Castle Grayskull, the Ewok Village, Sega Genesis, Super NES, and anything Batman or Spider-Man - as a child of the mid-'80s, I was fortunate to be the youngest of five during a golden age of action figures and video games. The undercarriage of my family’s Christmas tree swelled with 3 3/4-inch blister-packaged action figures, giant plastic playsets and gaming consoles wrapped up in brightly-colored paper. As much as I loved the VHS tapes and Isaac Asimov books mixed in, the toys were where it was at.
Not much has changed in the ensuing years. Although the gifts we receive over the holidays can be useful or sentimental, nothing quite beats the feeling of getting a goodie with the sole intent of eliciting childlike joy. All you need do is unwrap it and play. With that in mind, we dedicate our next gift guide to toys. Whether your recipient chooses to display them as collectibles, or (like me) pop them out of the packaging and unhinge the imagination, these are gifts to for Play Time.
There are still more guides coming, including collectible replicas with our Live It Up suggestions. And after checking out the Play Time Gift Guide, don’t miss these other 2014 Gift Guide collections:
Gateway Nerd Gift Guide: Gifts to introduce fledgling fans to the stories you love
Get Creative Gift Guide: Fresh finds for fans of Star Wars, Harry Potter, Lord of the Rings
Game On Gift Guide: Power up with gifts of Halo, Walking Dead, Lord of the Rings, Adventure Time
Live It Up Gift Guide: Geek lifestyle gifts from Firefly, Hellboy, The Hobbit, Star Trek, and more
Make Your Inbox Important
Get our newsletter and you’ll be delivered the most interesting stories, videos and interviews weekly.
