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Monster In My Pocket was a series of small collectible plastic monsters first released by Matchbox in 1990, so it’s possible that if you were born during the 1980’s you will remember them. The reason I’m writing about them today is because I was reminded of them after seeing an advert on TV the other night for something incredibly similar - unfortunately I didn’t catch the name of these new ones, but it appears as though Monster In My Pockets are still available now as well.
Originally the monsters were made from a rubbery kind of plastic and were available in bright primary colours, a single colour for the entire monster. Later editions added painted details or glow in the dark plastic, and the most recent editions are actually quite intricately painted. They were generally bought in packs of four, although there were special edition ones that were made available in packs of breakfast cereals. The idea behind them was that they could be used as a kind of Top Trumps style game - or at least I think that was the idea. Each monster had a number moulded on it’s back or underside which was it’s point total. I presume that you were supposed to use them to battle with your friends, but I’m not sure of the exact rules.
The Monster In My Pocket series was available in both the US and Europe, but it seemed to have more success initially in the UK and Europe than America. They also courted controversy in the UK by the fact that several of the so called monsters were actually Hindu deities, which obviously was deemed to be quite offensive to the people of this religion. The Hindu Gods Kali, Ganesha and Hanuman were all removed from the line up in the UK, although Yama, god of death, wasn’t for some reason.
During the 1980’s, the one and only true doll for boys was Action Man (or G.I. Joe in the US, which was the American version). Somehow calling it a doll doesn’t quite seem right, but I’m not sure what other words you could use to describe it other than “action figure”, but this always conjures up images of 
It seems to me that a lot of toy companies are a bit lazy when it comes to designing girls toys, especially when it comes to action figures. I would argue that those aimed primarily at boys tend to have more variation in the design of each individual toy in the range, whilst girls toys seem to be the same basic character produced in a range of different colours, as evidenced by toys such as 
Cabbage Patch Kids burst on to the scene in 1983, and whilst not at the height of popularity they were then are still available today. They were the brainchild of American artist Xavier Roberts, who initially created hand stitched dolls that he sold at craft fairs. They were discovered by US toy firm Coleco and soon became a must have Christmas gift. In fact, Cabbage Patch Kids were probably one of the first toys to kick-start todays pester power tactics, where parents feel they have to buy their little cherubs whatever they desire for Christmas, no matter what.
The Care Bears were one of the most popular girls toys of the 1980’s. They went on to spawn the inevitable cartoon and even three films, but in toy form they were available in two different forms, plush teddy bears that were around 10″ high, and smaller plastic poseable action figures around 4″ high. However, they were initially devised for use on greetings cards back in 1981, with the toys, made by Kenner, not appearing until 1983.
One of the biggest legacies of the original Star Wars trilogy will always be the way it changed the way in which film and TV related merchandising was considered. Obviously toys, books, games, lunchboxes and the like were tied in with films long before Star Wars came along, but the sheer range of merchandise branded with the Star Wars logo eclipsed anything that had come before.