Nostalgia's Worth: Valuable Toys from Childhood Collections
By Sarah Norman | April 20, 2024
Luke Skywalker and his double-telescoping lightsaber costs up to $25,000
Some of your favorite toys from childhood are selling for astronomical prices online and in auctions...try not to gasp when you realize if you'd held onto them you'd be rich!
Do you remember your favorite toy? The one you couldn't go a day without? Did you give it away when you were too old to play with it, or let it go for a few buck in a garage sale? Have you checked to see how much its selling for now?
The toys collected here, from Mego Dolls to vintage board games, are all huge parts of our nostalgic past...was letting them go a mistake? Click ahead and find out what toys were actually timeless treasures!
You won’t need to go to a galaxy far, far away to get this classic Kenner Luke Skywalker action figure with a double-telescoping lightsaber, but you may need to mortgage your house. Unless you’ve got one still in it’s packaging, of course, that would make you one of about 20 people. It’s hard to imagine any kid who’d just watched Star Wars being able to keep this action figure in the box, let alone the version with a telescoping lightsaber. Kenner stopped producing these pretty early into their run because the lightsaber kept breaking, so even you have one of these out of the box it can still fetch a nice price, just not $25,000.
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles action figures from 1980s go for hundred of dollars
Children of the ‘80s, this may be painful for you. Anyone who was cognizant during the reign of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles remembers the ache that young people had to get their hands on everything that the Turtles were selling, especially the action figures. We set them up, knocked them down, and made them fight each other until it was time to go to school on Monday. As fate would have it, there are a lot of figures from the late ‘80s line of Turtles toys that go for hundreds of dollars. Mint versions of the original four go for something around $350, but the real investments (if you left them in their boxes like some kind of psychic financial guru) are “Undercover Raphael” and “Scratch the Cat.” This version of Raph goes for $750, while Scratch can get you $1,200. That’s a lot of pizza.
Game Boy variations can go for major bucks
Whether you were stuck in the way way back of your parent’s car on a road trip or just lying in bed while everyone else was asleep, the Game Boy was a constant companion and the easiest way to kill time while demolishing blocks in Tetris or fighting your shadow self in Link’s Awakening. As other systems came and went most people ditched their Game Boys for newer handheld devices, that may not have been such a hot idea. An original Game Boy in mint condition can sell for hundreds of dollars, and a Game Boy Light can go for thousands.
Red Sea Crossing is a game that no one wanted but sells for ten grand
Not every Atari cartridge is created equally, if you spent weekends crammed in front of your TV playing Pong or Spellbreaker then you know that. While some Atari games are only worth about 10 bucks in today’s market there’s at least one that’s been known to fetch upwards of five figures; a little known game called Red Sea Crossing. More than likely if your parents gave you this game you traded it off or sold it as fast as possible. Basically it was a video game advertised in Christian bookstores and magazines as a “Bible video game,” doesn’t that sound like a blast? In 2012 a copy of this game sold for $10,400. Think you have a copy of this? Time to start digging through your old cartridges.
This first edition Barbie has expensive taste, she sells for $30,000
Barbies of the high queen of collectable dolls, after all they’ve been inspiring young girls for generations. As the decades have gone on Mattel has taken great strides to create dolls that mirror every kind of girl, and allowing them to feel represented among some of the most popular toys of all time. The Barbie that started it all in 1959 is one of the most sought after dolls in existence. With its golden hair, a black and white bathing suit and blue eyeshadow, it’s a monument mid-century beauty, and even though we don’t subscribe to what it’s selling anymore, it would still be cool to have one. If you think you have one of these, check for holes in the bottom of her feet, that’s how you know you’re holding a doll that could take in nearly $30,000 from the right bidder.
Charles Darrow's Monopoly board sold for $146,500
One of the best ways to spend a rainy day is to hole up inside with your family, heat up so cocoa, and play a board game. More often than not Monopoly is the game of choice for families looking for a way to pass the time and reconnect while trying to snake each other for hotels and community chests. Modern editions of Monopoly are meagerly priced compared to vintage copies of the game, but the real holy grail of this game is the original version created by Charles Darrow. One of his prototypes went for $146,500 at Sotheby's auction house in 2011.
Vintage Hot Wheels can cost up to six figures
Hot Wheels, those little cars that every boy desires and every parent hates to accidentally step on, most of them retail for a few bucks, but there are a few of these bad boys that can go for top dollar - assuming you were able to keep them in the packaging instead of “driving” them all over your house. Obviously the most valuable Hot Wheels are the prototypes, specifically the "Volkswagen Beach Bomb" that went for close to $125,000, but the 1968 Cheetah Base Python and the 1974 Blue Rodger Dodger - two cars that every boy growing up in the ‘70s wanted - both go for around $10,000.
Vintage Easy-Bake Ovens cook up a lot of cash even if they're used
Introduced in 1963, the Easy-Bake Oven was the must have Christmas gift for years. Every girl had to have one, and honestly everyone who wanted to cook tiny cakes needed to have it. This toy started off a love of baking for many people, and it’s hard to imagine that anyone who wanted one of these teal or light yellow ovens would leave it in its box. Anyone who’s been sitting on a mint condtion version of one of these for decades can expect to sell it for $4,000. Even if you used plenty of lightbulbs to cook up your favorite snacks, these vintage ovens are still a thing of interest and if they’re in good enough condition they can sell for $300.
Molly the American Girl has gone for $11,000 at auction
American Dolls have been must-have items for decades, and ever since they’ve been introduced girls have been begging their parents for one of these dolls that reminds them of, well, themselves. The thing that makes Molly and a few of the other discontinued American Dolls so collectible is that people weren’t buying them to collect, girls played with these dolls and took them everywhere which makes the few dolls that stayed in their boxes all the more expensive. Anyone who was able to keep a discontinued doll, clothing, and accessory can make as much as $11,000 at auction.
Lionel's Pennsylvania 'TrailBlazer" Train Set
Train sets are a funny thing, they’re meant to be taken out of the box and played with. They should be set up on tracks, driven through tunnels and painted and repainted to match the whims of the owner. Of course, anyone who does that is bringing down their value greatly. The real conductors of fortune are those who never took their electric train set out of the box. Nostalgic collectors are always looking to add to their train sets, and a full train can go for hundreds of dollars depending on who you’re dealing with. If you're a flea market fiend this vintage toy is one that you'll likely find with some digging.
The original Mego Robin action figure sells for nearly 10 grand
Mego has produced dolls since 1982, but for a while it was considered one of the best creators of action figures. Their costumes looked realistic and their bodies actually looked accurate unlike a lot of action figures of the day. A lot of Mego dolls sell for a good amount money, but this Robin figure from 1973 that comes with a removable mask is very rare, with one selling for $7,357. But a mint version of later Robins still still for a lot of money. Many of them go for anything from $300 to $1,000. Did you have a Robin Mego doll? If so you could have had a small fortune had you just kept it in its plastic.
The original Optimus Prime has sold for up to $12,000
First edition Transformers figures that are mint in box are almost impossible to come by. Can you imagine the type of kid who didn’t want to take their Optimus Prime or Computron out of the box and start fighting the forces of evil? That kid doesn’t exist - and if they do they’re probably a tiny art appraiser in disguise. It’s not usual that the main figure in a line will be the most sought after, but in this case Hasbro stopped producing this Autobot after its initial run in 1984. That makes the original Optimus Prime figure a seriously sought after deal. Hopefully you didn’t get rid of yours in a garage sale.
The Royal Blue “Peanut” Elephant has sold for $5,000
For a moment in the ‘90s it felt like the world had lost its mind for Beanie Babies. These plush dolls made for children were a fun, stackable way for kids to play with a myriad of friends, but when variants special editions were introduced these babies became pricey. The Royal Blue “Peanut” Elephant was a major get for collectors because only 2,000 were manufactured with this color, making it one of the most rare Beanie Babies in existence. If you were accidentally bought this doll and left it in a closet somewhere you could be looking at a $5,000 cash cow, or rather elephant.
The biggest collection of Cabbage Patch Dolls sells for $360,000
Created in 1978 by Xavier Roberts, Cabbage Patch Dolls were one of the least expensive dolls on the market for a while, allowing kids to amass a whole collection of these little creatures. As these dolls fell out of fashion they were sold at garage sales, donated to second hand shops, and thoroughly dismissed without an afterthought. If you’re one of the many people who jettisoned your collection prepare to be disappointed. A couple that’s collected more than 5,000 dolls has priced their collection at $360,000, if only we’d known there was a future in these weird little dolls.
Vintage Pez dispensers have sold for up to $30,000
Was there any better sugar high that popping out a Pez tablet from the head of your favorite cartoon character and gobbling it up? Some kids had their favorite dispenser, the one they went everywhere with, while others collected different varieties, shapes, and characters, but if you had the foresight to keep some of these delightful candy dispensers in their packaging you could be raking in the dough. One Pez dispenser, the "Astronaut B" model was created specifically for the 1982 World's Fair and never introduced to the mass market. There are only two in existence and one of them sold for $30,000, that’s a whole lotta rocket fuel.
The Masters of the Universe Eternia playset costs as much as a down payment on a car
Everyone who grew up in the ‘70s and ‘80s knows that it was the heyday of action figures. We had Transformers, Ninja Turtles, and He-Men, but where were they supposed to do battle? In the Eternia Playset of course. Out of all the places that our action figures could fight, Eternia was definitely the coolest, but anyone who had the entire thing knows how much of a pain in the neck it was to have it set up all the time. When it came time to ditch the toys and move on to more “grown up” pursuits, playsets like this were the first to go, and that’s a shame because Eternia is worth a lot of money. A mint condition Eternia supposedly sold for $1,649, and they pop up on Ebay every now and then for around $1400.
Teddy Ruxpin the $500 bear
No one would fault you for selling your Teddy Ruxpin doll, that fuzzy bear with eyes that stared into your soul and a voice box that spoke in a soothing voice until it started to run out of batteries. It’s just that you probably should have held onto this little buddy in case of a rainy day. Not every Teddy Ruxpin doll is an investment into a brighter future, but those that are in excellent condition can nab you $500. If you have the Original Storytelling bear from 1985 you can get even more than that, there's no word if extra cassettes bring in any extra cash.
The Lite Brite lit our imaginations and can illuminate your pocketbook
A simple toy that brought so much joy to people of all ages, the Lite Brite was made use of backlit grids that allowed users to make everything from simple messages to intricate designs. Anyone who had one of these knows that they didn’t last long, especially if you were the kind of kid who had a lot of sleepovers; Lite Brites just weren’t made to be manhandled. The original version of the Lite Brite was released in 1967, which is a long time to keep one of these in a box, but if you did then you sell it for about $300 today. Mint editions of later Later Brites go for $100 to $200, but the original is the most desired by collectors.
G.I. Joe action figures go from tens to thousands of dollars
G.I. Joe, that most manly of action figures allowed young boys across America to fight Cobra Commander and criminals of all shapes and sizes. The Joes made us feel like we were a part of something, and as one of the most sought after toys on Christmas kids couldn’t resist tearing their packages open and yelling “Go, Joe!” But with the prices that many of these figures are fetching now you’re probably wishing you’d kept these toys in a safe deposit box. Used, out of the box figures sell for around $30, but well maintained ships from the ‘80s can be worth as much as $2,200.
Vintage Colorforms still sell for hundreds of dollar
Colorforms are kind of like coloring books, but they’re made of vinyl and they allow people to stick colorful shapes on an image and they can be stuck and removed over and over again. Created in 1951, Colorforms slowly started working in celebrities and characters from TV shows and while we don’t really think of them as toys they’ve definitely had staying power. For instance, recently a lot of Michael Jackson figures that featured a colorform of the pop star went for $512, so it seems like people are still looking for these babies, keep your eyes peeled the next time you're at a flea market.
A complete collection of Jem and the Holograms Dolls goes for 10K
Jem and the Holograms were a move by Hasbro to branch out from the “boy’s” aisle at the toy store and make headway next to Barbie and her dream car. Jem and her band rocked while fighting evil and looked cool doing it, so it’s no surprise that people are nostalgic for the original dolls from the 1980s. Anyone who’s been hoarding minty fresh versions of these dolls can ask a high price on bidding sites like eBay where they’ve been known to rake in around $650 from the right buyer. One seller with all of the original Jem dolls and those of their nemesis band The Misfits in their original packaging is asking almost $10,000 for the whole lot. If the power of rock is on their side they might even get it.
Vintage Playmobil sets go for hundreds to thousands of dollars
Playmobil sets may not seem like anything special to young people today, but in many households these wooden or plastic toys were the only thing available to play with. These German made toys are childhood incarnate, even looking at them can fill us with nostalgia, making us long for simpler days when all you needed was a simple wooden toy and your imagination. People are on the hunt for these toys as a way to get back in touch with their youth and they’ll pay a few hundred dollars for a well taken care of Playmobil set. Sets can go from hundreds to thousands of dollars, how much would you pay for nostalgia?
Vintage Strawberry Shortcake dolls cook up hundreds of dollars
Strawberry Shortcake, that adorable little red headed imp, is one of the earliest toys that many young women play with. Released alongside her friends with desert-themed names in the 1979, Shortcake helped usher many young women along the road to fantasy worlds like Tolkein’s Shire and even back to the world of elves and goblins. Parting with these toys had to be tough for anyone who spent their days playing with Strawberry, but if you held onto your dolls (hopefully while they’re mint in box) you can get anywhere between $100 and $500.
Different Lego trains sell for thousands as long as they're mint in box
Legos’s are some of the most beloved toys in the world and the bane of the existence of parents who insist on walking around barefoot. People who grew up with Legos are passionate about these little colored blocks, they didn’t just help us build but they helped us learn to think outside the box. Some of the most interesting sets were those with trains, some of them were high speed while others looked like Steam Cargo Train. Depending on the year that the trains were released and the particular variety, some of them can go for thousands of dollars. If you’re buying new Lego sets you might want to pick up two just to make an investment.
The original Boba Fett action figure captured $45,000
Upon its release in 1979, the Boba Fett action figure provided Star Wars fans with more fun than the real Boba Fett ever did. Do you remember when you first saw the bounty hunter in Empire Strikes Back? He looked so cool and was so keen on disintegration that he had to be the coolest guy in the universe (sorry Han), getting your hands on that toy allowed you to live out all of your space faring fantasies. Hopefully you’ve kept your Boba Feet encased in carbonite because a vintage doll can fetch anywhere from $5,000 to $45,000. If you find one in a second hand shop try not to disintegrate anyone to get it.
Fisher Price's Push Cart Pete went from 50 cents to $3,000
Before every action figure and doll had a million accessories, there was Push Cart Pete, the disgruntled employee who was forced to push a cart around all day at the behest of his child overlord. When this toy was first released in 1936 it sold for a mere 50 cents, which makes its current value all the more shocking. A mint condition version of this toy can net the owner somewhere around $3,000, not a bad pay day for the price of not playing with a fun little wooden toy. Fisher-Price discontinued these in 1937, but it’s not clear how many they created so have fun scouring the vintage stores for Pushcart Pete that’s not too banged up.
The Faker action figure is a robot version of He-Man that somehow costs more than the actual He-Man
Produced by Mattel in 1983, the “Faker” action figure wasn’t the most popular toy in the Masters of the Universe line of dolls, but now it’s one of the most sought after toys in all of Eternia (also Earth). If you owned a Faker then you probably ripped him right out of the package so he could do battle with He-Man, and that’s totally fine, that’s what we did. However, even if it’s loose it can get $50 from the right buyer and a pristine Faker in its package can get somewhere around $1,000. Just remember that it has to be a real Faker and not a fake Faker.
Peter Parker can't afford the Spider-Man Mego doll
The Spider-Man Mego doll swung into the world in 1973 alongside Captain America and quickly became the company’s best seller. Even though this Spider-Man doll looks a bit like someone wearing a Spider-Man sweater, kids couldn’t get enough of him and Mego produced as many of them as possible, but only a few of them came with Kresge exclusive packaging. Anyone who managed to keep their Spider-Man doll in its box, which couldn’t have been many because it was their best seller, has been able to resell ol’ web head for $1,431. Imagine being able to pay rent on your apartment with a Spider-Man doll? It’s a wall crawling dream.
Vintage Rainbow Brite dolls go for hundreds of dollars
Introduced in 1983, Rainbow Brite was a character that brought color to a gray world. Like G.I. Joes are for boys, Rainbow Brite was for young women who wanted to lose themselves in their imagination. The dolls were the basis of a cartoon, comics, and and even coloring books. It wasn’t out of the question for people of all ages to collect these dolls, but as the show went out of favor it was rare that anyone held onto the figures. Unfortunately for everyone that ditched their dolls, getting them back could be pricey. These dolls go from hundreds of dollars to nearly one thousand bucks. Selling one of these dolls will definitely bring some color into your life.
Skip-It? Why not sell it for more than a hundred bucks
Skip-It, the game that got kids off the couch in every generation since its introduction in the ‘80s, once retailed for about $12. That’s not a bad price for a game that challenges people to hop up and down on one foot, but if you’d like to play a price game with this plastic ball and chain you can pick up a vintage version for $120. Or at the very least that’s the most money that one of these babies has ever brought in. If you happen to find an older version of the game you can get some good change for it, but if you’re just looking to play there are always cheaper versions that you can pick up.
A vintage Nerf Turbo Screamer soars up to a $100 price tag
Is there anything better than the scream of Nerf football as it sails through the air, spinning with a perfect spiral as it rockets towards your friends on a makeshift football field? These orange footballs from 1989 were the desire of every pre-teen by who wanted to be QB. Many adjustments and changes have been made to the Turbo Screamer since its creation, but the original football will always be one of the coolest toys Nerf ever produced. Used versions of the screamer goes for about $100 on eBay, which isn’t a bad payday to whoever’s making a Benjamin from a piece of foam. Imagine what a mint in box version would do for your bank account.
The Fisher-Price Little People Family House is a $200 nuclear homestead
When Fisher-Price first rolled out its Little People Play Family House in 1969 it was a revelation for people who liked to created spaces for families. Young storytellers were allowed to create their own families while with a mom, dad, boy, girl, and dog. The house even has a garage, kitchen, and all the amenities of a nuclear family’s home. These toy houses harken back to a simpler time, when people weren’t worried about the biggest and brightest new thing. If you still own one of these nostalgia inducing playhouses you can get about $200 for it online.
Barbie's Golden Dream Motorhome is a $300 accessory
Barbie has had a ton of cool accessories over her long run at the top of the toy store, but the Barbie Golden Dream Motor Home is easily the most awe inspiring of her vehicles. How many young girls were inspired to go on their own cross country road trips when they were of driving age because of this super cool toy motor home? It’s hard to imagine anyone who wouldn’t pull this great addition to the Barbie line straight out of the box, but knowing that it pulls in around $300 on the resell market you’re probably kicking yourself for playing with it.
She-Ra’s horse "Swiftwind" costs more than you'd think
He-Man's twin sister She-Ra is so cool that she rides a winged horse named Swiftwind. Armored tigers are cool and all, but they can’t fly. She-Ra is such a beloved character that collectors are always looking for any original figure of her that they can find - even if they can just get a copy of Swiftwind that’ll do. She-Ra and her horse go for varying prices around the internet, but the median price is somewhere around $350. You might want to dig through your toy chest to see if you’ve got one of these sweet horses hanging around.
Vintage View Master's can see a lot of cash
Playing with a View Master had a way of bringing young people around the world, showing us animals that they’d never see in their neighborhood, and even giving us a 3D experience every once in a while. First introduced in 1939, View Masters have gone through a variety of permutations and designs, but they’ve always had the binocular type body of the bright red version that you remember, but sometimes they have a periscope addition on the front. It’s hard to imagine that anyone kept their View Master in the box, but that’s okay because some versions of these toys can fetch around $850.
The Real Ghostbusters Fright Feature Action Figures are horrifyingly expensive
Following the success of the Ghostbusters film the creators did whatever they could to keep people hankering for more of these parapsychologists. The Real Ghostbusters cartoon had a huge following, and likely did more to help kids fall in love with these characters than either movie every did - it just hit at the perfect time. Another reason that kids were so drawn to these characters were the action figures and toys that came out around the same time. While there were normal action figures, there were also “Fright Feature Action Figures” whose eyes bugged out when they were squeezed. These were impossible not to play with, it’s kind of their whole thing. Well, if you managed to keep your mitts off these toys then you could have sold them for upwards of $900.
Original Jurassic Park dinosaurs are clever girls with clever prices
When Jurassic Park was released in 1993 Mattel created its own community of action figure buyers and sellers by creating unique toys with dino damage and stamps that showed off how the toys were real, not bootlegged Jurassic Park figures. Everybody that had one of these remembers the pride you felt when your parents picked up one of them for you. It was a blast to pit dinosaur against dinosaur, but in order to do so you had to take them out of the package and cover them in your grubby mitts, thus forfeiting the nearly thousand dollars that these toys sell for now.
My Little Pony? More like My Expensive Pony
Is there anything that screams “the 80s” more than My Little Pony dolls? Those multi-colored, pastel horses that drove little kids crazy? In the 1980s there were around 150 million My Little Pony dolls sold which means that there was a lot of time spent brushing their lustrous hair and pretending to prance them around an imaginary field. There are variations upon variations of these ponies and many of them go for at least $150, but some of the earliest, mint in box ponies have sold for $900. You’ve got to still have at least one pony galloping around your storage shed, don’t you?
The G.I Joe Motorized Battle Tank can drive up a wall bring in a grand
Your G.I. Joes are cool, but in the ‘80s you needed something special to make sure they could fight off Cobra commander - you needed the Motorized Battle Tank, an absolute beast of a toy that pre-teen boys salivated over every time its commercial came on the TV. Not only did the tank have climbing ability, but it looked like a legit tank, which made it all the more desirable. This thing was impossible not to play with. If this tank has been kept in its original box and it’s in mint condition then it could bring in about $1,000, but that’s a big ask when your parents get you a toy this cool.
Skeletor is one expensive bad guy
As popular as He-Man is, its his main adversary who really pulls in the big bucks. Skeletor is a must have for any fan of Masters of the Universe, you can’t fight evil with the power of Greyskull if there’s no evil, right? While we may have felt burned as young people when we were given this action figure, he’s basically a collector’s best friend these days. The original Skeletor in his original packaging usually sells for around $650, which isn’t too shabby for a villain who doesn’t have any meat on his bones. If you can bare to part with this baddie you can finance yourself an amazing meal at a four star restaurant, or save it if that’s the kind of thing you’re into.
The Legend of Zelda prototype cartridge is cool and expensive
Another rare find, this prototype of the Legend of Zelda cartridge for the NES was sold for $55,000, a record for a video game. It’s not as wild as you think for this game to be found out in the wild, plenty of weird stuff ends up in pawn shops and in flea markets. The craziest thing about this cartridge is that its playable, but there are a bunch of bugs. There are a few of these cartridges out there, so it’s not unlikely that someone would find one, the bigger question is why someone would sell something so cool. Obviously money is a factor, but wouldn’t it be neat to have this kind of thing on hand to show off to your nerdy friends?
Polly Pocket is a small doll with a big appreciation value
There were tiny dolls and play sets before Polly Pocket, but this collection did one thing that other toys and collectibles couldn’t do - they traveled. Throughout the ‘80s and ‘90s Polly Pocket was super popular because they could be brought to school, on road trips, and to sleepovers. Better yet, there wasn’t just one version of Polly Pocket, kids could have the original Polly Pocket, or dive into a world of fantasy with princess and mermaid sets. Anyone who held onto their Polly Pocket sets may be in for a financial windfall. Small sets like Sparkle Surprise Polly Pocket sell for $500 while the larger sets can bring in even more cash. Small doll, big money.
Action Comics #1 costs more than your car
With a release date of June 1938, it’s unlikely that you have a copy of this collecting dust in your attic, but if you do it’s worth a whole lot of green. Even if someone in your family picked up the first appearance of Superman it’s hard to imagine that it hasn’t been read until the pages are flimsy and the ink is runny. Kids love reading comic books, and this is seriously the one to read for anyone who wants to go back to the ur text of superheroes, so it’s not a surprise that there aren’t many mint copies of this lying around. A pristine edition of this comic sold for $3,207,852 - whoever was holding onto this must have had the power of super-patience.
Garbage Pail Kids trading cards are so expensive they'll make you sick
Whether you were grossed out by them or you loved their disgusting pictures, you definitely remember the Garbage Pail Kids. Packets of these cards were stuck at the front of every toy store in the ‘80s, and those of us who were “lucky” enough to get copies of them couldn’t wait to open them up and check out what new disgusting characters were on hand. While not every Garbage Pail Kids card was a big seller, there were a couple of these banned cards that sold for a ridiculous amount. Specifically, the Adam Bomb card sells for close to $100 if its in good condition. You aren’t going to find any of these nasty cards in stores, so keep an eye out in your local thrift stores.
An unopened Star Wars Ewok Combat playpack can sell for $6,000
No one would say that the Ewoks are their favorite part of the original Star Wars trilogy, but but if anyone has a spare, unopened Ewok Combat Playback then they might start singing a different tune. Honestly, anyone who got one of these for Christmas in 1984 had to open it up and reenact the Ewok’s battle with the Storm Troopers, what kind of want wouldn’t want to have a little fun? There were a lot of these out there but finding a mint condition, unopened version is tough, that’s why they can go for up to $6,000 whenever they appear on the market. If you still had one of these would you even want to sell it? Is any amount of money worth your childhood?
The prototype for the original G.I. Joe action figure goes for nearly a quarter of a million dollars
Now this is a tough one because its hard to imagine that anyone has the prototype G.I. Joe "Toy Soldier” from 1963, but it’s entirely possible that you know someone we don’t. This prototype toy is what all of the original Joes are based on, it’s got 21 moveable parts and it can be posed in a series of different fighting stances. It’s pretty cool, and if you have one of these on your hands you can sell it for around a cool $200,000. But would you rather have the money or would you rather have the knowledge that you’ve got something that no other G.I. Joe head has?
"El Retorno Del Jedi" the Spanish Luke Skywalker figure you've never seen
Hola amigos and amigas, there are a myriad of Luke Skywalker figures but one of the most wanted of them is a sealed action figure that has all of its information written in Spanish. This is one of those toys that most people haven’t seen, but apparently it’s out there just waiting for someone to spend a bunch of money on it. The toy, known as “the rarest Star Wars figure in existence” sold on eBay for $5,100, which isn’t bad for an action figure that no one’s ever seen. What’s more fascinating about this is how if this Spanish language Luke Skywalker were taken out of its box then it would cease to be special.
Chatty Cathy Dolls can't talk but they're still expensive
Chatty Cathy, those dolls that love to talk your ear off about brushing their hair no matter what you’re doing. Manufactured in the ‘60s, these were the first dolls that had a working voice box, which makes them all the more impressive. Chatty Cathy dolls were a must have for every girl from 1960 to 1964, and that’s why it’s hard to find one of these dolls in good condition. People love these dolls, so much so that they want to find one in better shape the one they have in their attic. Even in their best condition, these dolls aren’t able to talk but they do fetch $300 to $400 on the secondary market.
The Batman Mego doll could pay for an apartment in Gotham City
When Mego dove into the world of DC comics in 1973 the released Batman, Robin, and Superman together and they continued producing variations of the dolls until they shut down in 1982. It’s no surprise that Batman was a popular doll, and with his removable cowl and realistic body, the earliest version of the doll was the most desired version. If only we hadn’t ripped open this Batman toy back in the ‘70s, we’d be selling it for nearly $5,000. Of course, it needs to be in absolute mint condition. Does Batman have a time machine in that utility belt of his? Because we could use it.
The price of Rock'em Sock'em Robots will knock your block off
Rock’Em Sock’em Robots are a kitsch classic of the 1960s, but they’re also one of those toys kids loved to horse around with. Who else remembers sitting down to knock the block office of your friends on a Saturday night? At their best condition, this toy sells for about $150, but what kind of kid wouldn’t want to play with brightly colored robots that punched each other’s heads off? If we had better self control, or some kind of way to navigate time and see how much they’d cost we could have stocked up on them and made a mint in a cool punching robot game. Still, if you’ve got a vintage version of the game you can sell it for about 50 bucks.
First edition Pound Puppies cost a lot of kibble
This sweet little buddy is a rare first edition Pound Puppy and they’re supposed to sell for around $5,000, but there have to be some major stipulations applied to it. First of all it needs to be in mint condition, as in it can’t be touched in the least bit or there’s no way it’s going to net you such a high price, but don’t let that deter you. After all, who can blame you for wanting to play with one of these sweet little plush puppies? For an animal lover, whether it be plush or real, a kid can’t be expected to sit and wait for the value of something this cute to appreciate.
Vinyl caped Jawas look cheap but cost thousands
Jawas aren’t necessarily the first thing we think of when we think of Star Wars, but when Kenner was releasing toys connected with the first film they had to make figures out of every creature that appears on screen, this is part of the reason why so many people have deep connections to minor characters. The first versions of the Jawas that were rolled out had vinyl capes, but the company thought they looked too cheap so they rereleased with cloth capes. Someone that had the good fortune of scoring these Jawas and not taking them out of the box can sell them off for a cool $5,000.
Selling Fonzie's Garage play set will bring you happy days
Aye, Ritchie, how do you like being a Mego doll? The company that created some of the most memorable superhero characters also made a pretty rockin’ Happy Days set. It sounds ridiculous, but this is one of the better toy sets based on a television show. The dolls were sold separately but once you collected the whole gang (and Fonzie’s jalopy) it made sense to make them hang out in his garage. Fans of Happy Days should have sat on this, but it’s hard to imagine anyone wanting to just leave their toys in the boxes, although anyone who did their best to ignore their garage can try and get up to $1,400 for the set.
The "Lord of the Rings" Knickerbocker playset is so expensive it's precious
Before Peter Jackson was given the keys to the kingdom, Ralph Bakshi produced an animated Lord of the Rings that conflated the first two books in J.R.R. Tolkien’s The Lord of the Rings trilogy. The film has become a cult classic, but at the time of its release it didn’t really go anywhere. That didn’t stop Knickerbocker from releasing a set of toys that featured hobbits, Aragorn, Gandalf, a Ringwraith and even a couple of horses. The toys look a little chintzy by today’s standards, but they’re legitimately cool to see, and someone with the entire set can sell them for about $17,000.
You have to be Bruce Wayne to afford the Remco Batman Utility Belt
Even after Batman went off the air in 1968, the series instilled a love of all things Batman in young people. They didn’t just want to watch Batman, they wanted to be Batman. Remco’s Batman Utility Belt from the 1970s was outfitted with a communicator, decoder glasses, a toy watch, handcuffs, a Gotham City decoder map, a secret identity card, and a secret message - it was everything a young detective needed to fight crime in Gotham. With all of these little pieces and extraneous bits of plastic, can you imagine keeping everything together as a child? There’s no way. That being said, if you bought two of these and kept one hidden in your basement you could sell it for more than $3,000.
