The "It" Gift




Every year there is one item that drives us all crazy – the “it” gift.  We all want “it” so bad we will do anything to get it.  Fights break out over the last one on the shelf; others sell it for an exorbitant markup in secondary markets like eBay or Craigslist. Children beg and plead until parents are ready to pull their hair out.  Santa gets more letters on this one item than all other items combined.  

But if you’re lucky enough to score one, it will be a star amidst the gifts under the tree on Christmas morning, and you’ll be granted hero status, at least for the day anyway.  What “it” is, of course, changes from year to year, and many of the hot holiday gifts throughout the last century have become some of the best loved and most iconic toys of all time.

I’ve assembled a quick timeline of some of the most popular toys from 1903 to now. Did you know that the teddy bear was the “it” item of 1903? Then it was board games for quite a while in the 1930’s to 1950’s. Then Barbie made her debut and became infamous, creating one of the biggest toy markets in history.  Now it is the latest gaming device that takes precedence over the market.   It’s certainly striking to see how technology and tastes have evolved over the last 110 years!

·         1903 – Teddy Bear

·         1916 – Lincoln Logs

·         1923 – Chinese Checkers

·         1935 – Monopoly

·         1945 – Slinky

·         1948 - Scrable

·         1952 – Mr. Potato Head

·         1959 – Barbie

·         1968 – Big Wheel and Lite Brite

·         1975 – Pet Rock (yes really!)

·         1977 – Stars Wars action figures

·         1983 – My Little Pony, Cabbage Patch Kids, and Care Bears

·         1991 – Nintendo Gameboy

·         1996 – Beanie Babies and Tickle Me Elmo

·         2006 – Playstation 3

·         2007 – Nintendo Wii

And now in 2011, the guesses are in for the “it” item of the year.  My pick for everyone, young or old, is the Kindle Fire or IPod Touch 4.  For the little ones, I have seen a huge pickup in Monster High (think Barbie with a dark twist) or the new electronic devices aimed for the younger ages like the LeapPad Touch.   What will you pick for your “it” item this year?