How Much Did Famous Toys and Snacks Cost When They Launched?

Not everything worth remembering was expensive. This guide looks at how much famous toys and snacks cost on their first day on sale, from a $3 doll in 1959 to a $4.99 chicken sandwich in 2010.

An early Barbie doll display; famous toys and snacks cost only a few dollars when they launched, and Barbie was $3 in 1959. — Photo: Librarygurl, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons.

There are five of them, in date order, and each has its own page with the sources.

Swanson TV dinner (1953): 98 cents

The first Swanson TV Dinner cost 98 cents when it went on sale in the United States in 1953. It was a Thanksgiving-style meal of turkey, cornbread stuffing, peas and sweet potatoes, in an aluminium tray that you heated in the oven for 25 minutes at 425°F. The first production run was 5,000 dinners. In today’s money 98 cents is about $12.34. See the TV dinner price page.

Barbie (1959): $3

Mattel introduced Barbie on March 9, 1959 at $3. The doll was cheap, but the first range of clothes had 22 outfits priced from $1 to $5 each, so the accessories mattered as much as the doll. In today’s money $3 is about $34.98. A mint, boxed 1959 Barbie sold for $3,552.50 on eBay in 2004, more than 1,000 times her launch price. See the Barbie price page.

Rubik’s Cube (1980): about $1.99

The Rubik’s Cube went on sale in the United States in 1980 at about $1.99, which is about $8.20 now. It began as the “Magic Cube” in Hungary, and Ideal Toy Corp launched it internationally in 1980. About 500 million had been sold by January 2024, which makes it the world’s best-selling puzzle and toy. See the Rubik’s Cube price page.

AriZona Iced Tea (1992): 99 cents

AriZona launched its first teas in 1992 at 99 cents a can, and the price is still printed on the can today. The company has kept it at 99 cents in the United States for more than 30 years. In Canada the can says C$1.50. In 1992 money 99 cents is about $2.38 today. See the AriZona Iced Tea price page.

KFC Double Down (2010): $4.99

The Double Down swapped the bun for two pieces of fried chicken fillet, with bacon, cheese and a sauce in the middle. It went on sale across the United States on April 12, 2010 at $4.99, about $7.71 today. It was meant to end on May 23, 2010 but KFC said on May 19 that it would stay on the menu. By early July 2010 KFC had sold 10 million, worth about $50 million. See the KFC Double Down price page.

Toy and snack prices at a glance

Swanson TV Dinner (1953): 98 cents, about $12.34 today
Barbie (March 1959): $3, about $34.98 today
Rubik’s Cube (1980): about $1.99, about $8.20 today
AriZona Iced Tea (1992): 99 cents, about $2.38 today
KFC Double Down (April 2010): $4.99, about $7.71 today

What stands out

Cheap products behave differently from big purchases. A price that looks tiny, such as 98 cents or 99 cents, can show how much has changed: the AriZona can has kept its price on the label, so it is the one product here that has not moved in dollars. Another useful comparison is the Barbie doll against its clothes. The doll itself cost $3, but 22 outfits at $1 to $5 each could cost more than the doll many times over.

Play it yourself

Test your sense of old prices with the free daily price-guessing game on Price Time Machine, and challenge your friends to beat your score.

Questions about famous toys and snacks cost

How much did the first TV dinner cost?

The first Swanson TV Dinner cost 98 cents when it went on sale in the United States in 1953.

How much did the original Barbie doll cost?

The original Barbie cost $3 when Mattel introduced her on March 9, 1959.

How much did a Rubik’s Cube cost in 1980?

It cost about $1.99 when it went on sale in the United States in 1980.

How much did the KFC Double Down cost?

It cost $4.99 when it launched across the United States on April 12, 2010.