As any parent knows, toys can take up a significant amount of space at home, including those your loved and kept from your own childhood. And with the sentimental feeling often attached to items like this, it can be really difficult to let them go to new homes. But if you've got to make space for this year's top toys, then you might find yourself in need of a clear out.
If you do find yourself having a declutter, it's worthwhile paying attention to any classic toys you find, as they could be hugely desirable to collectors and be worth a significant amount of money. According to a financial advisory site Invezz.com, you should dust off these forgotten toys, because you might be sitting on a fortune. Here's what you should keep your eyes peeled for:
- Rare Beanie Babies: If you have one of the rarest Beanie Babies, you could be quids in. The 'Princess' Diana Bear from 1997 could command a staggering £712,000 on the market.
- Rare Barbie toys: Older Barbie dolls can also fetch a pretty penny - Older Barbie dolls can fetch a substantial amount. Recently, the 1989 Vintage Western Fun Barbie Doll was listed on eBay for an astonishing £29,270.
- Furbies: A 2012 new-in-box Furby in orange has been seen listed for an whopping £7,024.35.
- Pokémon cards and games: Pokémon fever is still strong, especially with collectors, and Charizard Pokémon cards have been known to sell for as much as £206,078, while a Game Boy Pokémon Yellow Hard could command a £75,947 price tag.
- Vintage My Little Pony: While you can buy new My Little Pony toys for less than £10 from the likes of Amazon and Smyths toys, rarer, pre-loved items could sell for up to £2,689 on sites like eBay.
- McDonald's Happy Meal toys: Even though these toys technically come free with a child's Happy Meal, a set of four 2022 McDonald’s Cactus Plant Flea Market Happy Meal Toys is currently listed for an impressive £11,826.39.
- Power Rangers: Power Ranger toys, like the White Power Ranger, are fetching prices as high as £6,328.
- Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: If you have any vintage Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle toys gathering dust in your loft, or under your child's bed, definitely dig them out - some have been reaching up to £3,955.
- Rare Transformers: A 1985 Optimus Prime figure, such as the Transformers Series 2 Dinobot, can be seen command prices of more than £7,515.
- Cabbage Patch Kids: Vintage Cabbage Patch Kids dolls can be listed for as much as £4,351.10.
If you have any of these toys, you might want to sell them via sites like eBay, Gumtree or Facebook Marketplace or directly to any collectors you might find after a bit of research. If you do, make sure you do some digging to see what similar toys of similar quality have sold for so you can make sure you're not undercutting, or overselling your find. Toys in their original packaging and pristine condition are likely to garner the biggest price, but you could still make a tidy profit if your toys are in decent condition.
How to declutter toys when you have kids who want to keep them all
Decluttering your child's toy collection can be met with massive protest, but there are ways to tackle it effectively. GoodtoKnow's Deputy Editor and mum-of-three, Heidi Scrimgeour says: "There are a couple of good approaches, and the right one will depend a lot on the temperament of the kids and the patience levels of the parent!
"One option is to involve your child in the process. This scenario is actually a great opportunity to chat about how the things we no longer need or use can make other people happy when we give them away or donate them. My kids used to be particularly open to this at Christmas and birthdays when I couched it as being about making room for the presents they were hoping to get. We would talk about the memories attached to certain items (e.g who gave it to them or where they got it) and how lucky they were to have had it, and then how much fun it might bring to another child."
Involving them in the choice to give away an item is empowering, which is something kids don't get to experience much, and it's also a way of gently building their awareness of other people and their needs. But this method does require you to have the capacity for that, which not all frazzled parents have.
Another option is to execute a stealth toy removal operation, preferably under the cover of darkness or when the kids are not in the house. Heidi adds: "Collect up everything you think is no longer needed but - and here's the crucial bit - hide them away in some kind of safe 'holding bay' for at least a week before donating or removing from the house. That way if they're immediately horrified by said toy's removal you can rectify your mistake and return it promptly. But if they don't even notice it's gone after a week, you can probably safely rehome it without a scene."
But as Heidi warns: this is not a completely foolproof option: "Factor in, however, that there is a high chance of them noticing the missing item the very moment you've got rid of it so you'd better have a good explanation..."
When it comes to toy storage, it might be worth checking out these personalised toy boxes for a stylish option. If you're having a clear out to make space for new toys, then find out if wooden toys are better than plastic, and the difference between active and passive toys before you part with your cash.
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