During the holiday season, “people were trying to make sure that the money they spent was spent well,” noted Casey Sartain, buyer for Tutoring Toy in Salt Lake City, Utah. “Instead of buying lots of gifts, they wanted one or two that were going to last.”

Retailers have reported increased demand for such classics as Slinky [by Poof-Slinky], Jack-in-the-Box, Lincoln Logs and Risk [by Hasbro], as well as rubber-band guns.