The 18 Toys From Our Childhoods That Make Us Nostalgic

"Checking to see if your pet was still alive was as addictive as Instagram in these days."

"They were so annoying when they randomly woke up in the middle of the night, but I loved turning mine toward my sister's so they could chat."

"I used to walk around my house with this thing all day, and it became less 'let me see how many times the counter spins around' and more 'how long can I go without banging into something?' My mom screaming my full name at the sound of the plastic crashing into something valuable was always game over."

"It was a sad day once I realized I was too old to play with American Girl dolls. They weren't just toys — they were part of the family! My crew included Samantha, Kirsten (since discontinued), Felicity (also discontinued), and two Bitty Babies, and it was a rare occasion when you spotted me without at least one in hand. I still cite Samantha's bedroom set as the best Christmas gift I've ever received. Can it be cool to play with dolls again, guys? Anyone?"

"Strawberry Shortcake — she's so different now!"

"I loved playing with paper dolls as a kid — I had a set of Disney princess ones that I LOVED. I'd totally play with them now — in fact, I've thought about making paper dolls of myself with every outfit in my closet so that I can figure out how to mix and match outfits in new ways. Crazy, I know . . . I just really miss my paper dolls, dammit."

"It was a lot of fun to play around with and was the ultimate passing notes 2.0. It also wasn't supergirlie and was pretty easy to carry around. The video is so freakin' '90s and seen on TV, I love it."

"I stumbled across Perkins, one of the little 'Finder' companions in my old bedroom at my parents' house a few years ago. I couldn't find the Keyper herself (the Internet tells me she's a Swan called Princess), and I must have complained about this because a few months later, my best friend bought me one off eBay as a present. It was one of the Rabbit brides, which were the coolest (and most expensive) ones back in the '80s. They now make excellent jewelry holders."

"Spirograph!"

(This required no further explanation.)

"One of those weird dolls that was like a cupcake, but then the cupcake wrapper turned into her dress . . . they're freakishly ugly! I loved it nonetheless."

"I was obsessed with Sylvanian Families. These are probably a really British thing, but they're so cute! I had loads as a kid — in fact, they're all still in a box somewhere at my parents' house. I recently rediscovered them when wedding planning, as I learned via the joys of Pinterest that it's become a bit of a thing to use them as cute cake toppers. They also have the most brilliant Twitter feed ever. Running that must be an awesome job."

"I think I got it for maybe my fourth birthday, and I think I probably cried when I opened it because I wanted it so badly. I also still own it, because Teddy Ruxpin is something you never get rid of. "

"Why did we pay for half a song? And yet, I hoarded them."

"Now that I have 2 kiddos, I'm trying to find all the toys I used to play with to share with them. I just found a Chinese jump rope that I used for cat's cradle!"

"Those child-size plastic kitchens . . . I used to have one in the backyard that got rained on and gathered dust, but how I loved it so. I made many a fake cupcake in that plastic oven."

"POLLY POCKETS! The original ones that you could lose in your nose, or ear, or choke to death on, not these weird ones with huge heads. I still have all of mine!"

"I loved Lite-Brite so much, even though I went rogue and never followed the patterns that came with the toy. I had my own vision. So did my brother, who would somehow always manage to short out the little lights — eventually, my creations would be a sad mix of neon spectacle and dark obscurity. Now, apparently, Lite-Brite has gotten an LED makeover, which is just not the same."

"Oh man, everything I made in this thing was simultaneously delicious and disgusting. Except eventually I started experimenting with things that were totally not supposed to go in there — like crayon pie. Who let me have this?"