Beyblade

Launch two spinning tops into the arena and watch them collide, wobble, and battle until only one is left spinning.

“Let it rip!” Pull the launcher, send the tops into the stadium, and watch the battle begin. Beyblade turned spinning tops into a competition, with different designs and parts to try before the next battle.

Beyblade started in Japan in 1999, with Hasbro’s U.S. launch following in 2002. The animated series supplied characters and much more spectacular contests, but the real tops gave players plenty to do without television-sized effects.

Choosing parts and comparing combinations was part of playing. A collision might end the battle quickly, or everybody might watch two slowly wobbling tops to see which eventually stopped first. Losing gave you a reason to change the setup and try another launch.

Today’s Beyblade X adds a geared stadium rail that lets the tops make a fast loop around the upper part of the arena (that’s a newer feature, not something the original tops did). An Xtreme Battle Set includes a matching stadium, two tops, and two launchers. Check the generation when buying extra equipment, because the old parts and launchers may not work with a newer X system.