23 tech toys you wanted for Christmas but never got

Christmas is a time for giving. It’s also a time for receiving which, to be perfectly frank, is the best part.

But we’ve all had those moments when we rip open the wrapping paper and discover that Santa didn’t quite deliver the electronic wizardry we’d been nagging our parents for. Whether we grew up in the 70s, 80s, 90s or noughties there have been wonderful, gadgety toys advertised for months before Christmas that just eluded us at the last minute.

It might have been because it was sold out before your mum or dad got to the store. Or it might just have been too darn expensive.

• Best Christmas films and TV shows to watch on Netflix, Amazon and Now TV in the UK
• Best geek Christmas jumpers: Star Wars, Sonic, Game of Thrones, Captain America and more
• John Lewis Christmas adverts over the years: Including amazing 2016 #BusterTheBoxer commercial

Whatever the reason, you looked on jealously as the popular kid at school boasted loudly about getting what you wanted. We know, we feel your pain too.

So in a virtual group session of shared painful memories, here are a whole bunch of tech toys from the last 40 to 50 years that just slipped our grasp on Christmas morning. Just click through the gallery above to see some real crackers.

The best news is that, as adults, you can track them down, buy them second hand or even new in some cases and covet them afresh. While you do, just think where the popular school kid is now and revel in the fact that they probably work in a sewage plant or something. Ha ha ha. In your face Billy Roberts.

Ahem.