13 Fad Toys from the 1970s That Totally Disappeared

These 1970s fad toys captured a decade of loud trends, strange ideas, backyard adventures, and unforgettable childhood excitement before disappearing from mainstream culture.

Alyana Aguja
June 8, 2026
8 min read

13 Fad Toys from the 1970s That Totally Disappeared — Vanessa Bucceri from Unsplash

The 1970s saw some of the most unusual toy crazes, turning simple ideas into massive trends overnight. Heroes stretched, stunt motorcycles raced, wobbling figures balanced, and flashing light and sound memory games were played by kids. Many toys became popular through TV ads, schoolyard competitions, and neighborhood curiosity. Some disappeared due to safety concerns, while others disappeared because electronic entertainment replaced simpler play. Although they declined, these toys captured the creativity and excitement of a decade obsessed with novelty, imagination, and hands-on fun. From Pet Rocks to Green Machines, each fad toy had a story that captured childhood’s playfulness during one of America’s most colorful decades.

1. Pet Rock

The Pet Rock was a joke, or at least it seemed that way. It was one of the biggest toy crazes of the 1970s. Creator Gary Dahl marketed plain smooth rocks in small cardboard pet carriers with breathing holes and humorous instruction manuals. Children took them home, named them, and proudly paraded them to their friends at school. The toy was a hit because it felt silly, cheap, and oddly charming in a decade of novelty crazes. Television commercials and newspaper stories helped to swell the fad even larger. Stores had trouble keeping them on their shelves during the holiday season. But the excitement was short-lived, and the legendary Pet Rock quietly vanished from toy aisles for good.

2. Clackers

Clackers were one of the loudest and most dangerous toy fads of the 1970s. They were two hard acrylic balls attached to strings with a ring in the middle. Boys swung balls up and down until they crashed together with sharp cracking sounds. The trick was to keep the balls rolling without losing any rhythm or hitting anything nearby. Schoolyards echoed with constant clicking noises as children competed to master the trick. Soon injuries mounted up, with broken bits of plastic sometimes flying into faces and hands. Parents complained, hospitals reported accidents, and many stores took them off the shelves. The toy was a hit, but following safety concerns, it quickly disappeared nationwide.

3. Weebles

In the 1970s, Weebles were all over the living room floor with their bright wobbling ways and happy faces. They were egg-shaped and had a famous slogan that they wobbled but never fell down. Kids pushed them off tables, stairs, and play sets just to watch them pop back up. Younger kids liked it because it felt easy, safe, and somehow satisfying. Weebles came in whole families, in houses, tree forts, circus sets, and vehicles. The figures became a national sensation overnight on the strength of television commercials. As electronic toys and action figures became popular in later decades, Weebles slowly disappeared from everyday toy shelves and bedrooms.

4. Stretch Armstrong

One of the strangest superhero toys of the 1970s was Stretch Armstrong. A thick corn syrup filled a muscular figure covered in a rubber skin that allowed children to stretch his arms, legs, and torso far beyond normal size. Kids folded him, tangled him, pulled him from room to room without tearing him apart. Children were enamored with the toy as it seemed nearly indestructible. The TV ads showed groups of kids pulling Stretch Armstrong in all directions and laughing hysterically. Many owners eventually popped the rubber body, letting the sticky syrup ooze all over the place. The elastic hero was hugely popular in its day, but it fell out of favor as toy fads changed and new action figures caught children’s eyes.

5. SSP Racers

Speed and noise in the thousands of homes in the 1970s were delivered by SSP Racers. Instead of batteries, the little toy cars were powered by ripcord energy discs. Kids would place a toothed plastic strip into the car, yank it quickly, and watch the racer fly across the floor at amazing speeds. Different discs also had different performance levels, turning ordinary races into exciting contests. Kids loved to gather up a few cars and challenge friends in hallways, driveways, and schoolyards. The toy was futuristic because it was mechanical rather than electronic. As battery-operated remote-controlled cars improved, interest slowly faded. SSP Racers eventually faded away from the shelves of major toy stores and holiday wish lists.

6. The Six Million Dollar Man Action Figure

Universal Television from Wikimedia Commons

In the mid-1970s, the Six Million Dollar Man action figure made a popular television hero a must-have toy. The toy, based on the hit series starring Lee Majors, featured a bionic eye that let kids see through the back of the toy’s head. The figure also had removable bionic skin on one arm, revealing mechanical components underneath. Kids re-enacted daring rescues, spy missions, and dramatic fights from the TV show. The toy line expanded to include vehicles, headquarters, and enemy characters, and filled shelves everywhere. As TV tastes changed and new franchises arrived, the once-famous bionic hero gradually slipped out of mainstream popularity.

7. Evel Knievel Stunt Cycle

The Evel Knievel Stunt Cycle was the thrill of America’s most famous stuntman in the 1970s. The toy consisted of a little motorcycle attached to a hand-crank launcher. Kids spun the launcher fast, released the bike, and watched Evel Knievel zoom over sidewalks, ramps, and homemade obstacle courses. Children tried to imitate the daring jumps and crashes of the real stuntman with books, boxes, and furniture. The toy was a runaway hit because it contained speed, danger, and imagination in a simple package. Many a stunt adventure was marked by worn tires and broken launchers. Later decades saw the advent of newer battery-powered racing toys, and the toy craze died.

8. Magna Doodle

The Magna Doodle gave kids a cleaner way to draw in the late 1970s. The toy used magnetic particles under a plastic screen instead of crayons, chalk, or messy markers. Kids used a magnetic pen to draw pictures and wiped them away instantly with a sliding bar across the screen. Parents liked the toy because it didn’t stain walls, carpets, and furniture. Once the children began to draw endless pictures and games on the portable board, the long car journeys often fell silent. The toy was magical then, due to its simple design. Eventually, Magna Doodle got pushed into the spotlight and into nostalgia collections by electronic tablets and digital drawing devices.

9. Shrinky Dinks

In the 1970s, Shrinky Dinks transformed ordinary kitchen ovens into magical workshops. The toy was made of thin sheets of plastic, which children colored with markers and then cut into shapes. The plastic pieces shrank, curled, and hardened into tiny charms or decorations when heated in the oven. Through the oven door, kids watched the transformation and made necklaces, keychains, ornaments, and cartoon characters. The shrinking process was like a science experiment mixed with arts and crafts, and children were enthralled by it. Shrinky Dinks activities were a common fixture at schools and birthday parties, keeping groups entertained for hours. The toy may have lingered in smaller markets, but the original frenzy has long since faded from mainstream toy culture.

10. Water Wiggle

The Water Wiggle had many a backyard in stitches on hot summer days of the 1970s. The toy, attached to a garden hose, was spraying water wildly as a long, flexible tube whipped around unpredictably. Children ran through the spraying streams, trying not to get hit by the moving tube. Backyard parties tended to get out of hand when Water Wiggle started bouncing across the grass. The toy was a huge hit because it was energetic, funny, and refreshing on warm afternoons. Eventually, complaints about safety increased as some children were injured in the eye and face while using the swinging attachment. Production halted, and the once-ubiquitous summer toy faded into memory following lawsuits and growing public concern.

11. Simon

With its flashing lights and repeating sounds, Simon was one of the most recognizable electronic toys of the late 1970s. The hand-held round game tested players’ memories for increasingly long sequences of colors and tones. Kids gathered around kitchen tables and living room floors, trying to outdo one another’s scores. “The game was tense because one mistake, and it was over right there.” Simon combined memory challenges with simple electronic technology, unlike earlier toys. The toy was made to look futuristic and exciting in a time obsessed with gadgets through its commercials. Simon’s once huge popularity was eclipsed by handheld gaming systems and mobile devices.

12. Paddle Ball Games

You could see paddleball games in parks, on sidewalks, and in schoolyards all over the place in the 1970s. The toy was a small rubber ball tied to a wooden paddle with an elastic string. Many times, the children tried to hit the ball without breaking the rhythm or entangling the cord. It was an easy challenge at first, but steady hits needed patience and coordination to master. The toy was easy to find at fairs, toy shops, and convenience stores at a low price. Some kids practiced for hours just to impress friends with long streaks of successful hits. As electronic entertainment expanded in the later decades, paddleball games slowly disappeared from the mainstream childhood culture and everyday outdoor play.

13. Green Machine

The Green Machine was a wild alternative to your average kid’s tricycle in the late 1970s. Marx Toys made the low-riding vehicle with hand-controlled levers that allowed for fast drifting movements and dramatic spinning turns. Kids hurtled down driveways, sliding sideways on the pavement like little stunt drivers. The odd steering system made every ride unpredictable and exciting. Kids would try to outdo each other with the sharpest spins without falling down. Television commercials transformed the Green Machine into a dream toy for daring kids all across America. The Green Machine was left in the dust as a forgotten fad, as BMX bicycles and other outdoor riding toys took the spotlight during the next decade.