1950s Retro Gifts: Toys, Records And Party Kit

Tin toys, rock and roll on 78s and 45s, and a party built around a trifle and a wireless.

Someone turning 70 to 80 now grew up in this decade. This is the buying guide: what is worth getting, what is only worth getting if it is the real one, and how to put it all in a box without spending a fortune.

Straight answer first: we don't sell retro toys or records. We draw and print cards, art prints, pin badges and stickers in the UK, and we stock party decorations. Everything else below is advice on where the genuine items come from.

Years covered in the 1950s

• 1950 - Petrol came off the ration, the Festival of Britain was being built and there was no chart yet. Full year: /blogs/news/look-back-to-1950
• 1951 - The Festival of Britain, a Conservative return and still no singles chart. Full year: /blogs/news/look-back-to-1951
• 1952 - A new Queen, the Great Smog and the first ever singles chart in November. Full year: /blogs/news/look-back-to-1952
• 1953 - The coronation, Everest, the Matthews final and sweets off the ration. Full year: /blogs/news/look-back-to-1953
• 1954 - Rationing finally ended and Roger Bannister ran a mile in under four minutes. Full year: /blogs/news/look-back-to-1954
• 1955 - ITV launched, rock and roll arrived and Britain got its first television adverts. Full year: /blogs/news/look-back-to-1955
• 1956 - Suez, Elvis arriving in the chart and the start of skiffle. Full year: /blogs/news/look-back-to-1956
• 1957 - You've never had it so good, the Munich disaster still to come and skiffle everywhere. Full year: /blogs/news/look-back-to-1957
• 1958 - Munich, the first motorway and Cliff Richard's 'Move It'. Full year: /blogs/news/look-back-to-1958
• 1959 - The Mini, the M1 and the last year before the sixties. Full year: /blogs/news/look-back-to-1959
• That is every 1950s year we have written up so far: 1950 to 1959.

Best 1950s retro toys

• Tin plate clockwork toys - cars, buses and robots, usually marked Made in England or Made in Japan. The paint is the value; the key rarely survives.
• Dinky and Corgi die-cast cars. Corgi arrives in 1956, so anything Corgi is second half of the decade.
• Meccano sets, Bayko building sets and Hornby Dublo trains.
• Wooden and hard plastic dolls, prams and dolls' houses.
• Yo-yos, whip and top, marbles, hoops and skipping ropes - most 50s childhood play cost nothing.
• Sooty glove puppets after 1952 and Muffin the Mule merchandise.

1950s records worth buying

• 78rpm shellac discs run through most of the decade, so check what their record player will actually take before buying.
• 7 inch 45s arrive in Britain in 1952 and take over by the end of the decade - the safer format to buy.
• Rock and roll: Bill Haley, Elvis Presley, Little Richard, Buddy Holly.
• British: Lonnie Donegan and skiffle, Cliff Richard from 1958, Tommy Steele.
• Crooners and dance bands for the earlier half - Frankie Laine, Guy Mitchell, Doris Day.
• Shellac is brittle and heavy. If it is going in the post, pay for proper record packaging or buy a reissue instead.

1950s party kit

• Colours: cream, red, pale blue and a checked tablecloth.
• Food: sandwiches cut small, sausage rolls, a trifle, a Victoria sponge, bottled pop.
• Music: skiffle and early rock and roll, kept to pre-1960.
• Props: a radiogram or radio in the corner, bunting, a stack of old Radio Times.
• Games: parlour games, musical chairs, charades and a quiz round.

Build a 1950s hamper

• Sherbet fountains, flying saucers, aniseed balls and Black Jacks - mostly still made.
• A print or card naming their birth year.
• A printed look back page for the year they turned eighteen.
• A pack of playing cards for whist or cribbage.

How to buy retro without being ripped off

• Boxed doubles or triples the price. Unless they collect, buy loose and spend the difference on something else.
• Reissues are fine for toys and games. They are not fine for records - the whole point is the pressing they owned.
• Charity shops, car boots and eBay beat any retro gift website for genuine items, and the search is half the present.
• Check the year, not the decade. A lot of what people file under one decade actually arrived in the next.
• Pair one proper item with three cheap nostalgic bits. The cheap bits get the reaction; the one proper item gets kept.

Shop prints and posters

Milestone birthday cards

Blank inside, kraft envelope, printed in the UK.

Decorations for a decade party

Banners, balloons, cake toppers and confetti, plain enough to take any era theme.

Pin badges and stickers

Cheap, small and genuinely kept - good hamper filler and party favours.

How to write it so it lands

• Buy for the year they turned eighteen, not the year they were born.
• One real item plus three cheap nostalgic bits makes a better hamper than one expensive present.
• Print the look back page for their year and put it in the box - it costs nothing and people read it all night.

Where to shop next

• Look back to 1950
• Look back to 1951
• Look back to 1952
• Look back to 1953
• Look back to 1954
• Look back to 1955
• Look back to 1956
• Look back to 1957
• Look back to 1958
• Look back to 1959
• 1950s party playlist
• 1950s trivia: fun facts
• 1950s calendar: year by year
• 1950s fashion: clothes, hair and accessories
• 1950s shopping guide: clothes, books, music and tech
• Decade shopping guides by era
• Decade fashion guides by era
• 1950s holidays and travel
• Decade travel guides by era
• 1960s retro gift guide
• 1970s retro gift guide
• 1980s retro gift guide
• 1990s retro gift guide
• 2000s retro gift guide
• Wartime and 1950s party games
• Look back to the 1950s
• Sweets that disappeared
• Card games your nan taught you
• Nostalgia birthday party by decade
• Nostalgia hamper and gift ideas
• Reminiscence gifts for grandparents
• Retro party playlist by decade
• Guess the year quiz
• Nostalgia gift shop
• Retro party supplies
• Milestone birthday cards
• Posters and prints
• Enamel pin badges
• Party supplies
• Shop birthday cards
• Planning the party? Birthday party ideas
• How to make a balloon arch
• Photo booth prop ideas
• Birthday cards for kids
• Pin badges
• All guides

Frequently asked questions

What toys did children have in the 1950s?

Tin plate clockwork toys, Dinky and later Corgi cars, Meccano, Hornby trains, dolls and prams, plus street games with marbles, tops and skipping ropes. Most 50s play cost nothing at all.

Can you still play 1950s records?

Only if the player handles 78rpm, which most modern decks do not. Records from 1952 onwards are increasingly 7 inch 45s, which any normal turntable will play.

Do you sell 1950s toys or records?

No. We make greeting cards, art prints, pin badges and stickers, and we stock party decorations. For the toys and records, charity shops, car boots, eBay and independent record shops are the honest answer.

How do I pick the right decade for a birthday?

Work from the year they turned thirteen to the year they turned twenty-five, not the year they were born. That window is the one they actually remember.