Christmas Nostalgia: Gifts from Days Gone By

Below are some of the most popular and well-loved gifts of Christmases past, but looking back, it's rather difficult to understand the appeal of some of them... Just goes to show what great marketing can do for you.

Lava Lamp

You knew you'd reached the peak of maturity when you had one of these in your room! It almost felt like living in your own Nickelodeon TV show!

Nintendo 64

If you want to know JUST how awesome getting one of these for Christmas was, watch this video. With games like Super Mario 64 and The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time, it's still considered to be one of the greatest consoles of all time.

Baby Born

Because apparently, having a doll which could pee itself on demand was what every little girl in the 90's really wanted. And people think that the 'period Barbie' idea is strange....

Bop It

This frustrating, reflex-testing game was a must-have item at all your childhood sleepovers, before it was thrown across the room in frustration of course. When they came out with the 'Extreme' version, it all got a bit much for us.

Furby

Was it an owl, an alien? No one really knew, but everyone wanted one! If you think about it, this was probably a far better test of your parenting skills than Baby Born or Tamagotchi ever was, as you prayed every waking moment that it would finally stop begging for food and Go.To.Sleep!

Mr Frosty

We're pretty sure that everyone still has one of those ice moulds lying in the back of their kitchen cupboard somewhere.

Chemistry Set

What could be a more wholesome and innocent gift for your child than a box of flammable chemicals? Most of these had 12+ ratings on the box, but you ignored that because you were such a rebel! You soon got tired of it once you'd realized that just about the only fun thing you could do with it was to burn magnesium.

Mouse Trap

This game seemed like the best idea ever, but once you'd realized how long it took to set up, the rare chance of being able to set off the chain reaction soon lost its shine. Plus, if you ever lost a single, tiny part, the entire game was left totally redundant.

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So you've treated yourself to a cool remote control helicopter, and it didn't even cost that much because Gadget Inspector were having a massive sale. Awesome! Now, what are you going to do with it?

Here are five fun ways to test your skills as an RC helicopter pilot. Please note that Gadget Inspector will not be held responsible for any damage caused while attempting these challenges!

Challenge #1: Thru the Window

Open your ground floor window and your first floor window. Place your chopper on the ground floor windowsill. Standing in front of the house, attempt to fly the helicopter out of the lower window, up the face of the house, and in through the top window. Alternatively, ask the people opposite you to open their bedroom window and fly your helicopter across the street!

Challenge #2: Treetop Slalom

Find a good tree with a lots of criss-crossing branches. Fly your copter up through the branches and attempt to reach the top of the tree without bumping into any bark!

Challenge #3: Over the Water

Go to a lake or, failing that, run a bath. Fly your helicopter over the water, and see how close you can get to the surface without falling in! Can you skim your chopper across the water?

Challenge #4: Cargo Drop

This one is specifically for the Bladez Transporter. See, the transporter has an adjustable winch that can be raised and lowered in-flight. It also comes with a cargo basket - to complete this challenge, you must successfully pick up the basket using the winch, carry it across the room, and safely deliver your cargo without dropping it.

Challenge #5: The Floor is Made of Lava

Clear a space in your living room. Dot some cushions around the floor (or anything that could serve as a 'landing pad'). The floor is now made of lava - you must successfully pilot your helicopter from one side of the room to the other, landing on each cushion in turn without ever touching the floor itself.