Iconic Love Letter #5: Nostalgic Toys

Oh Nostalgia, how I love to visit the realms of this magical kingdom every chance I get. From everything that came of my childhood like music, movies and books - the thing that rings the most nostalgic for me is the products of childhood itself: Nostalgic Toys. Now I don't know about you, but I grew up in the 90's and enjoyed the entire decade to it's fullest. At the time though, I still was embracing the toys of the 80's that were still cool and adorable as heck.

So which toys caught my fancy and still ring a happy bell in my heart now some 15 years later? Let's take a walk down the pastel colored play room and check out what we find in the toy box! (This also will include nostalgic commercials for the toys!)

The Huggabunch

Imagine if you would a world of such fluff it would make Mickey Mouse almost throw up in fear of just how ridiculously cute this world is. Which world is this? The world of the Huggabunch of course! Huggabunch was a line of toys based on the idea of these little creatures that were powered by hugs. There were tons of different Huggabunch characters, my personal favorites being Huggins and Tickles (Ugh, what I would give to have a fluffy purple afro).

Though interestingly enough I never owned a real Huggabunch, I actually was more impacted by the Huggabunch TV Special as a kid. My mom would rent the tape over and over again for me as a kid. With the fear of a Grandma being "put to pasture" and a scary Wolly Mammoth (yes, this is all in one movie), Huggabunch had the unique quality of putting the fear of god in me AND making me ridiculously happy. Now I'm on a quest to own an actual Huggabunch, for nostalgic purposes.

My Little Pony

Did you really think I was going to not mention My Little Pony? A staple for girls everywhere of the 80's, 90's and still today - My Little Pony is one of the most successful toy franchises ever. Personally I wasn't the biggest My Little Pony girl on the block, but I had a few and really appreciate how they cater to my pastel and sweet things that I love. I'm personally a big fan of Pinkie Pie specifically, though she's one of the newer ones. Either way, you can't go wrong with My Little Pony.

Magical Girl Anime Toys

I can't express more how much I love toys of Magical Girl anime series. Sailor Moon is a key example of the epic level one can produce toys, the best being those super rare RPG toys. I am lucky enough to be the owner of at least one of the original wands from the first run of the series, but I am definitely on the hunt for more of these buggers regardless of their ridiculous price tag. I also have a small collection of similar toys from Magic Knight Rayearth and Cardcaptor Sakura. I'm also a big fan of collecting the keychains and figures from the series, and I have a few dolls also. Overall these toys make me want to go on adventures and dream, as it seems many Lolita's agree with me since I see a lot of sweet girls carrying the same items!

Mighty Morphin Power Rangers

All right I'll admit it, Power Rangers were my favorite toys out of all these mentioned. I had a thing for shows where young teens/kids could beat up bad guys and save the day. So unlike my other female counterparts at school, this is where I took a turn and did my own more tom boyish thing. Power Rangers gave me an interest into martial arts and girl power all around. Kimberly and Trini were perhaps the coolest girls in the world to me and I wish I was them back then more then anything. Now I still love Power Rangers, and I still look for all the cool toys from the show that I can. My boyfriend just gave me a huge figure of the Falcon Zord and I can't explain the huge grin it gave me big time.

So now that you've gotten a huge douce of nostalgia, how do you incorporate these toys into your Lolita wardrobe? First off, it's best to look at Lolita and see what happiness it brings you, just like your favorite toys from your childhood. Just like your toys, you can feel yourself growing old from Lolita - but also like these toys they'll creep on back into your life and you'll never want to let go. Lolita is something that even some who grow apart from, but can't you forget it once it comes into your life. Remember the magic it brings you and you'll never want it to go away! Bring the love that these toys gave you into every aspect of your life, even your fashion sense!