by Melis Amber and Cassie Holguin
Toys and games certainly aren’t just for kids, but they have a particular specialness during childhood that isn’t always present later in life. We thought it would be fun to look back at some of our favorite childhood toys and games and share the nostalgia with you.
The Oregon Trail
I have a confession. My favorite part of The Oregon Trail was hunting: killing so many animals and collecting so much meat that I could not possibly use it all. The game would chastise me for my gleeful, wasteful murders. I’d obliterate so many bison I could not even trade it before it would spoil. Yes, GGA, I am why the Bison bison bison is near-threatened. (Sorry, fellow vegans.)
In all seriousness, The Oregon Trail was the first computer game I ever played. I was in third grade. Our school’s computer room was shiny and new. We were learning typing with Mavis Beacon. This reward for typing well was a high-stakes game. Would we be able to ford the river (not with all that aforementioned meat!) Would my youngest daughter, Clara, die of cholera or a rattlesnake bite? There were only so many possibilities, but it felt endless.
RELATED: Tavern Talk Thursday: TTRPG Gift Guide Edition
I don’t actually know which version of this game we played in my computer class. The year would have been about 1995, meaning there are more than five suspects. However, the good news is, if you’re still itching to get back to your glory days in the old west, Gameloft has new versions of The Oregon Trail for Apple Arcade, Nintendo Switch, Windows and Xbox. Even better, play an old-school version of the game here. — MA
Nintendo Gameboy Color
As a lifelong gamer, I would be remiss if I didn’t mention at least one video game or system on this list of our favorite toys and games. Narrowing it down was quite a challenge, but I have vivid memories of my Gameboy Color in none other than Atomic Purple. The original Gameboy was already cool enough, but when the color version came out, I had never wanted anything so badly for Christmas in my life.
My parents were amazing and came through, but my mom couldn’t keep the secret, so I knew exactly what was in that little box. I am not proud of this, but I snuck under the tree one night, opened the box, and played that Gameboy all night long.
RELATED: Find the Perfect Present With This Switch Gamer Gift Guide
The game was Frogger (my mom’s favorite), and it blew my tiny little 10-year-old mind. When I realized the sun was coming up, I hurriedly and terribly rewrapped the present using bubblegum because I couldn’t find the tape. I am sure I got into some sort of trouble, but my parents were totally cool, and that’s not what I remember. I remember multi-colored 8-bit froggies and thinking I had the best parents in the whole wide world. This feeling never left me because I still play Frogger today and think I have the best parents. — CH
Pogs
On any given weekend in the ’90s, if you walked into my local roller skating rink, you would think it was some back alley gambling operation run by children. I guess, technically, that’s what it was. Kids huddled in a circle, yelling, placing “bets.” You could feel the frenzied excitement in the air. What exactly were we doing? Slamming heavy plastic discs onto lighter cardboard discs trying to flip them over to see those sick designs on the other side. We were playing POGS.
RELATED: Holiday Gift Guide for LEGO Lovers
All the “coolest” kids in town had respectable Pog collections complete with heavy slammers, hard-to-find Pogs and the plastic tubes to carry them in. I still remember the thrill of risking it all when playing “for keeps.” You could lose it all or win big and snag that one Pog you needed to complete your collection. There were Pogs with just about anything on them. The Simpsons and Goosebumps collections were among my most prized possessions. Try a quick eBay search for a serious wave of nostalgia. — CH
The Game of Life
Much like hunting did in The Oregon Trail, loading up a little car with a family so large the little blue and pink pegs had to sit on top of each other scratched another itch I’d never planned to live out in real life. Sure, it was fun to be a rock star or an actor, but collecting babies was where it was at. I was a strange little kid when it came to the toys and games I loved.
Thinking back on the game, I realize you win it by being the player with the most money, which, like, my goodness, could you get more US American? So, essentially, my favorite board game as a kid was programming me to think that money is the ultimate goal in life. Perfect. And we wonder how things end up as they do.
RELATED: Board Game Gift Guide – Ideas for Under $20
Shockingly (to me, anyway), the first version of this Milton Bradley game dates back to 1860 — the first game invented by Bradley for himself. The modern version debuted in 1960 and has a place in the Smitshonian’s National Museum of American History. These days, there are many different themed versions, including one with pets. — MA
Virtual Pets
Do you know what was really fun for me as a kid? Tending to the incessant demands of a pixelated pet that beeped aggressively every five seconds. Stressing constantly that my precious little baby was still alive, and some of these things were notoriously difficult to keep alive. The risk of being kicked out of school because I forgot to mute the dang beep! Oh, those were good times and not at all an underlying cause of my anxiety issues today.
RELATED: A Nostalgic Journey Through the World of Tamagotchi
Seriously though, from Giga Pets to Tamagotchi (my favorite), I loved every minute of caring for my digital pets. So much so that I still have a small collection. Some virtual pets are still being made today, though Tamagotchi have evolved quite a bit since back in my day. Take a trip down memory lane today and grab a Tamagotchi here on Amazon. You can even find vintage ones on resale sites like eBay. — CH
Puppy Surprise
Gambling. For kids. You buy a “pregnant” mama dog that’s bursting with puppies. Inside, she’s got either three, four or five. (I wonder just how often kids got five!) I think I had a couple of these because I really wanted a five-puppy surprise, and I was greedy and spoiled. But there was something about the interactive nature of the toy that got to me. Not only can you still buy Puppy Surprise (though it looks a bit different), but today, there’s also Unicorn Surprise, Kitty Surprise and Safari Surprise. What will they think of next?
RELATED: Holiday Gift Guide 2023: Family-Friendly Nintendo Switch Games
It wasn’t the only kind like that I was into. I liked those dolls you “fed” that then “excreted.” Furbees were also my jam. You get the picture. — MA
Those are just six of our favorite toys and games from childhood. We had to narrow down the list so that we didn’t go on forever, though we certainly could have. Do we share any faves? What did you love to play as a kid? Share your nostalgia below!
https://www.geekgirlauthority.com/pokemon-gift-guide-holiday-shopping-ideas/
- Geek Girl Authority Crush of the Week: KATNISS EVERDEEN - April 1, 2025
- Millennial Misremembers: CLARISSA EXPLAINS IT ALL - March 19, 2025
- The Origin of Tropes: Vampire Lore - February 5, 2025
