25 classic sports toys that are blasts from the past

Ah, the Nerf Turbo, helping kids feel like NFL quarterbacks since 1989. A terrific toy for developing perfect spiral passes and recreating your favorite football moments... until your dog (or the neighbor's) got hold of it and turned it into so many foam bits.

For every Gen-X or Gen-Y kid who wanted to be 'Nique, Spud, or, of course, MJ, the Jordan Jammer allowed one to live out their own Dunk Contest fantasy. Many a tomahawk jam was laid down in driveways across suburban America with these '80s gems.

Before the emergence of 'Madden', electric football was king. Created in 1947, millions of games were sold, which featured player figurines that could move up and down the field thanks to a motor that vibrated within. Despite the NFL withdrawing its license in 2007, a dedicated following still avidly pursues the game, which even has its own Miniature Football Coaches Association.

Strat-o-matic: proving 20-sided die aren't just for Dungeons and Dragons players. These simulation games, which date back to the 1960s, offers players a chance to play out their favorite sports using statistical models and offering player abilities that mirror real-life counterparts. Of course, it's pretty much made for baseball.

The brainchild of former Bengals punter Pat McInally (the only NFL player ever to score a perfect 50 on the Wonderlic test), Starting Lineups offered young fans the ability to take their favorite athletes with them anywhere. The prohibitive cost of licensing ultimately did away with them in 2000.

The first company to feature action figures of the then-WWF, LJN first produced its Wrestling Superstars line in the mid-1980s. Wrestling fans loved the attention to detail, with legends like Andre the Giant, Hulk Hogan and 'Rowdy' Roddy Piper getting the rubber and paint treatment, along with a biography card and poster that came with each figure.

Powered by a single 9-volt rechargeable battery, Mattel Classic Football offered users the chance for challenging football action... in the form of dodging electronic LED blips while marching one's own dot down field. Primitive by today's standards, Classic Football was widely popular, and a precursor to handheld entertainment systems.

Widely popular in the '80s, lawn darts (or jarts) were a fun lawn game that saw players square off 1-on-1 or teams of two to attempt to land the metal- or plastic-tipped darts in a target. However, after a young girl's tragic death in 1987, the girl's father campaigned to get the toys banned in the U.S., actually the second time such a ban had been put into effect due to their potential danger.

Perennial playground favorites, though maybe not for the less athletically inclined, both kickball and dodgeball employed the classic red inflatable rubber ball, with the former game combining baseball and soccer, and the latter the ever-present desire to not catch a ball to the side of the head.

One couldn't watch Nickelodeon during the '80s and early '90s without seeing a Skip-It commercial every 15 minutes. A virtual copy of the earlier Lemon Twist toy, Skip-It essentially enticed kids into exercising, and on more than one occasion, took another playground denizen's legs out from under them as they ran by unaware.

Another toy that seems fit for a modern-day revival for nostalgic Gen-X or Gen-Y types looking for an exercise aid, Pogo Ball had kids bouncing up and down the block with its simple, albeit brilliant design. True masters, however, could hop up and down stairs or jump rope.

A hardwood tabletop version of hockey, Nok Hockey tested players' skills at scoring goals by, well, knocking the puck into the goal, usually by banking it off the walls or corners using a wooden paddle shaped like a hockey stick.

Conceived as an improvement to the classic flying disc (more commonly known as the Frisbee), the Aerobie's ring shape allowed for much farther tosses; indeed, it set records for 'longest throw of an object without any velocity-aiding feature'. For non-power throwers, though, the Aerobie allowed for awesome forearm-thrusting catches, preferably while diving in mid-air.

Recreating pro wrestling matches with action figures was fun, but lacked a certain visceral thrill. Wrestling with your siblings or friends was great, but likely got shut down by worrying parents. Enter Wrestling Buddies, which allowed young fans soft plush recreations of their favorite wrestlers that could withstand tons of elbow-dropping, body-slamming abuse.

A backyard favorite since 1961, the Slip'N Slide's brilliant design featured a long strip of plastic connected to a garden hose, with small perforations allowing the water to get the strip nice and slippery. Enterprising types combined multiple Slip'N Slides to create deluxe versions.

Well before video fighting games came about, Rock 'Em Sock 'Em Robots satiated players' bloodlust by letting them duke it out with the 'Red Rocker' and 'Blue Bomber'. First robot to catch a fist to the chin at the right angle would have its head pop up.

Wiffle ball's perforated plastic ball might seem a lightweight, safer version of baseball, but make no mistake: Serious wiffle ball players have their own annual World Series, and even build parks to accommodate their sport.

For those who couldn't get enough hoop in the driveway or at the park, the Nerf door hoop was perfect to practice one's jumpshot or prep for a dunk contest indoors.

Great for kids just learning to catch a ball, the Velcro catch and throw featured paddles or mitts lined with Velcro and a ball that was appropriately stickable, and could work even when wet.

Terrific for hand-eye coordination development, Let's Go Fishing featured little fish whose mouths opened and closed with the battery-powered movement in the 'pond', with little magnets within. Players would use 'fishing rods' and attempted to connect with the magnets and catch as many fish as possible, while learning the most necessary element required of fishing: patience.

Popular while tailgating or on one's lawn, cornhole's rules are simple. Four bags (filled with a pound of corn), two platforms, aim for the hole. A bag in the hole equals three points, and a bag on the platform equals one, with the ability to knock your opponent's off the bag being a nice bonus. Uncomplicated, timeless, and a great way to while away the time before kickoff.

Great for the pool or the park, the Nerf Vortex let would-be quarterbacks sling the ball a great distance, and was considerably more durable than its counterpart, the Turbo. Getting it to whistle was the mark of a true pro.

These inflatable, comically oversized gloves allowed would-be pugilists the opportunity to wallop one another with abandon without the possibility for serious harm.

The only toy on this list that's generated over a billion dollars in revenue, the Super Soaker became the gold standard for water guns with its manually-pressurized air system that allowed for greater range than the old toy store water pistols that preceded it.

Somewhat like a cross between lacrosse and jai alai, though largely without the potential for serious harm, Trac-Ball possessed the same ability to launch a ball with its special racket. Games could get pretty intense still, and the uninitiated could often find themselves on the receiving end of a wicked, high-velocity curveball.