The presents children in South Shields wanted for Christmas in the 1960s

But which presents would have been in his sack of toys for the children of South Tyneside in the 1960s?

Let’s take a look.

Barbie was a 60s hit and she had a new friend in 1961 when Ken doll arrived on the scene.

As the decade progressed, anything to do with moon landings was in huge demand. The race to be first on the moon led to toys galore appearing throughout the decade.

If you had young DIY fans in your household, chances are they wanted a Meccano engineering set. Thankfully, Binns in South Shields had them if you had 13 and 3 in your piggy bank in 1964.

Train sets for 57/6

Lots of children loved a train set at Christmas and a Triang electric set would keep them busy for hours. They cost from 57/6 to £7/3/6 back in the day.

Some of you might remember the little battery operated record players you could buy. They were called Play-A-Disc and Binns had them from £6/19/6.

What could be better for a 1964 Christmas present than the latest Beatles LP.

It was on sale at Saville Brothers in King Street for 32 shillings in 1964 and it was packed with classics such as Eight Days A Week, Honey Don’t and Everybody’s Trying To Be My Baby.

Children’s slippers were always a must-have gift and Riddicks in King Street had them for 7/11.

Chatty Cathy – the must have for Christmas

Other 60s gifts which were making a hole in the pockets of parents that decade included Chatty Cathy, Etch-A-Sketch and Twister.

Sometimes, though, you just had to concentrate on something sensible from your family budget.

Two years earlier, people’s thoughts were on getting through one of the coldest winters on record in 1962.

The Arctic freeze was showing no signs of easing off, but at least you could chill in bed with the latest covers from the Binns bedding department on the second floor.

If you could bear the cold, you could treat your little ones to a trip to the Gaumont to see Big Red featuring Walter Pidgeon.

Were you a child of the 60s and which toys did you get on Christmas Day? Tell us more by emailing [email protected]