This Christmas, the children will open the packaging of all kinds of modern high-tech toys, but in the past days, the gift is simpler.
It all has to do with board games, Barbie and roller skates, not iPhones and slams.
A new survey by gift card company One4All shows the most coveted toys in 40 years from 60 to 2000.
Overall, the top toy is a brand new bike, while the Scalextric toy is in second place.
Among the 2,000 people surveyed, parents revealed that their children asked Santa for cash and gift cards this year.
In their 60 s, the children asked forScalextric and Barbie, and ten years later they wanted an action person or an etching toy --a-Sketch.
Bear in my 80 s, my pony and icedrink maker Mr.
Frosty is at the top of every Christmas list.
Although people in their 90 s have seen the popularity of technology and gadgets-
Nintendo Game Boy Tamagotchis and furbiesbe are the most coveted gifts.
In the millennium, the children are playing with meccano's mechanical structure set.
From 60 to 60, the third most popular overall toy is Lego, while Barbie is in fourth place.
The fifth is a pair of roller skates, and the sixth is the classic Monopoly of the board game.
The seventh is football, the eighth is the etching sketch, the next is the action man, and the last is Meccano.
Rachel Delaney, group marketing manager for One4all gift cards, said: "Looking back on the Christmas gifts that have been most desirable for the past 50 years, this is a great thing.
We all remember the toys we asked for from Santa and we were desperate to hope that they would be placed under the Christmas tree like a child, not to mention the magic of opening the gift on Christmas morning.
"Most of us will remember when Santa didn't get a hint of the toys we really wanted, so, many children are understandably eager to hold things in their hands with Santa's gift cards.
For young children, going out for shopping is actually educational and, in fact, can be a part of the fun of family holidays.