Children of the 1980s and 1990s were truly lucky. It was a golden age where there was an action figure for just about any situation and most seemed to come with cartoons designed to promote them. Even Transformers, one of the biggest cartoon and film franchises of all time, started life as a glorified commercial to sell toys. Of course, it was selling some of the most incredible toys ever imagined.
But with so many options at the toy store, back in the day when Toys ‘R’ Us not only simply existed but reigned supreme, there are definitely some items not remembered quite as fondly as G.I. Joe, Cabbage Patch Kids, and the Nintendo Entertainment System. For every He-Man and the Masters of the Universe, there’s a Visionaries: Knights of the Magical Light. Every Micro Machines has a Ring Raiders sitting in its shadow.
We jumped in the wayback machine to once again get up close and personal with some of the coolest forgotten toys of a bygone era. While in 2021, everything seemingly has to have a computer in it to make it worthy of play, there’s something special about an action figure in which its defining characteristic is a holographic sticker with the image of a lion on it. Take a look at these forgotten gems then sound off in the comments with your favorite toys!
