A look back at some of the most popular gift giving items from 10, 20, and 30 years ago, and the places where we shopped for them in this News 2 You special edition.
BUFFALO, N.Y. — 10 years ago this week in 2012
Shoppers flocked in search of Wii-U, the latest rendition of the popular home gaming console from Nintendo. Despite being discontinued just a few years later, Wii stands as the fifth-best-selling home video game console of all time, with more than 100 million units sold.
By that time the robotic toy Furby, which had already been around for 14 years, was put back on top of the list of the most coveted toys for Christmas 2012 when the third generation was released with its with more expressive LCD eyes, wider range of motions, and its own iOS and Android app.
20 years ago this week in 2002
Eastern Hill Mall still brimmed with holiday shoppers and according to a mall manager who spoke with Channel 2’s Rich Kellman for a story on the most popular items that year, electronics were the most in-demand.
These included a DVD-VHS combo, which reflected the evolution of home entertainment systems, as the latter was becoming more obsolete.
The manager also reported that George Foreman Grills and the Shark, a type of vacuum cleaner, were also experiencing brisk sales.
Playstation 2 was among the items topping the list in many letters sent to Santa that year, along with several video games. Among the most popular of that year: Tony Hawk 4, Grand Theft Auto Vice City, James Bond Night Flyer, SOCOM Navy Seals, and WWE Smackdown! Shut Your Mouth.
It was also the year Mattel introduced Lingerie Barbie.
30 years ago this week in 1992
Clock radios and telephones, which could store numbers and had features such as re-dial, were popular items for Christmas.
So too were cameras, although many of them still required film.
Some of the newest camera features being touted were date stamping on photos and had a feature to prevent “red eye,” which was something all too familiar to many baby boomers. Channel 2 reporter Mike Igoe, during a consumer report at the time, described them as “those devilish red dots sometimes caused by a flash.”
If you are old enough to remember the scourge of red eye, or shopping for shoes at Thom McAn, or for clothes at Chess King stores, or for suits Kleinhans downtown (all of which no longer exist), you may also recall decorating the Christmas tree while rocking out to the Jingle Cats.
After his first season on television, merchandise involving Barney the Dinosaur produced a half billion dollars in sales.
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