Watching my child play with her favorite toys takes me back to my younger days.  I remember all the great play things I had to play with, from Barbie to Tonka Trucks.  These are probably also, along with your baby doll or building blocks, some of your fondest childhood distractions.  There are some trends in kids toys that, to this day, I still do not understand.   So let’s all take a nostalgic trip back in time to rediscover some of the worst toys ever made.

I will never forget the first time I saw Stretch Armstrong on the toy store shelf.  Basically all you could do is pull this poor figure’s arms and legs to an unimaginable length.  In theory, these appendages were meant to return to their original form, but this wasn’t always the case.  As a matter of fact, most of the time, his body would come apart from repeated abuse and a foul smelling clear sludge would spew forth from his dismembered torso.  Whether or not this substance was toxic or not is still unknown.  This was the fate of my own Stretch Armstrong, and after I was forced to clean up his translucent entrails, he spent the rest of his toy life in a landfill.

It astonishes me that Furbys sold millions of units.  It is creepy, weird, and in my humble opinion, more than likely possessed by some strange otherworld demon.  I don’t trust any fur bearing little plastic bobble that opens its eyes in such a demonic way.  There are two things in this world that scare me more than anything:  clowns and furby.  Thank goodness this toy is no longer in fashion because I just don’t think I could tell my daughter that Santa would be leaving a brand new Furby underneath our Christmas tree this year.

Toy Rock Tumbler.  Don’t get me wrong, I am all for getting children interested in science, but not this way.  When I was younger one my best friends became interested in geology, so his parents bought him a nifty rock tumbler.  He presented his new novelty to me with a gleam in his eye.  I smiled in returned and uttered a lie about this new toy being "neat".  In all actuality, I couldn’t help but think:  Is this supposed to be fun?  After all, isn’t a toy supposed to be entertaining?  Parents out there do yourself a favor and encourage your children’s interest in astronomy with a telescope instead.

I know that everyone else has their own opinion on this subject, so why not take a walk down memory lane and reflect on your own favorite, and least favorite, toys.  I’m sure that there are several that I haven’t even thought of.  Hopefully, my daughter will steer clear of all these trends.