Buzz
With Christmas upon us once more, it's the perfect time to reminisce about those beloved childhood toys that your mother eventually tossed. Do you have any clue what they’re worth today? Well, we do, and here’s a list of some that will surely make you shed a tear.
10. G.I. Joe ‘Mickey Mouse’ Cobra Commander
Original Price: 5 “Flag Points” (proof of purchase) + 50 cents Current Worth: $300
If you were lucky enough to be a well-behaved child in 1982, your parents might’ve gifted you this special GI Joe figure, only available through mail order from Hasbro. It marked the end of the 'straight arm' dolls, and its value soared because of the logo, which features a design that resembles Mickey Mouse (hence the name) and was replaced in 1983.
9. 1988 Happy Holiday Barbie
Original Price: $19.99 Current Value: $400
While there are many rare and collectible Barbies, this one wasn’t initially intended to be in that category – perhaps your mom picked it up as a stocking stuffer for your sister. However, when the 300,000 units quickly sold out, Mattel recognized the opportunity to cash in by selling dolls to adult collectors, and that’s when the Collector’s Editions were born.
8. Royal Blue Beanie Baby
Original Price: $10 Current Value: $3005
Beanie Babies, the adorable plush creatures filled with bean-shaped pellets, debuted in 1995 but didn’t become a collector’s craze until 1997. During that gap, Ty, the company behind them, released Peanut the Elephant, which was meant to be light blue. However, a factory error resulted in 2,000 of them being produced in a rare Royal Blue, making them one of the most sought-after Beanies. (Your little brother probably chewed on its ear.)
7. Star Wars POTF Ewok Combat Playpack
Original Price: $17 Current Value: $5,998.98
Those cuddly Ewoks that many felt ruined Star Wars in 1984 have had the last laugh, appearing in one of the most valuable toy sets from the Trilogy. While not originally rare, unopened sets are now quite difficult to come by, and they are worth significantly more. So, even if you owned one, playing with it was a major mistake.
6. 1978 Vinyl Caped Jawa
Original Price: $1.99 Current Value: $2000
While there are other more rare Star Wars figures like the Telescoping Light Saber Darth Vader or Rocket-Firing Boba Fett, those were never officially released. But this little Jawa was. It originally came with a vinyl cape, but Kenner thought it appeared too cheap. So after the first batch, they switched to a higher-quality cloth cape. Ironically, it's the vinyl version that’s now the more valuable one.
5. 1972 Blythe Doll
Original Price: $25 Current Value: $2000+
For a brief period in 1972, Kenner released this doll in the U.S., inspired by the famous doe-eyed Keane paintings of that time. The doll's unique feature was that its eye color could be changed by pulling a string. However, it didn’t gain much popularity until almost 30 years later, when it became a highly coveted collector's item. (Now, you’re probably wishing you hadn’t set it on fire.)
4. The Hot Pink Beatnik Bandit - A Bold Classic
Original Price: $0.67 Current Market Value: $15,250
Inspired by Hot Rod legend Ed ‘Big Daddy’ Roth’s iconic designs, this 1968 Hot Wheel model was released in Hot Pink, aimed at a female audience. Despite the flak it might’ve received, your sister could’ve had this 'Kustom Klassik,' probably buried somewhere with a pile of Barbie heads. It’s time to start digging.
3. Where The Wild Things Are - First Edition
Original Price: $0 Current Market Value: $20,000
Who could have predicted that a 300-word, 48-page children’s book about a child being sent to bed without dinner would be worth so much? Probably not you, since you most likely colored or ripped pages in this classic Maurice Sendak book, first released in 1963. If your parents were cool enough to grab a first edition of this legendary story, they could’ve used it to buy you your first car.
2. Mego Elastic Batman
Original Price: $16.99 Current Value: $1,100
Damn it, I’m certain I had this… Back in 1979, toy giant Mego jumped on the Stretch Armstrong bandwagon by releasing a series of ‘Elastic’ superheroes, including Superman, Batman, and Plastic Man. But Kenner didn’t take kindly to the competition and sued Mego, which ultimately caused them to shut down. Although these toys were once plentiful, their stretchy, gooey nature meant most didn’t survive. Only two are known to still exist. You better check your attic, stat!
1. NTSC Nintendo Stadium Events
Original Price: $29.99 Current Market Value: $22,800
It’s possible, though exceedingly rare, that you had this game for your Nintendo Entertainment System back in 1987: only 200 copies were released before it was recalled (and then re-released with a new controller). One woman from North Carolina discovered an unopened copy and struck gold on eBay, with only 10-20 copies still believed to be in existence today.
