Expensive Nonsense For Kids in the 2010s Quiz

Answer: L.O.L. Surprise

These things are weird to me. There are several lines of L.O.L. Surprise dolls, most of which are packaged in plastic orbs but some of which are concealed in 'fizz', which is essentially a bath-bomb-like covering which you are by no means advised to use in a bathtub as per MGA.

The dolls have enlarged heads (like Bratz) but most are stylized as babies and come with their own accessories (like purses, shoes, cell phones, stickers, etc.). They are usually purchased individually but also come in larger sets. During 2017, many bought these in bulk in advance for Christmas; they were one of the hottest toys of the year.

Answer: Shopkins

Shopkins are small-- no larger than the size of a U.S. quarter-- but there's a certain joy to collecting them all that has been perfected by a generation of "Pokemon" players and previous similar products (like I mentioned, Crazy Bones come to mind as small, plastic nic-nacs).

The catch is that Shopkins, appearing in a bunch of styles, colours, and generations of their own, are all themed around items you could typically buy in a grocery store. In additions to the Shopkins themselves, the brand also has collectible cards and a movie/webseries following some of the toys.

Answer: Rainbow Loom

While Rainbow Loom was created decades earlier, it wasn't heavily marketed until the 2010s when it was finally packaged and sold (poorly) in stores. As the decade wore on, however, it was found to be a hit in craft and educational stores, and by 2013 it had become a leading toy for Christmas, selling millions upon millions of units and flying from store shelves until fading away again.

The Rainbow Loom is used by looping small, plastic bands around the tines on the device. Instructions guide the user to make bracelets and other accessories, but it's also possible to craft more elaborate items with it.

Answer: LEGO

While LEGO Minifigures have, to an extent, been around since the early 1970s, the Minifigures line is a lot newer and, closer to the other end of the decade, built into a collectible line in which buyers can purchase figures at random to see what they can get.

The line is divided into several series, and every year of the 2010s, three new series were released, each with their own new figures. Sets themed around Harry Potter, the "LEGO" movie franchises, "The Simpsons", and Disney have been released over the years.

Answer: Hatchimals

Hatchimals somewhat defeats the unboxing thing by forcing children to hatch their toy from a large egg. When the egg starts glowing, the hatching process starts, though it can't be performed without the egg being held for up to a half hour. Eventually, the top half of the egg can be removed and the robotic toy can be plucked from within. Each Hatchimal in the line has a unique method of hatching, so the collectible aspect is still there, and like the Furby of yesteryear, it can repeat what you say to it if used properly.

Answer: Pie Face

With a name as vapid as Pie Face, you can expect nothing more than pie in the face. This game somehow (against all my wisdom) managed to ride a wave of popularity through Christmas 2016, becoming one of the top-selling family games of the year despite having next to no premise other than "you could get pie in the face". Players stick their heads (one at a time) through a mask and take the risk of triggering an arm that flips whipped cream into their face (No-- not pie. Unless you want pie.) It was popular enough that licensed versions of Pie Face started appearing (Minions Pie Face...the bane of my existence) and it was quickly followed by the battle game Pie Face Showdown.

This is my least favourite toy in the quiz, and I don't feel bad saying that.

Answer: Webkinz

While all of the other options moved onto life support or disappeared entirely (RIP "Club Penguin" community), Webkinz, which actually started back in 2005, flourished in the 2010s as it expanded product lines and reworked their online component to better appeal to younger children with computers.

When you purchase a Webkin(z?) it comes with an online code which, when you pop it into their website, allows you to play online with your new friend. When the 2010s came around, players on the online portion of the business were also granted more access; originally, players had to buy a new Webkin(z?) every year to be able to join in.

The whole thing has had some people up in arms about provoking children to become addicted to online gaming, but as a former Neopets player in the early-to-mid-2000s, I can assure that those alleged addictions just filter into something like frequent video game purchases and online trivia habits. Nothing bad.

Answer: Slime

Weirdly-- yeah-- slime came back 'in style' in 2017/2018, and while variations of it cropped up over the years (Floam, for instance, and PlayFoam), it never really hit it too big, at least nothing like the initial Slime in the 1970s, originally sold in a small trash can and made of PVA glue and guar. With the advent of viral videos, the trend actually proved to be more popular online than anywhere since people could develop their own DIY recipes for slime at home.

Despite this, different slime brands continued to sell in stores.

Answer: Fidget spinner

The popularity of the fidget spinner (and the fidget cube...and the fidget pen...and on and on) seemed to peak in 2017. These inexpensive-to-make, but marked-up-to-kill 'toys' became super popular for a short amount of time and because of the immediacy of the fad, they were horribly distracting in all venues. Numerous schools banned them internationally, and the media quickly turned out reports that fidget spinners were great for everything from stress relief to brain focus.

The truth was, no studies confirmed that fidget spinners were good for children with behavioural or learning disabilities as was originally claimed. Within a year, the millions of knock-off spinners became commonplace bargain items that anyone could find in a convenience store.

Answer: Fingerlings

Fingerlings had a brief spate of popularity in 2017 as they were the perfect, little novelties for stockings and they seemed to have all the marketing going right for them. Appearing as monkeys, unicorns, and all manner of creatures in between, the Fingerling could be slid over a finger and it would react differently to different activities by making noises, moving around a bit, and doing little else.

They might as well be less-retentive finger-Furbies. But yeah-- most popular Christmas toy of 2017. Come and get 'em.