9:39am Tuesday 27th February 2007
By Gayle McBain
DO you remember the strangely addictive Rolf Harris Stylophone? It was toy of the year in 1970, as the likes of the Spiro-Graph, Klackers, Heatblast and Space Hoppers have also been. There is a new toy craze every year, and Gayle McBain takes a look at the latest plaything to take Bolton by storm - Ben 10.
THERE was a time when television did not play a part in the latest toy fad - there was even a time when television had not been invented.
So new toys and games in the 30s and 40s including Monopoly, the Slinky Spring - it cleverly "walked" down stairs - and Lego bricks could only be promoted by word of mouth.
Today's youngsters will most probably recognise Mr Potato Head from the Toy Story films. He was not a new phenomenon though as he was actually launched in 1952.
Nowadays it is more likely to be a toy based on a popular television show that hits the headlines and this year's must-have is no exception.
Ben 10 is a cartoon character with magical powers and his "watches" are sought after by children all over Bolton. The main problem is actually getting their tiny hands on them as they sell out as fast as they arrive in the stores.
Shops all over the Bolton area have been inundated with requests from children who have spent their half term holiday searching for the popular toy - the majority of them with little success.
The Entertainer toy store on the Middlebrook retail park, Horwich has been waiting for the Ben 10 products to hit the shelves - confident they will fly off those very shelves again within minutes.
"We've had lots of children coming in for them and we are just hoping they will arrive soon. We are expecting them to be in store any time now," said assistant manager Ann-Marie Sackfield.
Youngsters are pestering their parents to try every store retailer in the town but this particular toy is proving to be very difficult to get hold of.
One youngster who succeeded was 11-year-old Liam Mitchell, who persuaded his mum, Paula, to buy him one on a shopping trip to Leeds. Liam said: "It's brilliant and all my friends are really jealous. They all want one.
"It's like a watch, but you do loads of things with it and watch the programme."
The omnitrix, as it is called, is worn on the wrist just like a watch, and features scenes from the American TV series - and, available at around the £8 mark, it is well within most children's pocket money limits.
Ben 10 is based on 10-year-old Ben Tennyson, a boy just like any other, apart from the fact he can transform into a number of different aliens with a switch of his alien watch.
There are even Ben 10 figures to buy, with which you can act out your own version of the show and these are more readily available.
Stock of the omnitrix is severely limited on the internet and Woolworths in Bolton town centre. But a member of staff said: "We have had lots of people coming in asking for them, but haven't had them in yet."
It is a similar story at Toys R Us on the Trinity Retail Park, Bolton.
Modern toys of today are a far cry from the popular toys of the 50s and 60s - although, interestingly, some have stood the test of time. That is when Scalextric first hit the tracks (1956), Barbie was born (1959) and Action Man first leapt into action (1966) - and they are all going strong today.
In 1984 Cabbage Patch Kids caused all sorts of problems for indulgent parents who wanted to buy them for their daughters at Christmas but found them to be in short supply.
By 1985 Transformers - robots in disguise - were the most popular toy on the toy shop shelves.
It was 1990 when the huge craze of the Teenage Mutant Hero Turtles left parents desperately scouring local toy shops for replicas of their children's favourite characters and in 1992 shortages of the most popular toy that year - Thunderbirds Tracey Island - were so severe that television show Blue Peter even ran an episode showing youngsters how to make their own version.
Toy Story's popularity in 1996 led to a shortage of Buzz Lightyear and Woody character dolls.
In 2003 a hugely popular toy - Yucky Yo Balls - were swiftly banned by the government over safety fears. These were fluid-filled stretchy balls on an elastic string.
Probably the most famous toy craze ever was the Rubiks Cube. It was invented by Hungarian designer Erno Rubik and more than 100 million of these tricky little puzzles were sold between 1980 - when they were first launched - and 1982.
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