A fascinating look at how gifts have changed over the past five decades has shown how shoppers now spend up to eight times as much on Christmas presents.
The new research reveals the top 5 toys from each year starting in 1970, their total cost at the time, compared to how much they would cost now.
The Sindy Doll, which cost £3.99 in 1970 and with inflation would retail at £59.95 in today’s economy was all the rage, with the total cost of buying the five most popular presents of that year coming to £12.75 – £191.48 today.
But almost fifty years later, in 2019, the £1,049 iPhone 11 and the £199 Nintendo Switch Lite have emerged as the year’s most popular gifts, bringing the total of the top five toys this year to £1,466.
And millennials born in the eighties and nineties will remember the 91p Rubiks Cube, equal to £3.79 today, the £9.99 Spice Girls Power Dolls, £17.66 today, and the £9.99 Tamagotchi, £16.98 today, firm favourites of their decade.
Meanwhile, in the list compiled by www.musicmagpie.co.uk/christmas-past-and-present, post-2000 babies accelerated to £90 micro scooters (£147 today) and the £429 iPad, £534 today, leaving parents considerably more out of pocket.
1970s
A fascinating look at how gifts have changed over the past five decades has shown how shoppers now spend up to eight times as much on Christmas presents. In the 1970s the most popular Christmas presents were the £2.25 Space Hopper, the 99p Etch a Sketch and the £3.62 skateboard
In the 1970s the most popular Christmas presents included the £2.25 Space Hopper (£30.89 today), and the 99p Etch a Sketch, which would have cost just under £14 today
As the decade moved on the £3.62 skateboard (£46 today) became popular while Walkie Talkie Sets were all the rage at £4.98, the equivalent of £58.53 in today’s economy
In the mid 1970s the famous Twister game hit markets costing just £1.35, the equivalent of £13.71 today, while the portable cassette player recorder, £12.40, would have cost a handsome £101.05
Meanwhile kites made an appearance at 95p, £6.64 today, while the Batmobile was reserved for the lucky few who could fork out £20.71 (£57 today)
Towards the end of the decade the trend advanced from outdoor activity to technology, with the Sony Walkman an in-demand item for £81, today’s economic equivalent of £400. Elsewhere the more modestly priced £2.64 Connect Four proved to be a hit for years to come, £14 today
1980s
The 1980s saw the beloved 90p Rubik’s Cube (£3.79 today) and £45 BMX bike (£154 today) make waves with present lovers
The decade kicked off with the LEGO Train Set, Mr Frosty and the Star Wars AT-AT popular among youngsters – with the top five toys costing £114 in 1980 (the equivalent of £477 today)
Meanwhile the Care Bears went ‘viral’ in the early eighties – costing just £16.75 at the time, the equivalent of £54.90
In the mid eighties Pillow People and Pound Puppies were popular, bringing the total cost of the top presents to £105 – £305 in today’s world
Meanwhile things began to look more pricey in 1986, with the Power Wheels Jeep costing a handsome £112 – £319 today – and Sylvanian Families a cheaper option at £6.97 (£19 today)
And towards the end of the decade £5.50 Polly Pocket (£12.99 today) was an instant hit, bringing the totalcost of the top five most popular presents to £111.46 (£281 today)
1990s
Meanwhile girl power ruled the nineties, with hit girl group The Spice Girls releasing their dolls for just £9.99 (£17.66 today)
In the early nineties Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles ruled supreme, while the Sega Game Gear could set you back £97.95 – £204 in today’s world
As the decade progressed Thunderbirds and the Super Nintendo trended, while the traditional Barbie and Action Man made a comeback too. The total spend in 1992 for the top five toys was £150 – £311 today
In the mid nineties Power Rangers, Cabbage Patch Kids and the Playstation brought the total cost up to £320 – £601 in today’s world
Meanwhile Buzz Lightyear proved the the transition from cartoon to action figure while the £150 Nintendo (£265 today) made another advance
As the end of the millennium came to a close the £75 Tyco Rebound (£126 today) and the £39.50 Nintendo Game Boy Camera (£66 today) brought the total of the top five presents up to £208
2000s
The millennium kicked off with the then £150 Nokia 3310 beginning the craze for phones before the iPhone 3G (seen) swept fans away at £354 (£459 today)
And even though presents were big in tech , lucky youngsters could get their hands on the £90 Micro Scooter (£147 today) and the iPod classic – costing £273 at the time ( £439 today)
Elsewhere Bratz Dolls and Barbies proved traditional dolls still reigned supreme, while the Xbox was the luxury of presents at £299.99 (£473 today)
The iPod advanced to the Mini in 2004, and to the £104 Nano (£151) in 2005 – before the days of the smart phone
Meanwhile in 2006 the Wii Sports attempted to make video games more physically acrive, and the iPod Touch was all the rage in 2007 at £141, £190 in today’s economy
By 2008 the iPhone 3G, costing an eye-watering £354.20, £459 today, had entered the equation, beginning the boom in smartphones
2010s
From 2010 onward technical gadgets including the £126.60 Nintendo 3DS and the £429 X Box One were all the rage
The new decade kicked off with significantly less outdoorsy presents – including the iPad at £429, and the Nintendo 3DS
Elsewhere the £229.42 Hoverboard was a hit in 2013, and the total cost of the five top presents rose to a handsome £1,092
Meanwhile the middle of the decade saw the iPhone 6 and the LEGO Star Wars Ultimate Millennium Falcon at £699
while the £5.99 Fidget Spinner proved a cheaper and more affordable contender, bringing the top five gifts of 2018 to a total of £997.92
2019
Almost fifty years later, in 2019, the £1,049 iPhone 11 is one of the most popular gifts of the year
The new iPhone and the £199 Nintendo Switch Lite have emerged as the year’s most popular gifts, bringing the total of the top five to £1,466