Now that most of us have unwrapped some gifts, I thought it might be nice to take a walk down memory lane. I’m always fascinated by which toy becomes THE thing to have during the holidays. What makes a toy so undeniably cool that everyone’s parents are scrambling (not unlike Arnold Schwarzenegger in Jingle All the Way), even fist-fighting over a piece of plastic covered in fake fur, or a box of wires.

This is a really cool look back at the how and why of popular toys.

What toys did you absolutely have to have when you were growing up? Are there any you didn’t get?