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TOY STORY

Average millennial’s first toy was Play-Doh and led to Hungry Hippos and Lego – how many did you have?

Here is the 'toy story' of kids born after 1980, from Care Bears to Xbox 360s

MILLENIAL's 'toy story' started with Play-Doh at age two and led to Hungry Hippos at six, with Lego making an appearance when they were nine, according to research.

Alongside these, children also played with Sylvanian Families, Tamagotchi and Care Bears.

Millenials' 'toy stories' began with Play-Doh and ended with Game Boys, according to new research
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Millenials' 'toy stories' began with Play-Doh and ended with Game Boys, according to new researchCredit: Alamy

A study of adults aged 22 to 37 explores their childhood toy-timeline, showing that from birth to three years of age, millenials also played with My Little Pony, Barbie and Duplo.

By the ages of eight to 10, Spirograph, Connect 4 and Etch-a-Sketch could also be found in kid's bedrooms.

Moving into their teens, video games firmly became the toy of choice, with Game Boys, Nintendo Wii and Xbox 360 all featuring in the top 10.

Juliet Ward, head toy buyer at Argos, said: "The progression of toys is an interesting one, you can clearly see how the requirements of a developing child change as they get older."

My Little Pony was also a hit among youngsters
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My Little Pony was also a hit among youngstersCredit: Amazon
Lego was a favourite for kids born between 1980 and 1999
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Lego was a favourite for kids born between 1980 and 1999Credit: Getty - Contributor
Game Boys added Pokemon and Super Mario to kids' playtime
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Game Boys added Pokemon and Super Mario to kids' playtimeCredit: Alamy
Beanie Babies enjoyed huge popularity amongst kids in the 1990s
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Beanie Babies enjoyed huge popularity amongst kids in the 1990sCredit: Amazon
Hungry Hippos was also a favourite
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Hungry Hippos was also a favouriteCredit: Amazon
Care Bears dominated kids' playtime during the early 2000s
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Care Bears dominated kids' playtime during the early 2000sCredit: Amazon
Tamagotchis were responsible for playground mayhem in the 1990s
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Tamagotchis were responsible for playground mayhem in the 1990sCredit: Wikipedia
'Tazos', with the most popular being Pokemon, presented parents with fresh pressure
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'Tazos', with the most popular being Pokemon, presented parents with fresh pressureCredit: Not known, check with picture desk

“Like most children, millennials were engaging in role play at an early age, and this progresses right through to the ages of eight and nine.

"However, by the age of 10, children were much more influenced by playground crazes such as Tamagotchi, Pogs and Pokeman which became extremely popular.

“The Xbox 360 launched in 2001 and PlayStation 2 in 2000, so it comes as no surprise to see that millennials nearing their teens began engaging with computer games.

"Shortly after the Xbox arrived, the Nintendo Wii launched which was the first interactive console of its kind.

MOST POPULAR TOYS - Age 0-3

  1. Play-Doh
  2. My Little Pony
  3. Barbie
  4. Duplo
  5. The Fisher Price phone
  6. Playmobil
  7. Stickle Bricks
  8. Sylvanian Families
  9. Hot Wheels cars
  10. Beanie Babies

MOST POPULAR TOYS - Age 4-7

  1. Play Dough
  2. My Little Pony
  3. Skipping rope
  4. Hungry Hippos
  5. Etch-A-Sketch
  6. Sylvanian Families
  7. Tamagotchi
  8. Care Bears
  9. Beanie Babies
  10. Gameboy

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MOST POPULAR TOYS - Age 8-10

  1. LEGO sets
  2. Game Boy
  3. Barbie
  4. Tamagotchi
  5. Skipping rope
  6. Connect 4
  7. Pokemon Cards
  8. Spirograph
  9. Pogs
  10. Etch-A-Sketch

MOST POPULAR TOYS - Age 11-14

  1. Game Boy
  2. LEGO sets
  3. Tamagotchis
  4. Connect 4
  5. Nintendo Wii
  6. BMX Bike
  7. Swingball
  8. Xbox 360
  9. Scalextric
  10. Spirograph

"This launch was monumental and potentially changed the way children play in the decades that followed.”

Millennials would play actively with toys for an average of 11 hours and 14 minutes a week.

This compares to just eight hours and 15 minutes of play time for 11 to 14-year-olds.

The average millennial says they had 162 toys over the course of their childhood – which included the Fisher Price phone, Hot Wheels cars, Beanie Babies and BMX bikes.

Half-monster-half-baby dolls that have eyes that follow you are truly the stuff of nightmares

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