The Top Ten Christmas Toys

From the first funny shaped rock or stick that was used to keep a child busy or entertained, toys have come a long way. Today, they are a billion dollar industry, with new toys - faster, brighter, smarter - come out all the time. It is difficult for some parents to keep up with all the latest trends and fads. (Silly Bandz, anyone?) To help with this, we are going to look at some of the ways to research popular toys from the past so you can do a better job finding the top ten toys of Christmas in 2011.
For example, what is going to be the must-have toy this year? While many people are going to attempt to answer this question in the months ahead, there is another way to look at the top Christmas toys question. For example, what about popular Christmas toys from 1947? Or the top toys for Christmas 1977? By going back in time and looking through history, we can come up with some guidelines for helping us pick the most popular Christmas toys of all time.
How to Find the Top Ten Christmas Toys of All Time

The Internet - While the world wide web is a wonderful way to look up information on the history of toys and which ones were popular in the past, you are going to see a lot of the same information tossed about as people try to sell you products. That said, there are many good places to research the most popular Christmas toys online - for the current year as well as years of Christmas Past.
Print Media - You may have to go to a physical library (remember those?) to get this information, but microfilm is a wonderful thing for looking up old articles in magazines. This can enable you to see what the print magazines and newspapers were saying about the most popular toys whatever year you want to know about.
The Top 10 Christmas Toys of All Time
Without any further waiting, here is our pick of the top 10 Christmas toys of all time.

LEGO Blocks - No matter the set, these have been a Christmas favorite for many years now. Currently, the LEGO Universe is one of the "must-have" items.
Hula Hoop - Even today, this is a popular toy. It's a little more expensive than the original toys, but kids still love it.
Barbie - Going on 50+, Barbie still looks great and is one of the top Christmas toys of all time.
Red Wagon - With Red Flyer being the most popular, the classic red wagon is still a great gift for kids of all ages.
Video Games - It started with Pong, moved to the Atari 2600, then was dominated by Nintendo for many years. Today, video games are more popular than ever before. Today, the X-Box is on the top of a lot of people's list.
Lionel Trains - Every child probably has a memory or two of getting their first Lionel train set. Today, the trains are still desired by children everywhere, making this a top Christmas toy.
Board Games - From Candyland to Memory, board games are some of the most popular Christmas toys. Risk is probably one of the more popular games for older children.
Little People - From Fisher Price, these large "Little People" have been around for many decades. They're still a favorite of small children, making them a top Christmas toy.
GI Joe - While this soldier has had his ups and downs over the years, he's still in our top list of Christmas toys. With a recent movie, these toys are more popular than ever.
The Empty Box - Oh yes, the lowly box. How many young children have had hours and hours of imaginative fun with empty boxes after Christmas morning? Quite a few, I would imagine. Because of that, the empty cardboard box is our pick for the top Christmas toy of all time.
Disagree with our list? Leave a comment below!