Every year, there are particular toys that every child seems to want for Christmas. Over time, you can track the evolution of our culture with them. Stacker has compiled a list of popular toys for every Christmas season since 1920, which gives us a century of toys. These are not necessarily the best-selling toys, since they don't have any repeats, but toys that give us a glimpse into those years. No matter your age, you will find a section that brings up memories. Maybe you played with these toys, or maybe you wanted but never got them.
I was surprised to realize that the toys I actually received as a child were "hot" 20 to 40 years earlier, like Tinker Toys and Raggedy Ann. That just tells us how iconic and universal these playthings are. I bought my own children a Radio Flyer wagon 80 years after they were "hot" (possibly because I wanted one but never got it). Now it occurs to me that my parents bought me toys that they coveted as children. And don't think that modern toys can't be iconic, as My Little Pony, Transformers, and Game Boys have been popular for decades now. -via Metafilter
By the way, one Mefite tells us that "every kid wants a Squishmallow this year."
(Image credit: The Strong National Museum of Play)