Classic Toys of the '60s and '70s THE KEN DOLL. THE DUNCAN BUTTERFLY. EASY-BAKE OVEN. ELECTRIC FOOTBALL. ROCK 'EM SOCK 'EM ROBOTS. THE SUPER BALL. DUNGEONS & DRAGONS. THE PET ROCK. STAR WARS LEGACY ACTION FIGURES. More Great Gift.

the playthings of the 1960s and 1970s

On this page we take a look at some of the toys that our parents played with in the 1960s and 1970s. During the period Woolworth lowered its prices in response to strong competition. During the Sixties the toy range was given a major overhaul. Lots of new items were added, though by today's standard most of these look quite tame. Very few things needed batteries, let alone a mains adaptor. Woolworth stuck with its tried and tested personal service formula as its rivals adopted self-service. This left most of the branches looking old-fashioned. Most of the photographs on this page were taken for publicity purposes and show the company at its most modern.

A number of Sixties toys celebrated the space programme. These are covered in a separate feature.

The Government's decision to decimalise the currency forced the High Street chain to modernise. Between 1969 and 1975 most of the stores were given a new look. The period also saw the arrival of new ranges of battery-operated and electronic toys, which were sold at discounted prices and were heavily advertised on TV.

In 1965 the Woolies store in Gallowtree Gate, Leicester was chosen to test out a new 'futuristic' look. It had new ranges and new styles of display, with taller counters, but continued to have a till at each one, and to offer personal service to every shopper.

The upgrade heralded a further move up-market. Many of the new items were at higher prices, like the dolls in the foreground of the photo. Before World War II nothing had been over sixpence (2½p). Now some branded dolls were fifty-five shillings (£2.55). Even accounting for inflation this was twenty-five times higher. At today's prices the most expensive doll would be £45 or $56. But sixpence still bought a three minute go on the sit-and-ride horse in the background !

The picture above shows Atherstone, Warwickshire in 1973, just before it was modernised. It had first opened in 1935 and appeared to be trapped in a time warp. When it had first been fitted out the company had not stocked large items. As the range had expanded it had simply squeezed them in, creating ramshackle displays with echoes of the original US Woolworth 5 & 10¢ in Utica, New York in 1879!

The 'after' picture shows rge scake of the makeover. Between 1969 and 1975 200 stores were upgraded each year, finally moving to self-service as a way to avoid the cost of decimalising twenty thousand cash registers, after the change of currency in 1971.

One-by-one the older stores closed for a week. The counters were dismantled, taken to the stockroom for cleaning while the walls and ceiling were repainted. Their wooden floors were scrubbed and then fiited with thermoplastic tiles, some plain and some patterned. The old counters were then re-assembled in taller configurations at the back of the store, and new ones were installed at the front along with new cash and wrap desks to take customers' money. The last stores got their 'every expense spared' makeovers in 1975. Light of darkness band.

To give a flavour of the toys that children chose in the 1970s, we've picked out some typical pages from the Christmas Catalogues of 1973 and 1975. The brochures were a new idea, reflecting changing buying patterns. If you have a broadband connection you can download a high resolution PDF of the extracts shown below.

By the late 1970s Toys had begun to play a more important part in the overall Woolworth's offer. The largest stores had enough space to offer more toys than specialist Toy shops, allowing them to experiment. The flagship Oxford Street store in London W1 allocated a sixty foot (18m) run of counter to Lego. There were similar-sized displays of soft toys, Fisher-Price pre-school, sports and leisure, and camping.

The toy counters of the flagship store in London's Oxford Street were over 250 feet (80m) long!

They tempted tourists to buy soft toys as gifts. The top sellers included British bulldogs, ladybirds, penguins, snails and a cuddly octopus.

In the late 1970s there was a craze for radio-controlled and electronic toys. In 1977 the first lines sold out quickly. In 1978 Woolworth broadened its range and promoted it strongly on TV.

In 1979 electronic gadgets featured strongly in the Christmas campaign. Two lines, Kenny Everitt's Captain Kremen Krenometer and a Stylophone, won out, along with an electronic game called 'Merlin' (below). The ads also featured Milton Bradley's Simon. Invicta promoted its Electronic Mastermind, while MB pushed its Computer Battleships and Logic 5 on TV.

The modern age was dawning and Woolworth wanted its share. You can find out more in our Eighties toys feature.

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Wonders from Woolies

Bonus Items - The History of Chad Valley

Now owned by Argos / J. Sainsbury plc, Chad Valley was revived and developed by Woolworths over a 21 year period

Toys have been around practically as long as organized society! The very first ones are said to have been made prior to written language, as early as 3000 B.C.E. The very first toys were a lot less imaginative (as well as completely non-reliant on computer technology) and were often representative of things in the natural world or were miniaturized versions of adult tools. Luckily, by the time the 60s rolled around, plastic was king and mass-produced toys were all the rage and readily available.Many of the toys that were popular during the 60s are still being played with today; things like the Barbie and Ken dolls, Troll dolls, Disney plush dolls and LEGO bricks can still be found in most American homes with small children.

Even some of the most sought-after toys of the 60s are still on children's birthday wish-lists: Easy Bake Ovens, yo-yos, Lite-Brites and Hot Wheels. The materials might be different (plastic instead of metal in some cases) but the overall playtime experience is the same.So when you think about it, we really haven't changed that much. Do you think you can name all of these popular 60s toys by just looking at a picture? Take this quiz to find out! Explore More Quizzes About HowStuffWorks PlayHow much do you know about dinosaurs?

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From fun quizzes that bring joy to your day, to compelling photography and fascinating lists, HowStuffWorks Play offers something for everyone. Sometimes we explain how stuff works, other times, we ask you, but we’re always exploring in the name of fun! Because learning is fun, so stick with us! Explore Quizzes.