A COMEBACK FOR CLASSIC TOYS:

Without a “must-have” toy fad this holiday season, and with parents facing a deteriorating economy, tried-and-true toys are being embraced by parents and toy makers alike – what one analyst calls a “back to the toy box” approach.

” ‘Retro’ or ‘nostalgia’ toys can be viewed as the ‘comfort food’ of the toy industry, and I do think folks naturally gravitate to what made them happy when they were young, or what is familiar to them,” said Anita Frazier, a toy analyst at NPD Group, a market research firm.

Ken Moe, general manager of Backtobasicstoys.com, a Web site owned by Scholastic Corp. that offers classic toys like “Rock ‘Em, Sock ‘Em Robots,” Slinky and Colorforms, said sales so far this season indicate a rising interest in old favorites.

Rock’em, Sock’em robots. I had those. My favorite was the Johnny Astro, though.