out of it.
44. plasma lamps - it’s just static electricity, but it looks cool, and follows your hand!
45. fuzzy felts - weird 2D felt toy.
46. rollerskates - inlines, obviously.
47. puppets - for being creative with. Or for recreating punch and judy shows.
48. pick up sticks - otherwise known as mikado - a japanese game requiring a steady hand.
49. Paper, scissors and glue - call me old fashioned, but you can do a lot with a little with a bit of imagination.
50. Chemistry sets - guaranteed to lead to the creation of stink bombs, and with the potential for being a real let down, but good sets can be fun (and perhaps even educational).

Phew! So there we go. Hope that’s been of help. Or interest. What toys did you have? And love?

« The NMSI Christmas Game| Why YOU should switch to using Ecotricity »