Book for dreams: My 80s Argos catalogue collection
The wish list of every child in the Eighties? Fiona Barnes, would circle her favourite toys in the Argos catalogue. Little did she realise that decades later all her dreams would come true…
Sitting in the living room, I carefully arranged my ponies. Gently brushed and plaited their colourful manes and excitedly lined them up ready for the wedding. It was 1986 and I was six years old.
My dad, Stan, sat beside me and smiled happily as I played contentedly for hours with my impressive collection of My Little Ponies. Christmas was approaching, so I’d already spent time – hours – flicking through the magical toy book, the Argos catalogue, studying each page, filled with everything a little girl could dream of.
And dream I did…!
I’d gaze at each amazing doll, teddy and game and wonder what I would do if Santa brought me everything on my never-ending wish list.
And it became a ritual each year. As Christmas approached, me and my mum, Linda, would go into town and collect the catalogue. I couldn’t wait until I was home – on the bus I’d start turning the pages of the magical book.
It was serious business – circling the things I hoped Santa might bring me. I’d even be planning for my birthday, the following September!
Christmas and birthdays would come and I’d get one or two presents from my list.
But as I entered my teens, my once-treasured Care Bears, My Little Ponies and even my Sindy dolls began to gather dust in the corner or the loft… making way for make-up, CDs and posters of boy bands.
It was no longer the place for kids’ toys.
In 1997, after I’d turned 18, I was ready to leave home for music college and I needed some cash for my big adventure.
‘Car boot sale?’ Mum suggested.
Stood in a field, one cold Sunday morning, I felt a tinge of sadness as excited children handed me 20p from their pocket money and in return I gave them my once longed-for and treasured toys.
One by one, my brightly coloured
ponies, much-loved baby dolls, books, even my teapot house all went to new homes to be loved again.
A few years later, I was living back at home in Leicester and Mum suggested a mooch around the charity shops.
It was a favoured pastime of ours. Whilst out shopping, I spotted a toy from my childhood – a lonely, unloved Care Bear from the Eighties.
‘I feel sorry for him,’ I said. ‘I’ll have to buy him.’
Years later, I found out
I was expecting – my first child, a little girl. As Mum and I talked of the new baby, memories of my own childhood came up.
‘Just you wait until she gets hold of her first Argos catalogue,’ Mum laughed.
‘ You used to spend days studying it.’
I decided there and then that I was going to recreate my childhood toy collection for my little girl – but I was going to go one step further and find
every toy I had ever circled in the Argos catalogue. Quite a challenge.
‘ You must be crazy,’ Mum laughed… but I was on a mission.
I was determined to rebuild my prized collection for my daughter to play with and I
didn’t need
Santa’s help this time…
‘Hurry up, Mum, we need to get to there early,’ I shouted excitedly a few weeks later, as I picked her up to visit another antique toy sale.
Each weekend, I dragged Mum to car boot, toy fairs and charity shops! I had a lot of things I wanted to find but top of my list was one of every Care Bear…
When Gracie was born in 2008, I was besotted with my little girl – and she already had every toy she could wish for!
Over the years I’ve added to my collection and it’s fair to say Gracie and I were the envy of every Eighties girl and the proud owner of every toy
I ever wished for, including a Mr Frosty.
After spending around £1,000 on second-hand finds, I have complete collections of Care Bears, as well as Bluebird toys, books (including the whole set of the Puddle Lane stories), Lego, Duplo and much more.
‘ Where will you keep it all?’ Mum asked. We boxed up some for safe keeping, and others stayed in Gracie’s room for her play with.
She was happy to share them when her little brother, Henry, arrived in 2011.
Now aged 41, it’s such a lovely feeling to be able to relive my past with Gracie, now 12, and Henry, nine.
Over the past 14 years I must have collected thousands of toys to be ‘reloved’.
I have a book that has a list of every My Little Pony made and I’m ticking them off as I go. I’m not planning on stopping anytime soon. These toys are all about the memories for me.
I’ve shared my collection on Facebook groups and had replies from thousands of people, it really has plucked on people’s heart strings.
My only regret is that the Argos catalogue no longer exists. But it’ll be sure to stay in my memory.
‘I wanted to find every toy I ever wanted for my girl’