Transformers. G.I. Joe. He-Man. The Smurfs. These days Hollywood's high-concept ideas are coming from deep in the closet of Gen-X nostalgia. Here are some other long-lost toys that have been overlooked by the studios, at least so far. And yes, we are expecting a producer credit.

The California Raisins
Fine, they started life as an ad for the Raisin Advisory Board and spun off four albums, a Saturday morning cartoon, and everything from lunchboxes to t-shirts. But the biggest seller was the toys, little plastic raisins playing sax and wearing Santa hats. And it's high time for America's favorite singing dried fruit to make a comeback in a flashy live-action musical extravaganza. It'll be like Dreamgirls. Sort of.

Computer Warriors
Imagine that instead of turning into race cars and semis, the Transformers morphed into ... office supplies. That was the big idea behind the Computer Warriors, which included a pencil sharpener that turned into a jet, a calculator that turned into a tank, and a can of Pepsi that turned into a "hyper hoverjet." Michael Bay better snap up this one quick, apparently people are still really into things that turn into other things.

Dazzle and Her Friends
This line of dolls had tube tops, white furs, gold lame gowns, even a city play-set that let them hit the nightclubs. The little girls who played with Dazzle, Glossy, and Rhinestone are all grown up, and as Sex and The City's box office proved, they're willing to drop wads of cash on fantasies of extravagant clothes and a boy-toy-filled nightlife. (Not sure how Blaze the horse will fit in. Maybe he'll be transformed into Dazzle's hilarious gay assistant.)

Easy Bake Oven
Why not? They're making a movie about Monopoly.

Gas Guzzler
This toy car ran on water that you squeezed into the tank with a tiny gas can (and a 9-volt battery). Just like dad's AMC Eagle! This is begging to be adapted into a Syriana-style drama about the world's dependence on dwindling oil supplies. And hey, they could make a line of Happy Meal tie-ins!

Little Van Goes
A mix-and-match stencil set that let kids design their very own flamed-out Kings of the Road. Why not a Fast and Furious spin-off, except between street races they cruise for high school chicks, get baked using a twelve-foot bong called Zeus, and listen to lots of Zeppelin?

Pound Puppies
Cutesy plush puppies that came with an adoption certificate, like Cabbage Patch Kids with droopy ears. I'm thinking something along the lines of Hotel for Dogs, with a much sadder ending.

Teddy Ruxpin
Five bucks this is already in development, with Robin Williams as the voice of Teddy and some up-and-coming Disney Channel tweener as his best pal whose parents are getting separated. But this was one of the creepiest toys ever made, way better suited to a horror movie. I vote for Son of Sam-style power of suggestion, with a nation of children talked into killing their parents by evil talking toys. Which I'm still not entirely sure wasn't the point in the first place, even the TV ads were disturbing.

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