All I Wanted For Christmas

Want a T.M.X Elmo? Pay up. The must-have toy, an update of ’96 hit Tickle Me Elmo, is selling for double its $39.99 price on eBay. Some “It” toys of the past:

1990s

POKEMON

Kids felt powerful because adults couldn’t keep track of the characters on the trading cards

1980s

CABBAGE PATCH KIDS

At first turned off by the weird vegetal spawn, parents soon fought to “adopt” the dolls at the toy store

1970s

STAR WARS

The figurines sold out so fast that Kenner, their maker, started mailing out empty boxes with IOUs

1960s

G.I. JOE

The action figure made it O.K. for boys to play with dolls. In many girls’ rooms, Joe dated Barbie

1950s

MR. POTATO HEAD

The original version: plastic body parts children would stick into a real potato from Mom’s kitchen