From Toy Story to Polly Pocket
Pages taken from an Argos catalogue printed in the late 90s are bound to stir some memories for a generation of children. It may be hard to believe, but it’s been 25 years since 1999 – and as the year draws to an end, it will soon be 25 years since the millennium.
For context, 1999 was the year film The Iron Giant hit cinemas, Ricky Martin released hit song Livin’ la Vida Loca and panel show Loose Women first came to our TV screens. So much has changed in the last quarter of a century, from toy trends to how we shop.
And before online shopping, generations of children of the time will remember sitting cross legged on the floor browsing the Argos catalogue for the latest toys. The first high-street Argos store opened on the A28 in Canterbury in July 1973 and through the decades, it has been a staple part of many childhoods on Merseyside and beyond.
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The new concept of browsing a catalogue in-store for items that were then quickly retrieved from a backroom warehouse was an instant hit with customers. Generations have sat and folded page corners or circled our desired item from an Argos catalogue with a mini blue pen.
But in 2020, Argos made the decision to scrap the iconic printed catalogue after 47 years. We previously shared a digitised copy of part of the first Argos catalogue in the 70s and more recently, an Argos catalogue the following decade in the 80s.
But as Christmas edges closer, we’ve rediscovered pages from a 1999 Argos catalogue that will remind you of childhood. The scanned in pages, courtesy of Argos and Retromash, reveal just how much our lives and habits have changed in the last 25 years.
On one page, the catalogue offerings included Polly Pocket toys, as well as brands like Animal Hospital, Pets To Go! and Fluffy Surprise. At the time, a number of Polly Pocket toys advertised for under £5.
On the page, children could browse and ask parents to buy them the Cool Camera or Mobile Phone for £4.55 each, whereas the Pony School cost £5.99 and the CD player cost £6.50. The most expensive Polly Pocket toy on the Argos page was the Magical Moving Fairyland, which cost £24.25.
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On another page featured, you can see more popular toys of the time from Barbie, Gina’s World and the Disney Tiny Collection. So many of the toys stand out on the colourful page to entice children of the time – and many will remember owning some of the items here.
When it comes to Barbie, the cheapest toy featured on the Argos catalogue page is the Barbie 6-Fashion Pack for £6.99, followed by the Barbie Colouring Case for £8.99. The most expensive toy in this section is the Barbie and Horse Gift set for £29.99.
As for Gina’s World, you could get the Girl’s Dressing Up Box for £19.99 and in the Disney Tiny Collection, a Cinderella Castle for £26.95. A third page from the catalogue offered Toy Story, A Bug’s Life and Action Man toys.
Huge Disney Pixar films of the time, many will remember when Toy Story and A Bug’s Life first hit cinemas. At the time, you could get a Talking Wood and Talking Buzz Lightyear for £15.99 each.
The cheapest Toy Story items were the bean toys for £4.95 of figures such as Rex and Hamm. As for A Bug’s Life, you could buy a back pack for £4.99.
When it comes to Action Man, numerous figures were up for grabs, ranging from £5.75 to £17.99. It’s now been years since we got our hands on a physical Argos catalogue, but they certainly haven’t been forgotten.
