Latest news with #Hamleys
Scotsman
2 days ago
- Entertainment
- Scotsman
some of which you'll only remember if you grew up then
This article contains affiliate links. We may earn a small commission on items purchased through this article, but that does not affect our editorial judgement. How many of these classic 1960s toys did you play with as a child? Sign up to our Retro newsletter Sign up Thank you for signing up! Did you know with a Digital Subscription to Edinburgh News, you can get unlimited access to the website including our premium content, as well as benefiting from fewer ads, loyalty rewards and much more. Learn More Sorry, there seem to be some issues. Please try again later. Submitting... The top 100 toys of all time have been named by Hamleys Many of the greatest toys were born in the 1960s Some are still popular all these years later, but others have failed to pass the test of time The 100 greatest toys ever have been named, including some classic 60s playthings. Many of the toys listed in Hamleys' top 100 of all time remain hugely popular with youngsters today - having been enjoyed by generations of children before them. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad But there are some nostalgic 60s toys you will probably only remember if you grew up back then, when they were all the rage. In total, 16 toys launched during the 1960s have made the top 100 according to Hamleys. They are: Operation (1965) This test of manual dexterity has been keeping families entertained for 60 years, with countless budding surgeons honing their skills on long-suffering 'Cavity Sam. Tammy Doll (1962) Tammy Doll was the 'girl next door' answer to the more glamorous Barbie doll. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad She was advertised as the 'doll you'll love to dress' but she lacked Barbie's staying power, with only three models being made, between 1962 and 1966. Clackers (1960) A child playing with clackers | Keystone/Clackers were one of the biggest crazes of the 1960s and 70s. They consisted of two acrylic balls on a piece of string which you had to make collide to produce the addictive 'clacking' noise which gave the toy its name. Sadly, the balls had an alarming tendency to 'explode', which led to clackers being banned by some schools over safety concerns. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Lite Brite (1967) This classic toy has been sparking children's creativity for nearly six decades, and remains hugely popular. Youngsters use coloured pegs to create their own glowing masterpieces - but make sure you keep track of those tiny pegs! Sindy doll (1963) Sindy, the British doll launched to rival Barbie, with her boyfriend Paul in 1967 | Getty Images Sindy was launched in 1963 to rival her US counterpart Barbie. She was the best-selling toy in the UK in 1968 and 1970 but her popularity waned, while Barbie's appeal shows little sign of diminishing. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Buckaroo (1967) Everyone has their own strategy for Buckaroo but the bucking mule remains a law unto itself. Players take turns to stack items on the long-suffering mule, trying not to cause him to kick out and eliminate them from the game. Few players have succeeded in placing all the items on the mule without it bucking, though it is possible. Nerf Blasters (1969) These toy guns, with their foam bullets, remain as popular as ever - and they've changed remarkably little since they first hit the shelves in the 60s. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad You'll want to stock up on the bullets though, as they have a habit of going missing. Battleship (1967) The simplicity of this game has made it an enduring classic. The phrase 'you sunk my battleship' has made it into almost every area of popular culture, sparking numerous memes. Action Man (1966) A young boy playing with Action Man toys in 1966 | Getty Images Action Man was the UK's answer to GI Joe and provided hours of fun for youngsters during the 60s, 70s and 80s, especially with the addition of the moving Eagle Eyes. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Spare a thought for Red Rocker and Blue Bomber, the two duelling robots who have been sparring for more than 60 years. Vin Diesel is reportedly set to star in a film based on the game, which ends in spectacular fashion with the loser's head popping up from his neck. Mouse Trap (1963) This game has one of the most satisfying conclusions - when it works. It can take ages to set up just right, but the pay-off is worth it in the end. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Tiny Tears doll (1960) Tiny Tears doll | Submitted One of the best things about dolls used to be that you don't have to change their nappies or put up with them crying. But Tiny Tears, which sheds tears after being given water from a bottle, sparked a trend for hyper-real dolls. It was marketed as being 'just like a real baby'. Hot Wheels cars (1968) Hot Wheels cars have been named by Hamleys as one of the 100 best toys ever | Getty Images These mini vehicles have been racing off the shelves since 1968, and their appeal shows no signs of slowing down. They are hugely collectable, with the most expensive vintage Hot Wheels vehicle ever having sold for a phenomenal $175,000. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Etch A Sketch (1960) You've heard of the paperless office, which never quite happened. Well, this was so nearly the solution to the paperless games room. Children could simply shake to clear the screen and get working on their latest magnetic masterpiece. No longer would parents have to put up with their kitchen and living room walls being covered with their child's artwork. Alas, it was not to be, despite the toy's enduring popularity, and the satisfaction gained from mastering the controls. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Walkie Talkies (1960) Toy walkie talkies were launched in 1960 and all these years later it's still not 'over and out', thanks to their enduring popularity. Spirograph Another toy which has been fuelling children's creativity for decades, Spirograph enables even the least artistic of children to create enchanting works of art. What do you think was the best toy of the 1960s? Let us know in the comments section.
Scotsman
2 days ago
- Entertainment
- Scotsman
some of which you'll only remember if you grew up then
This article contains affiliate links. We may earn a small commission on items purchased through this article, but that does not affect our editorial judgement. How many of these classic 1960s toys did you play with as a child? Sign up to our daily newsletter – Regular news stories and round-ups from around Scotland direct to your inbox Sign up Thank you for signing up! Did you know with a Digital Subscription to The Scotsman, you can get unlimited access to the website including our premium content, as well as benefiting from fewer ads, loyalty rewards and much more. Learn More Sorry, there seem to be some issues. Please try again later. Submitting... The top 100 toys of all time have been named by Hamleys Many of the greatest toys were born in the 1960s Some are still popular all these years later, but others have failed to pass the test of time The 100 greatest toys ever have been named, including some classic 60s playthings. Many of the toys listed in Hamleys' top 100 of all time remain hugely popular with youngsters today - having been enjoyed by generations of children before them. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad But there are some nostalgic 60s toys you will probably only remember if you grew up back then, when they were all the rage. In total, 16 toys launched during the 1960s have made the top 100 according to Hamleys. They are: Operation (1965) This test of manual dexterity has been keeping families entertained for 60 years, with countless budding surgeons honing their skills on long-suffering 'Cavity Sam. Tammy Doll (1962) Tammy Doll was the 'girl next door' answer to the more glamorous Barbie doll. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad She was advertised as the 'doll you'll love to dress' but she lacked Barbie's staying power, with only three models being made, between 1962 and 1966. Clackers (1960) A child playing with clackers | Keystone/Clackers were one of the biggest crazes of the 1960s and 70s. They consisted of two acrylic balls on a piece of string which you had to make collide to produce the addictive 'clacking' noise which gave the toy its name. Sadly, the balls had an alarming tendency to 'explode', which led to clackers being banned by some schools over safety concerns. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Lite Brite (1967) This classic toy has been sparking children's creativity for nearly six decades, and remains hugely popular. Youngsters use coloured pegs to create their own glowing masterpieces - but make sure you keep track of those tiny pegs! Sindy doll (1963) Sindy, the British doll launched to rival Barbie, with her boyfriend Paul in 1967 | Getty Images Sindy was launched in 1963 to rival her US counterpart Barbie. She was the best-selling toy in the UK in 1968 and 1970 but her popularity waned, while Barbie's appeal shows little sign of diminishing. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Buckaroo (1967) Everyone has their own strategy for Buckaroo but the bucking mule remains a law unto itself. Players take turns to stack items on the long-suffering mule, trying not to cause him to kick out and eliminate them from the game. Few players have succeeded in placing all the items on the mule without it bucking, though it is possible. Nerf Blasters (1969) These toy guns, with their foam bullets, remain as popular as ever - and they've changed remarkably little since they first hit the shelves in the 60s. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad You'll want to stock up on the bullets though, as they have a habit of going missing. Battleship (1967) The simplicity of this game has made it an enduring classic. The phrase 'you sunk my battleship' has made it into almost every area of popular culture, sparking numerous memes. Action Man (1966) A young boy playing with Action Man toys in 1966 | Getty Images Action Man was the UK's answer to GI Joe and provided hours of fun for youngsters during the 60s, 70s and 80s, especially with the addition of the moving Eagle Eyes. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Spare a thought for Red Rocker and Blue Bomber, the two duelling robots who have been sparring for more than 60 years. Vin Diesel is reportedly set to star in a film based on the game, which ends in spectacular fashion with the loser's head popping up from his neck. Mouse Trap (1963) This game has one of the most satisfying conclusions - when it works. It can take ages to set up just right, but the pay-off is worth it in the end. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Tiny Tears doll (1960) Tiny Tears doll | Submitted One of the best things about dolls used to be that you don't have to change their nappies or put up with them crying. But Tiny Tears, which sheds tears after being given water from a bottle, sparked a trend for hyper-real dolls. It was marketed as being 'just like a real baby'. Hot Wheels cars (1968) Hot Wheels cars have been named by Hamleys as one of the 100 best toys ever | Getty Images These mini vehicles have been racing off the shelves since 1968, and their appeal shows no signs of slowing down. They are hugely collectable, with the most expensive vintage Hot Wheels vehicle ever having sold for a phenomenal $175,000. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Etch A Sketch (1960) You've heard of the paperless office, which never quite happened. Well, this was so nearly the solution to the paperless games room. Children could simply shake to clear the screen and get working on their latest magnetic masterpiece. No longer would parents have to put up with their kitchen and living room walls being covered with their child's artwork. Alas, it was not to be, despite the toy's enduring popularity, and the satisfaction gained from mastering the controls. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Walkie Talkies (1960) Toy walkie talkies were launched in 1960 and all these years later it's still not 'over and out', thanks to their enduring popularity. Spirograph Another toy which has been fuelling children's creativity for decades, Spirograph enables even the least artistic of children to create enchanting works of art.
Scotsman
22-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Scotsman
9 things that didn't exist when Stranger Things began
Stranger Things is one of the biggest TV hits of the last decade. After arriving without much fanfare in the summer of 2016 it has gone on to become perhaps Netflix's signature show. The fifth and final season is set to be rolled out in three batches between Thanksgiving (late November) and the New Year. It means there will be brand new Stranger Things at Christmas time this year. Since it first debuted more than nine years ago, a lot has changed. Not least including the age of the actors - who have grown from children to adults. Ahead of the return of Stranger Things later in the year, we decided to take a look at a few of the things that didn't exist when the show originally premiered on July 15, 2016. See how different life was back then. If you love TV, check out our Screen Babble podcast to get the latest in TV and film. 1 . Nintendo Switch It might be quite unbelievable but the Nintendo Switch had not even been announced - let alone released - when Stranger Things first released in July 2016. The Switch was publicly revealed in October 2016, three months later. It has since had a full 8 year life-span and a follow-up console, in the time it has taken for Stranger Things to complete its full run on Netflix. | FREDERIC J. BROWN/AFP via Getty Images Photo: FREDERIC J. BROWN/AFP via Getty Images Photo Sales 2 . Fortnite Can you imagine a world without Fortnite? The video game is utterly inescapable even now in 2025 - but when Stranger Things first premiered in July 2016, the only fortnight you would have heard of would have been the one that means two weeks. The original version of the game was released a year after Stranger Things in July 2017 and the Battle Royale mode arrived in September of that year. |for Hamleys Photo:for Hamleys Photo Sales 3 . Disney Plus When you think of streaming services in 2025, your mind probably goes to Netflix and Disney+ first and foremost. But when Stranger Things first arrived in July 2016, the words Disney Plus would have meant nothing to you. It didn't launch in America until late 2019 and didn't come to the UK until March 2020. | PATRICK T. FALLON/AFP via Getty Images Photo: PATRICK T. FALLON/AFP via Getty Images Photo Sales 4 . TikTok Another ubiquitous part of our modern day life, TikTok had not been launched when Stranger Things first started. The app would debut in September 2016, a couple of months after viewers were first introduced to Eleven, Mike and co. Can you even remember a time before TikTok? | SEBASTIEN BOZON/AFP via Getty Images Photo: SEBASTIEN BOZON/AFP via Getty Images Photo Sales
Scotsman
22-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Scotsman
9 things that didn't exist when Stranger Things began
Stranger Things is one of the biggest TV hits of the last decade. After arriving without much fanfare in the summer of 2016 it has gone on to become perhaps Netflix's signature show. The fifth and final season is set to be rolled out in three batches between Thanksgiving (late November) and the New Year. It means there will be brand new Stranger Things at Christmas time this year. Since it first debuted more than nine years ago, a lot has changed. Not least including the age of the actors - who have grown from children to adults. Ahead of the return of Stranger Things later in the year, we decided to take a look at a few of the things that didn't exist when the show originally premiered on July 15, 2016. See how different life was back then. If you love TV, check out our Screen Babble podcast to get the latest in TV and film. 1 . Nintendo Switch It might be quite unbelievable but the Nintendo Switch had not even been announced - let alone released - when Stranger Things first released in July 2016. The Switch was publicly revealed in October 2016, three months later. It has since had a full 8 year life-span and a follow-up console, in the time it has taken for Stranger Things to complete its full run on Netflix. | FREDERIC J. BROWN/AFP via Getty Images Photo: FREDERIC J. BROWN/AFP via Getty Images Photo Sales 2 . Fortnite Can you imagine a world without Fortnite? The video game is utterly inescapable even now in 2025 - but when Stranger Things first premiered in July 2016, the only fortnight you would have heard of would have been the one that means two weeks. The original version of the game was released a year after Stranger Things in July 2017 and the Battle Royale mode arrived in September of that year. |for Hamleys Photo:for Hamleys Photo Sales 3 . Disney Plus When you think of streaming services in 2025, your mind probably goes to Netflix and Disney+ first and foremost. But when Stranger Things first arrived in July 2016, the words Disney Plus would have meant nothing to you. It didn't launch in America until late 2019 and didn't come to the UK until March 2020. | PATRICK T. FALLON/AFP via Getty Images Photo: PATRICK T. FALLON/AFP via Getty Images Photo Sales 4 . TikTok Another ubiquitous part of our modern day life, TikTok had not been launched when Stranger Things first started. The app would debut in September 2016, a couple of months after viewers were first introduced to Eleven, Mike and co. Can you even remember a time before TikTok? | SEBASTIEN BOZON/AFP via Getty Images Photo: SEBASTIEN BOZON/AFP via Getty Images Photo Sales
CNBC
16-07-2025
- Business
- CNBC
CNBC's UK Exchange newsletter: Britain was once known as a ‘nation of shopkeepers.' Now, not so much
England, Napoleon Bonaparte reputedly once said, is a nation of shopkeepers. These days, he might observe that it is more a nation of administrators, insolvency practitioners and restructuring advisors. Barely a day passes without news of another retailer going bust or closing dozens of stores. To take a handful of headlines from the last week: advisors have been appointed to salvage part of Claire's U.K., the British arm of the global accessories chain, which has 281 outlets nationwide; Hamleys, the world famous U.K. toy retailer, has closed 29 stores after shutting 40 in 2023; and Seraphine, the maternity retailer whose customers included the Princess of Wales, has stopped trading altogether. They are just the tip of the iceberg. Poundland, recently offloaded for just £1 by its Polish-listed former parent Pepco to the U.S. investment group Gordon Brothers, is widely expected to close dozens more stores on top of those already announced as its restructuring begins in earnest. Hobbycraft, the arts and crafts retailer, and the Original Factory Shop, a general retailer, are both closing scores of outlets following their acquisition by Modella Capital, the U.K. private equity firm currently in the process of buying the high street arm of WH Smith, the stationery retailer now best known for its outlets in airports around the world. Some of its branches are also likely to shut. The pain is being felt most acutely in fashion retail, reflecting increased competition from online competitors like ASOS and Shein. New Look, which has delighted generations of teenagers and 20-somethings for 55 years, is fighting for its life and earlier this year announced plans to shut 100 outlets, around a quarter of its total, when their leases expire. The even-older River Island — which dates back to 1948 and, in the swinging 1960s, rebranded itself Chelsea Girl as it rode the mini-skirt boom — has also called in advisors to help with a possible restructuring. It currently employs some 5,500 people across more than 250 stores. They follow a long line of well-known U.K. retailers to have closed their doors during the last decade or so — some still soldiering on as online-only brands — including Topshop, Dorothy Perkins, Ted Baker, Thorntons, Carpetright, Paperchase and Debenhams. Others, such as the Body Shop and Wilko, are under new owners, which tends to come with a vastly reduced store estate. The retail sector is not alone in suffering. Hospitality is also afflicted with even established names like Byron Burger, Chipotle, Frankie & Benny's and Papa John's closing sites across the U.K. The most recent casualty was Ping Pong, a popular dim sum chain, which closed for good last week after 20 years in business. There may also soon be closures at Côte, a brasserie chain which once had 100 outlets, whose private equity investors are now seeking new investment. In all, around 17,350 retail sites are expected to shut down this year, with the loss of almost 202,000 jobs, according to the Centre for Retail Research, a data provider. It estimates that, during 2024, some 13,479 stores closed, following 10,494 closures during 2023. To say the trend is accelerating is both accurate and worrying. There are several short-term reasons for this carnage and plenty of long-term ones. The most important of the former is the rise in employers' National Insurance Contributions (NICs), a payroll tax, introduced by Chancellor Rachel Reeves in April this year. However, more damaging than the increase in the rate — which rose from 13.8% to 15% — was a drop in the threshold at which it is paid from £9,100 to £5,000. That has increased the cost of employing people and, in particular, the part-time workers crucial to retail and hospitality. A number of employers have blamed it for both job losses and branch closures. Among them was Bob Wigley, co-owner of Margot, a popular restaurant in London's Covent Garden recently forced to close. Wigley, previously one of the City's best-known investment bankers, posted on LinkedIn that one of the restaurant's managers had told him: "We survived Covid but we can't survive Labour." The government told CNBC that its tax changes were "tough but necessary," and are needed to "protect working people's payslips from higher taxes," and invest in public services. The British Retail Consortium, the main industry body, has estimated that the hike in employers' NICs will cost the retail sector alone some £2.3 billion. Other near-term factors include the recent rise in the minimum wage from £11.44 ($15.38) an hour to £12.21. The age at which it kicks in was also reduced from 23 to 21 — making it more expensive to hire younger workers — while the rate for 18-20-year-olds rose from £9.60 an hour to £10. Wages have also been rising more broadly, following several years of above-average earnings growth across the economy, a result of the U.K.'s tight labor market and the rise in economic inactivity since the pandemic. But as unemployment — and with it, job insecurity — starts to rise, consumers are increasingly eating into their savings or becoming more frugal. The U.K.'s savings ratio, which spiked during the pandemic and remained high afterwards, is now falling for the first time this decade. As Clive Black, head of consumer research at the investment bank Shore Capital and one of the City's most renowned retail-watchers, put it in a recent client note: "U.K. consumers are low on confidence, fed up with broken Britain." Local councils have also pushed up parking charges and introduced so-called "low traffic neighborhoods," making high-street shopping tricky for those who rely on their cars, prompting many bigger operators —the likes of Next and Marks & Spencer — to shift to out-of-town retail parks. But there are also longer-term factors. Business rates — a tax dating back 400 years levied on the "rateable value" of most non-domestic properties such as shops, offices, pubs and warehouses — hit bricks-and-mortar retailers much harder than online retailers like Amazon, which is also blamed for sucking business away from the high street. In its election manifesto last year, the governing Labour Party promised to "level the playing field between the high street and online giants," but its solution — hitting larger properties more heavily to fund lower rates for smaller premises — has alarmed many in the sector, including supermarket multiples like Tesco, Sainsbury's and the Co-op. The government says its business rates system is designed to "protect the high street" and support investment. Regardless, the acceleration in store closures has raised fears that this is a structural downturn, rather than just cyclical. There is some evidence for this. In the past, when an established retailer was forced out of business, other operators stepped in to take its place. A good example is the U.K. arm of Woolworths, the much-loved variety store chain, whose 807 outlets closed — with the loss of 27,000 jobs — in late 2008 and early 2009 at the height of the financial crisis. New tenants were quickly found for many of these as rivals, such as B&M, stepped in to take the sites at a cheaper rent. Many of these, including the likes of Poundland, Poundstretcher and Original Factory Shop are now themselves struggling. However, more recently when a store has closed, it has remained closed, which, added to the exodus to retail parks, has left many high streets with a sense of decay. When a big retail destination closes or moves out, footfall is reduced. Accordingly, a typical British high street, which in the 1980s or 1990s boasted familiar names like Boots, Woolworths and Marks & Spencer, is more likely these days to be home to vape shops, American-style candy stores, tattoo parlors and charity shops (the latter of which benefit from significantly lower business rates). The sense that this is a structural change also reflects a shift in retail property ownership. The big U.K. commercial property players such as Land Securities and British Land, where they have exposure to the retail sector at all, will do so largely via retail parks or shopping centers. The typical high street landlord is more likely these days to be a "mom and pop" operator unable to offer tenants better terms when they run into difficulty. All of this sounds like a perfect storm, yet there is another, less frequently acknowledged factor at play: going into the 21st century, when Amazon began eating the lunch of the old bricks-and-mortar retailers, there were simply too many players. Many retailers will not countenance the idea, but perhaps what we have seen over the last quarter century is simply over-capacity being taken out of the Rachel Reeves faces mounting pressure Investors are looking for clues on how Reeves plans to fill a black hole in the budget as we approach the Autumn Budget, when next year's fiscal plans are announced. UK GDP underperforms on the month — what happens now? The U.K. economy unexpectedly shrank again in May and economists expect growth to slow in the rest of the year amid a weaker jobs market and ongoing economic uncertainty. JPMorgan CEO Jamie Dimon tells Europe 'you're losing' on competitiveness Jamie Dimon last week lamented Europe's lack of competitiveness in comparison to the U.S. and China. Listen in to see what he had to say, and how CNBC's anchors reacted to his an exodus of millionaires, businesses and workers, has London lost its spark? London has taken a bit of a battering lately. CNBC asked analysts whether the city is on downward trajectory, or just experiencing some bumps in the road. The UK's budget gap is widening and markets want to know Reeves' fix. Chancellor Rachel Reeves' Mansion House is a crucial opportunity to signal the steps she will take to inject growth back into the U.K. economy. UK economy contracts again in May, missing expectations for slight rebound. The U.K. economy unexpectedly shrank again in May, data showed Friday, failing to shake off the impact of U.S. tariffs and business uncertainty.U.K. stocks have been strong outperformers over the past week, with the FTSE 100 gaining 1.6%. The index notched a record intraday high above 9,000 points on Tuesday. London-listed companies have been boosted by the fact that the U.K. has already negotiated a trade deal with the White House, while business in the European Union remain mired in uncertainty — and under threat of 30% U.S. duties — heading into earnings season. Further support has come from a decline in sterling, which has dropped 1.5% against the U.S. dollar to $1.339 over the past week, as Bank of England Governor Andrew Bailey suggested the central bank would be more forceful with interest rate cuts if the labor market weakens. A weaker pound can be beneficial to FTSE 100 firms, a majority of which derive their revenue overseas. The gilt market has been relatively calm following its recent spell of volatility. The 10-year yield has eased to 4.62% from 4.63% over the past seven days, while the 2-year yield is down to 3.83% from 3.88%.
