 Breakout year: 2010
 Breakout year sales (units): unknown

0Squinkies landed on store shelves in August 2010, but sold out at Target by the end of the first week and now stores are limiting the number of Squinkies a person can snap up. Like many toy fads that have done well during previous holiday seasons, Squinkies are small, cheap and collectible. The toys—tiny animals and dolls that come packaged in plastic bubbles and are packaged in groups of 16—retail for just $10, but with 300 characters available, amassing a complete collection becomes an expensive proposition. “They hit the sweet spot for what’s hot in girls these days,” toy analyst Gerrick Johnson told The New York Times.

Most Popular Christmas Toys, from Cabbage Patch Kids to Rubik’s Cube

The Daily Beast combed the records of Christmases past for a look at the top-selling toy crazes over the last three decades.

12.13.12 3:00 PM ET