The must-have toys of Christmas past

What was it you wanted most on Christmas morning as a kid?

Answers from residents of Pictou County were varied and ran the gamut when they were asked what the must-have toy of their childhood was at Christmas.

“When I grew up, in the ’60s, it was hula hoops or dolls,” said Donna Forbes.

Forbes added that there were really no big brand-name toys she or her friends were interested in, “because back then there weren’t many TV channels. Anyone who grew up in the ’60s and earlier wasn’t aware of the kind of stuff people are looking for these days.”

A shopper who requested to only be called John said that he grew up far out in the country, and in a family that wasn’t particularly well off, so “I never asked for anything. Whatever came, I was happy with.

“Back then there wasn’t much employment, and there wasn’t much money around, so things were much more basic. There was no TV to tell kids what they should have.”

Bill Nugent, on his way to do some Christmas shopping at the Highland Square Mall, said “It was a long ways ago, but the must-have toy for me would have been a hockey stick or something like that.”

A number of people responded to a post on The News Facebook page, and their answers included the original Care Bears, Cabbage Patch Kid dolls, Easy-Bake Ovens and Barbie dolls.