The 10 iconic 90s Christmas toys we all begged for – and the brilliant modern versions to buy now

From Mr Frosty slushy makers and Spice Girls dolls to Care Bears and Polly Pockets, 90s Christmas presents were pure magic – the kind you can still feel in your chest decades later. So, if you’re craving a hit of warm, fuzzy nostalgia, you’re in the right place.

And because the seasonal joy shouldn’t stop with us parents, we’ve paired every iconic 90s toy with a brilliant modern alternative. Think of it as helping your kids build the memories they’ll get nostalgic about in the 2060s!

The top 10 90s toys and their modern alternatives

We asked mums from our MadeForMums Club, who were kids in the 1990s, to vote for the top 10 toys from their childhoods. Here are the results, plus what you can buy that’s similarly awesome for your kids today.

1. Mr Frosty

Why we loved it: Remember begging your mum for a Mr Frosty? This plastic snowman with his friend Percy the Penguin was top of many 1990s Christmas lists because it allowed you to make slushies (before anyone realised how bad they were!) at home. Simply chuck ice into Mr Frosty then turn the crank, add flavouring using squeezy Percy, and voilà – a slightly disappointing slushie but one you made yourself! Plus, you can then play with Mr Frosty and Percy for hours.

2025 alternative: 90s parents rejoice because you can actually still buy Mr Frosty today! Ok, so he doesn’t come with the super sugary flavourings anymore, but squash or cordial works a treat instead. The set includes ice cube trays and lolly moulds too. Although if you’d prefer to keep mess to a minimum and have your children pretend play eating ice cream, we think this Leap Frog Scoop & Learn Ice Cream Cart would work a treat instead.

2. A la cart kitchen

Why we loved it: Apart from the brilliant play on words – a la cart – this kitchen ‘cart’ from Bluebird was a favourite in the 80s and early 90s because it was so stylish (yes, we loved an orange kitchen back then!) and it had lots of cool features. 90s kids loved making retro classics like Swiss rolls and baked beans using this portable kitchen!

2025 alternative: Things have moved on a bit since kitchen carts and hostess trolleys and when today’s kid is an adult, they’ll get all nostalgic over air fryers! A toy air fryer so they can copy you during your 2020s air fryer fad is a must for today's kid. If you're more of a pizza oven lover or a coffee machine fanatic you can get those in toy version too! We love this wooden double air fryer with wooden food.

3. Spice Girls Dolls

Why we loved them: In the late 1990s all we could talk (and sing) about were the Spice Girls. They were huuuuuge. Once you’d got the posters, the cassette tapes or CD, and the t-shirts though your dream was to own all 5 girls in doll form. The original Spice Girls on Tour dolls came out in 1997 and were top of Christmas lists for the next couple of years.

2025 alternative: Nothing can quite replicate the Spice Mania of the 1990s, except maybe Taylor Swift, but for Christmas 2025 we reckon the singing Wicked dolls will go down very well with any mega fans of the films. Plus, good news for parents, there’s only Glinda and Elphaba to buy rather than the 5 Spice Girls!

4. Sylvanian Families Canal Boat

Why we loved it: Nowadays you can get hold of a multitude of Sylvanian Families sets, but back in the 1990s choices were limited. The toy had only just launched in 1985 and came to the UK in 1987, so every new iteration and playset was extremely exciting. The canal boat was the set to have in the 90s, probably due to the fact that Rosie and Jim was one of our favourite TV shows at the time. Kids were obsessed with the cool details on the canal boat, like the washing line on the roof, the anchor and hook and the super cute hanging baskets!

2025 alternative: Sylvanian Familes are still going strong and have just celebrated their 40th birthday with a range of brilliant limited edition sets including this amazing Rabbit in a Strawberry Cake dress. For something that’ll give them real 2025 nostalgia as an adult though we think Gabby’s Dollhouse is a great modern alternative and this Gabby Cat Friend Ship Cruise Ship is a perfect new version of the much-loved canal boat.

5. Fashion wheel

Why we loved it: Anyone who grew up watching Cher in Clueless in the 90s would have had the incredible Fashion Wheel on their Christmas list. The wheel allowed you to pretend you were a fashion designer, even if you couldn't sketch to save your life, as you simply spun it round to the design you liked and then used a pencil to rub the look onto your paper, before colouring it as you saw fit!

2025 alternative: Today's fashion-designer wannabes can get their designing fix in a slightly more modern way using this Style 4 Ever Fashion Designer Light Up Studio to trace the designs rather than rubbing a pencil! However the concept remains the same – easy to draw designs that you can then colour in your own unique way.

6. Cabbage Patch Kids

Why we loved them: 2025 kids might think they're the first to embrace the ugly toys trend but way back in the 1980 and 90s we were already going mad for it with our love of Cabbage Patch Kids and Troll dolls! Cabbage Patch Kids, with their unique birth certificate and adoption papers, were super popular from 1983 onwards with early 90s kids still keen to add to their collection, while troll dolls saw a huge resurgence in the 90s thanks to the launch of a video game and TV show.

2025 alternative: In the 80s riots broke out over Cabbage Patch Kids with parents desperate to get their hands on them, so today's ugly equivalent has to be the Labubu, a gremlin-like toothy doll which has also sparked fights between desperate collectors! Labubu is the star character from The Monsters, a fairy tale picture book series by Hong Kong-born artist Kasing Lung, inspired by Nordic folklore. She's an elf-like creature with wide eyes, pointed ears, and a mischievous smile showcasing nine sharp teeth. Think: if Where The Wild Things Are met kawaii culture with a twist of mischief.

7. Petite Post Office

Why we loved it: 1990s kids spent a lot of time in Post Office queues – after all, it's where our parents did everything from paying bills and getting child benefit to paying their car tax and getting stamps. So when the Petite Post Office toy came out it was a real hit with anyone who loved role play. It came in a cute briefcase like package and had fun features like a telephone and hidden drawers.

2025 alternative: Technology might have moved on and parents may do most of their admin online now, but role play is still a huge part of how children learn today. They might not spend quite as much time as we did in the Post Office queue but little ones will still love pretending to weigh parcels and stamp letters on this wooden post office toy from John Lewis.

8. Sky Dancers

Why we loved it: A flying toy! Need we say more? These super cute flying dolls were a huge hit with girls in the 1900s because they were pretty, intricate and very collectable. Place them in the base, pull a string and whoosh they went spinning into the air. Magic!

2025 alternative: You can still buy sky dancers (albeit more modern looking ones) today. However, a great 2025 alternative would be the L.O.L. Surprise Magic Flyers. A really similar concept to the sky dancer but from the very successful and much-loved L.O.L Surprise brand. This new version really goes big on the magic element – you rub the bottle twice and the doll flies out by herself!

9. Furby

Why we loved it: Furby came out in 1998 and went straight to the top of every child's Christmas list. In its first year, Furby sold over 40 million toys and we loved them because we'd never seen anything toy-related that could interact with us like that – it was like seeing the first robot in action! Plus, they were so cute with their wiggling ears and blinking eyes.

2025 alternative: Nothing can replace the original Furby and we haven't seen a modern alternative that we love as much yet, although Little Live Pets really do come close! However, Furby is so popular that in 2023 (the brand's 25th anniversary) Hasbro relaunched the toy with a new generation version. These new Furbys have lots of cool features including a glow in the dark option!

10. Tamagotchis

Why we loved it: We couldn't have a 90s Christmas list without including the tamagotchi, which became a global craze around 1997 - 1998. Every child wanted to get their hands on one of these little handheld digital pets from Japan. It became weirdly addictive trying to keep your pet alive – to the point that schools had to ban children bringing them in!

2025 alternative: The brand relaunched the tamagotchi in 2004 and you can still buy modern versions of the original today, although it's not the craze it once was. A modern alternative that will wow you kids though is the Bitzee – a clever ring box size digital toy that contains around 20 characters to stroke, nurture and play with and that uses 3d holographic images rather than a screen.