From Jean Naté to Etch A Sketch: 17 nostalgic gifts that'll arrive by Christmas!
Out of sight is usually out of mind, but some things just stick with you. The toys you were attached to as a kid, things you remember seeing around the house growing up, a beloved fragrance that triggers sense memory: these are the nostalgic gifts you’ll always cherish. Blasts from the past that remind you of simpler times.
How about making this one a holiday to remember? Forget memory lane — a lot of your favorite products from a bygone era are still in production and readily available online. Here, we’ve dug up buried treasures like Etch A Sketch, Underoos, Brylcreem and so much more. Each makes an amazing gift or stocking stuffer — and they all arrive by Christmas!
Calgon ‘Take Me Away’ Bubble Bath
Between the traffic, the boss, the baby and the dog, this stressed-out working mom has had it. “Calgon, take me away!” she cries before luxuriating in the tub—and just like that, one of advertising’s most memorable catchphrases is born.
Lite-Brite
An iPad? What’s that? Kids of the ‘70s and ‘80s could spend hours engrossed in Lite-Brite’s “magical colored lights.” Check out this five-decades-old commercial we found in a time capsule called YouTube.
Underoos
Wonder Woman, Superman, The Incredible Hulk — no matter what fictional hero you idolized in the ‘80s, you could pay homage with “the underwear that's fun to wear.” Remember when kids were this enthusiastic about getting dressed?
Colorforms
Kids of the ‘50s onward could wile away the day with these paper-thin vinyl cut-outs that “stick like magic.” The adhesive-free decals depicted your favorite cartoon characters or even just letters, numbers and random shapes. The creative options were endless and the mess was non-existent. Get a load of this classic ad.
Slinky
When you think of a toy that encapsulates the simplicity of childhood, this “marvelous thing” always springs to mind. Invented accidentally in the ‘40s by a Naval engineer, the original Slinky — an icon to this day —proved that it doesn’t necessarily take technology to captivate kids’ imaginations. Here, ladies and gentleman, is the Slinky doing what it does best.
Alberto V05 Hot Oil Treatment
When you needed to de-frizz your hair in the '70s and '80s, you didn't use coconut oil or go to the salon for an Olaplex treatment. Instead, you soaked a tube of Alberto V05 Hot Oil Treatment in a glass of hot water then poured it through your fried tresses — much like the damsels in distress in this 1988 masterpiece using their Alberto V05 "one minute, once a week" for "overblown" and "over-styled" hair.
Game of Life
Families started learning how to “be a winner at the Game of Life” way back in the ‘60s, and the shelf life of this iconic Milton Bradley game proved to be pretty long. It was still a hit in the ‘80s, and now we've located a new edition of the Game of Life on Amazon...and of course it's immortalized forever in commercials like these.
Jean Naté
Before there were bath bombs, there was Jean Naté after-bath splash. Who among us didn’t have a giant bottle of this magic potion sitting in the bathroom, or an aunt, mom or grandmother who swore by it? Certainly this woman prancing through a field did!
Yes & Know Invisible Ink books
Riddles, puzzles, games and trivia—it was all hidden inside this delightful activity book that busted boredom and spelled out fun for legions of ‘80s kids. And when we say the answers were hidden, we mean that literally—the only way to reveal them was to use a special marker included in the shrink-wrapped plastic.
Brylcreem
Brylcreem was all you’d ever need to get the ladies running their fingers through your hair in the ‘50s, especially if you wanted a sleek, Don Draper-esque look — or look like you were auditioning to be an extra in ‘West Side Story.’ Old school dads need this iconic hair product in their stockings this year!
Shrinky Dinks
This might have been the only kids’ toy that required an oven (unless you played Skully in urban areas like New York City), but anyone who came of age in the ‘70s or ‘80s managed to convince their parents to help them bake their Shrinky Dinks. See these oven-baked wonders in action below.
Double Dutch Jump Ropes
These were not your average jump ropes, and it's high time Double Dutch made its big comeback. It took some pretty nimble foot work to master Double Dutch, but kids in urban areas like New York City all but mastered it in the '70s and '80s. The ultra-coordinated sport became so popular that McDonald's payed homage in this priceless throwback commercial.
Chia Pet
The 21st century may be all about chia seeds in pudding and smoothies, but the the ‘80s were all about “the pottery that grows,” a.k.a. chia seeds that sprouted into plants emerging from a terracotta pot to resemble everything from animals to cartoon characters. The kitschy “Ch-ch-ch-chia” pet first emerged as a bust-like, big-haired figure called “Chia Guy” in 1977.
Mad Libs
Kids of the ‘60s onward remember laughing until they cried at the stories that unraveled when they brainstormed random nouns, verbs and adjectives to fill in the blanks of their Mad Libs. It's a crowd-pleaser that’s totally timeless.
Love’s Baby Soft
If you were a tween in the ‘70s, ‘80s and '90s, then Love’s Baby Soft was the definitive fragrance of your youth. The scent could only be described as baby-powder fresh, and the iconic pink packaging—with its cursive logo—was the apple of every middle schooler’s eye. All it took was a quick trip to the pharmacy to indulge your obsession—and now it just takes a few clicks to order a bottle to your door.
Etch a Sketch
If only all mistakes could be erased as easily as a bad drawing on an Etch a Sketch. Churning out precise sketches took some pro-level twisting of the toy’s two knobs, but once you did create a masterpiece, a spontaneous shake could erase it forever.
Lifebuoy soap
If you remember seeing this red bar of soap in everyone’s bathroom, then you probably were around in the ‘40s or before. Even its red, yellow and white packaging will bring you down memory lane, and you’ll be tickled to know that it’s still sold in a similar box. Good news: the original Lifebuoy soap is produced to this day. Fun fact: A teenage Martha Stewart starred in a late-1950s Lifebuoy commercial.
We’ve got your holiday shopping list covered with fantastic gift ideas for everyone on your list. You’ll find expert picks on the best tech gifts on Engadget, the best gift ideas for car lovers at Autoblog, gifts for the young (and young at heart) at In the Know, and picks for just about everyone else on your list (moms, dads, teens, nurses, you name it!) in Yahoo’s holiday gift ideas section. On AOL, you'll find for gift ideas for seniors shopping for moms, dads, teens and toddlers.
