Skip to content

Dorset vintage toy exhibition throws back to 1980s

Getty Images SmurfsGetty Images
Mass produced plastic toy figures became very popular in the 1980s and many are now collectors items

The curator of a vintage toy exhibition hopes it will allow parents to relive their childhoods and show their children what they received for Christmas.

Dorset Museum's I Grew Up 80s exhibition, which runs until 26 February, is showcasing a collection of toys from the decade.

It includes the iconic Rubik's cube, Space Invaders and a Cabbage Patch Kids doll - some of which are now worth thousands of pounds.

Curator Matt Fox said the 80s was a "really innovative period" for toys and still "culturally relevant" today because so many franchises and movies came from that period.

"I hope parents will take their children along and say, 'these are the toys we played with, this is what I got for Christmas back in 1985'," he said.

Dorset Museum Cabbage Patch dollDorset Museum
First sold in 1982, rare Cabbage Patch dolls with birth certificates can be worth thousands of pounds today
Getty Images Space Invaders exhibitGetty Images
The forerunners to Xbox and PlayStation, handheld gaming consoles like Space Invaders were 80s best sellers
Dorset Museum My Little PonyDorset Museum
The much-loved My Little Pony first hit the UK market in 1983 and is still being sold today
Getty Images Guess Who?Getty Images
An edition of Guess Who? can still be found in many family games cupboards
Dorset Museum Rubiks cubeDorset Museum
Hundreds of millions of Rubik's cubes have been sold, making them one of the most iconic toys of the decade
Getty Images BMX bikesGetty Images
The BMX was an incredibly popular children's bike and featured in Steven Spielberg's 1982 hit film ET
Getty Images Sony WalkmanGetty Images
Before iPods and wireless bluetooth headphones, the Sony Walkman was the epitome of hi-tech gadgetry

All photographs subject to copyright

Presentational grey line

Follow BBC South on Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram. Send your story ideas to [email protected].