7 stocking fillers you'll remember if you grew up in the 70s or 80s - including one many parents regretted

• What do you remember getting in your Christmas stocking?
• These budget-friendly gifts were among the most popular stocking fillers of the 70s and 80s
• They include a classic game, a nostalgic sweet treat and one present many parents soon regretted buying

There were some things on every child’s Christmas wish list during the 70s and 80s, from Sindy dolls to Spirograph, and My Little Pony to Cabbage Patch Kids.

But while those were the big-ticket gifts youngsters dreamed of receiving, the more budget-friendly toys bought as stocking fillers often provided just as much joy.

Below are some of the most popular stocking fillers of the 70s and 80s, besides the obligatory orange, nuts and chocolate coins, that children woke up to on Christmas Day.

How many of these do you remember?

Weebles

These little egg-shaped people were among the most coveted toys of the 70s.

While a full set might have been a main present for a younger child, you could buy them cheaper individually, making them a handy stocking filler.

Weebles, which were initially made by Playskool, are specially weighted so they will wobble but not fall over.

As the famous slogan stated: “Weebles wobble, but they don't fall down.”

Sugar mice

Whatever happened to sugar mice?

They used to be one of the most popular sweets, and for many families they were an essential stocking filler.

They traditionally came in two colours, white and pink, with a boiled fondant body and a cotton tail.

Some children adored them, but others found them sickeningly sweet.

You can still buy sugar mice, but they are less common today due to changing tastes and growing awareness about the harmful effects of sugar.

Top of the Pops annual

Top of the Pops was essential viewing during the late 70s and early 80s, with up to 19 million people tuning in each week.

The long-running music show was essential viewing if you wanted to keep up with the latest hits.

The annuals, featuring interviews with some of the biggest stars of the time, from the Osmonds to Elton John, plus full-page posters to pin on your wall, were popular stocking fillers.

Other popular annuals in the 70s and 80s included The Beano and The Dandy, and Jackie.

Silly Putty

Silly Putty first became a global sensation in the 1960s, with children everywhere mesmerised by its seemingly magical qualities, and it remained one of the most popular toys in the 70s and 80s.

You could bounce it, stretch it and fold it, but the most entertaining use was probably lifting pictures from newspapers and then stretching the putty to distort the image into amusing shapes.

The pink putty was housed in a snap-shut egg-shaped container, and it was relatively cheap, making it a common stocking filler.

Bang snaps

Not all parents were fans of these mini explosives, which children would often throw on the ground to startle passing strangers.

But bang snaps, also known as fun snaps, were very popular with children in the 70s and 80s.

The tiny bangers, wrapped in a paper twist, even featured in one of the best-loved films of the 80s, The Goonies, in which they are used by Data as booby traps.

Hot Wheels car

Hot Wheels burst onto the scene in 1968 as the exciting, upstart rival to Matchbox cars.

The bright colours and turbocharged designs - epitomised by the flame logo - were in stark contrast to Matchbox’s more conservative stylings, and they became one of the must-have toys of the 70s and 80s.

Hot Wheels vehicles were also modestly priced, making them a popular addition to stockings at Christmas.

Marbles

The click-clack of marbles echoed around playgrounds across the UK during the 70s and 80s, as the classic game enjoyed a renaissance.

Marbles was one of the biggest and most enduring crazes of that generation.

Every school had its own set of rules, it seems, but in most cases the winner would get to keep the loser’s marbles.

Some children preferred not to play and simply to trade their marbles, with the biggest and rarest being the most valuable.

It might not seem like the most exciting gift to children today, but most youngsters in the 70s and 80s would have been thrilled to find a bag of marbles in their stocking.

If you enjoyed this trip down memory lane, you might like this look back at things many people owned in the 70s and 80s that are today worth a small fortune.