Parents splurged £1,608.97 on children’s presents

THE five most popular presents for Christmas 2020 cost a grand total of £1,608.97, according to figures from technology website Music Magpie.

Last month’s total swelled following the launch of Apple’s iPhone 12 Pro (£999) and Sony’s PS5 video games console (£449.99).

Computer game Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War (£64.99), Lego’s Super Mario Starter Course (£50), and Paw Patrol’s Dino Rescue Dino Patroller (£44.99) rounded off the top five.

Adjusting for inflation, the website said parents are now spending eight times as much to buy the five most popular presents as they did back in 1970, when the most-desirable gifts included board game Risk, dress-up doll Sindy, and a model Apollo rocket.

The cost of Christmas has varied over the years depending on which video games consoles had been released during Advent, with the launch of the Atari 2600 in 1977 pushing up prices.

Again adjusting for inflation, 1987 was the cheapest Christmas over the past 50 years, with the cost of the five most-popular gifts sitting at £96.70 in today’s prices, or £35.48 at the time.

For a trip down memory lane – taking in skateboards, Optimus Prime, and the Sony Walkman along the way – check out the website’s list of Christmas present prices.

And read more stories on Scottish Field’s news pages.

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