The first play set released as part of the My Little Pony toy line came with the all-too-important exclusive figure – which in this case was Lemon Drop.
The largest play set released as part of the She-Ra line was also pretty badass. It came complete with furniture and a pretty awesome throne elevator.
Unlike other play sets, the Real Ghostbusters Fire House was a near perfect replica of the one that appeared in the cartoon series — and also the movie.
This TMNT play set did a great job at capturing the zany cartoon spirit of the series. It also came with some great little hidden details like a periscope, an elevator, and a sewer grate in which to dump the oh-so-'80s slime or “ooze” into.
Surprisingly — for such a large and popular toy line — very few play sets were released as part of the Jem line. The one cool thing about Jem’s dressing room play set was that it also doubled as a speaker — which allowed you to blast those Jem cassette tapes at full volume!
This cult classic cartoon also released a rather impressive toy line (it needed to, as it directly competed with Transformers), the centerpiece of which was Boulder Hill, which transformed from an ordinary gas station into M.A.S.K. headquarters.
Let's be honest, the biggest selling point of this play set was the echo microphone stored inside the castle that allowed you to speak in a frightening voice.
Hands down the most iconic play set of the '80s.
Sure, Barbie had her Dream House, but that was too pedestrian, 'cause the '80s were really all about GLAMOUR. Enter Barbie's Glamour House, which featured a glamorous rooftop terrace, a spiral staircase, and the all-too-important wicker furniture (yes, wicker was glamorous in the '80s).
Not only was the play set perfect for Star Wars figures, it was also perfect for any other number of action figures — all thanks to its large scale size.
This super rare play set came complete with trapdoors, two secret “Ion Beam” cannons (hidden in the front paws), and the cat head which swiveled and fired a “super laser beam."
The play set that told all the neighborhood kids, "Yeah, my parents love me this MUCH!" It wasn't just expensive (retailing for for $110 at the time, which is roughly around $242 today), it was also huge, coming in at just under 7 feet 6 inches — which meant it probably took up most of the floor space in your bedroom.
OK, so this very short-lived cartoon series was basically a He-Man rip-off, but the toy line did produce one kick-ass play set, which — surprise, surprise — also fit your He-Man action figures.
This rare doll house was surprisingly big and included a front porch, a balcony, and a skylight, all spread out over three floors. It was also nicely sized for Rose Petal and friends to come over for visits.
Possibly the rarest play set produced in the '80s, this was also the largest He-Man play set ever produced. The play set featured a main tower (complete with an elevator and working drawbridge) which connected to two additional towers via a working monorail. Today a mint condition, in-the-box play set goes for as much as $15,000. You can pick up a used one in near mint condition for around $3,000.