Dump truck (Tonka): How many impressionable and innocent young boys played with their yellow toy dump truck in the sandpit and wondered what it would be like to work in a real construction site one day. If we were a bit older, of course, we'd have realised that it basically involves getting filthy dirty, drinking large amounts of tea and hurling obscenities at passing women, but thankfully we didn't know that then.

James Bond Aston Martin (Corgi): This toy car, brought out in 1969, is the vehicle which Corgi says "every wannabe spy wanted", and became the best-selling Corgi toy ever. Its original price was 9s 11d, and it featured an ejector seat, flick-out outriders, and flip-up roof. The ultimate in cool for the kids of the sixties generation.

He-Man (Mattel): Back in the pre-computer days when (perhaps worryingly) small boys were interested in playing with figurines of muscle-men, He-Man was the ultimate toy. 'The most powerful man in the universe,' as he was known, was a massive hit on 1980s telly, and kids everywhere wanted the figurine. Mattel later invented She-Ra toys to appeal to the girls, but it never caught on.

Barbie and Ken (Mattel): Instead of the muscle and brawn of characters like She-Ra, most young girls stayed faithful to the (literally) plastic good looks and old-fashioned, feminine glamour of Barbie, launched initially in 1959 and one of the all-time best-selling girls toys. She was in 1961 joined by her boyfriend, Ken, who also became a hit. The characters were the invention of the American businesswoman Ruth Handler, whose children were called Barbara and Kenneth. Despite the sixties revolution, the rather traditional-looking Barbie remained an all-time classic.

Transformers: Robots in Disguise (Hasbro): The ultimate all-boys toy, Transformers emerged in the US in 1984. The coolest thing, clearly, was the ability to shift every toy's parts around so that what seemed like a simple car, or animal, turned into a robot.

Scalextric (Hornby): Every boy's must-have racing car set first appeared in 1959 - and quickly became the scourge of solid marriages everywhere as dads got as hooked as their kids. As well as pretty much all types of car, later vehicles also featured go-karts, pick-up tricks and even horses. Scalextric was initially produced by an independent company, but was taken over by Hornby.

Subbuteo (Hasbro): What young footy enthusiast could do without his Subbuteo? Produced in its most primitive form in 1946, the flicking soccer game really took off in the 1970s when heavier, better-built players emerged and painted national teams cropped up in the '80s. Suddenly, Crystal Palace were able to play the Brazilian national team... and even win.

Train set (Hornby): For the slightly geekier kid (and the even-more geeky adult), the Hornby railway set, first brought out in 1938, was a must-have. As well as tonnes of trains, the company even brought out a special book of trains in the 1960s to accompany them. Preparation at an early age, perhaps, for a future life as a trainspotter.

Micro machines (Hasbro): Truly the coolest toys around. Micro Machines were originally brought out in the mid-1980s by a company called Galoob, which was bought by the giant Hasbro. Tiny, brilliantly built little vehicles. Initially brought out as trucks and cars, but later tanks, helicopters, motorcycles, and even military tanks emerged.

Lego toys (Lego): Lego was first developed in Denmark in the 1930s, and - along with tiny figurines with their ever-so-slightly freaky beady eyes - were building blocks with which you could build basically anything. Since it launched its plastic bricks, the Lego Group has released thousands of play sets themed around a variety of topics, and has sold billions of kits to kids everywhere. The brand has been immortalised in the UK at Lego Land, Windsor.

Times Recommends

• Minister in talks with Saudis to protect creditors
• Premier Inn hits back in £29-a-room row
• Bankers hit back at 'populist' bonus supertax