In with the old: nostalgia is making a comeback

What was your childhood made of? Maybe it was the beloved handheld console you carried everywhere. The game you played over and over until you knew every level with your eyes closed, the curtains shut against the sunshine. The sticker book you never quite managed to complete. That doll you wished for every Christmas but never found under the tree.

The games, gadgets and gizmos we grew up with - or went without - are changing hands online and growing in value. It’s part of a wider nostalgia economy driven by Millennials and Gen Z – 37% of the latter say they feel nostalgic for the 1990s.

According to the consumer-insights group Circana, so-called ‘kidults’ now account for around £1 in every £3 spent on toys in the UK, and 43% of British adults have bought a toy for themselves or for another grown-up this year. A figure that rises to 76% among Gen Z (18-34). 

Toys that take us back can’t always be found on the high street – you have to go looking. So we started wondering what our own childhood faves would cost now.

This is a little roundup of the TopCashback team’s childhood toys they loved, lost, or longed for, and whether, armed with eBay, we could track them down. We've discovered what they’re worth today, what makes them so sought-after, and why looking back is so popular.

Connecting with the past

This social version of the original virtual pet let you connect via infrared to friends’ devices, swap gifts, and even start a family. It beeped for attention at the most inconvenient moments and then died if you ignored it too long.

So few survived being played with that they’ve held their value and become highly collectable. At the time of writing, eBay listings include loads of shell designs at close to pocket-money prices. While boxed-as-new, limited editions or rare shells list for £100 and up. Maybe one of those is the exact design you once had clipped to your bag.

Gotta cash 'em all

SP, as you may remember, stands for ‘special’, and Nintendo's folding clamshell design finally solved the long-standing handheld problem with the addition of a built-in front-lit (and later backlit) display, which meant you could play long after lights-out without a torch propped on the pillow.

The lid folded shut over the screen, too, so it survived being at the bottom of a school bag rather than getting scratched to bits. Its durability and practicality is partly why the price has held, plus, it's also home to the games people never want to stop playing, including Pokémon, Mario Kart, and Zelda.

Talk isn't cheap

The Furby was a gadget that seemed to listen, arriving in its own babble, Furbish, then slowly learning English. Or at least it appeared to be, as it was really just unveiling preloaded words.

There was no off switch, so the only way to silence your favourite furry friend was for your long-suffering parent to pull the batteries after bedtime. It spooked the US National Security Agency, which reportedly banned it in 1999 over fears it might repeat secrets.

With so many made, the rare colours, limited editions, and unopened boxes are more valuable. Although there’s something about the well-loved, pre-loved fur on the cheaper Furbies that made us all go aww.

The one that dipped

Blowing dust out of the cartridge and pushing it back in place. The satisfying press of the stylus on the screen, and the dissatisfaction of losing it down the back of the sofa.

Ah, those were the days. The DS redefined handheld play with its touch-based tech, dual-screen design and wireless connectivity, becoming one of the best-selling consoles ever made.

Retro gaming is having a real moment, with Brits coveting a piece of tech from their childhood, and yet the original DS is still down 43% in value. So many have survived that its price just doesn’t hold up. Whereas limited editions and Pokémon-branded consoles do keep their value.

The comeback kidz

When Cloe, Yasmin, Sasha and Jade rocked up in 2001, they strutted their stuff straight into a market Barbie had dominated for almost forty years. The "Bratz Pack" looked absolutely nothing like her: bold and sold as a set of four with no single leader. And - unusually for the time - they were a diverse line-up.

Popularity faded when the Y2K look fell out of favour, and they've come roaring back now it’s returned. MGA has leaned right into the nostalgia with reissues and fashion-brand collaborations. Complete, boxed originals are what collectors chase, while a loose doll missing half her accessories (or limbs…eek!) is worth very little.

Then versus now

Figures: The typical resale price today is based on the average sold price in the last 12 months, using eBay product research hub data

Why we keep looking back

Nostalgia has become a defining consumer mood, and research suggests it's younger generations driving it. Consumer insight group GWI has found that around half of Gen Z and millennials feel nostalgic for the past, more than any older group. Toy-market analysts at Circana call the result the ‘joy economy’, the idea that when the wider world feels heavy, people reach for small, familiar pleasures, and toys are about as reliable a source of joy and comfort as they come.

Returning to the objects of our childhood is a way of reaching for something tangible and certain when little else feels it, and while it’s exciting to own a rare item, perhaps even more valuable is reconnecting with a familiar, comforting feeling. A specific birthday, a summer that seemed to go on for months. And, often, it's about passing that on. Try handing a Game Boy or a Furby to a child who's only ever known a touchscreen, and watch them fall for it too.

For this generation, eBay has become a sort of shared loft space, the place where these precious parts of the past are unearthed and resurfaced. Type in a simple search term, and our childhood memories unroll before our eyes. We can get lost in scrolling through our past.

Gathering dust and value

If you’re looking to find a piece of your childhood, eBay is a great place to source collectables, so it’s worth clicking through TopCashback first and earning a little something extra on whatever you spend.  

It’s also free to sell on eBay, so if your childhood toys are taking up space or living unloved in the loft, now might be the time to turn them into the hands of someone who will love them all over again, and some much-needed cash for you.

 It costs nothing but a little rummaging to find out. And maybe hold on to some of your kids’ favourite toys – they may become the collectables of the future.