Low-tech and no-tech toys are making a comeback this year.

Kids and their nostalgic parents are rushing for classic toys that have been available for decades and are snapping up playthings that are back on shelves after a period of retail retirement.

Troll dolls--ignored by many shoppers for years--are commercially cute again. Sales of marbles are rolling. Sales of jacks are picking up. And jump rope sales are skipping along.

Meanwhile, some popular classics are back in a previous incarnation. The 12-inch models of G.I. Joe, last sold in 1978, are back in action. Smaller versions of the military mite have been doing toy-shelf duty the last 14 years.

There has also been a build-up in business for Meccano's Erector Set, a toy that disappeared in the 1980s. Creepy Crawlers by Toymax, the rubbery bugs made by pouring goop into a mold, are back in stores after a hiatus.

With so many classics and retreads selling strongly, the toy industry appears to be poised for a merry Christmas in 1992. Analysts expect the industry, which had $13.3 billion in sales in 1991, to generate $14 billion this year. At the start of this week, sales were about 5% higher compared to the same period a year ago, according to Playthings magazine, a New York City-based toy trade publication that bases estimates on reports from 10,000 stores nationwide.

That's not to say that consumers are turning their backs on more expensive, high-tech wonders. For example, video games--led by industry leaders Nintendo and Sega--are expected to do a record business this year. But when it comes to non-video playthings, classics and retros are the sales-surge story.

Of the 10 top-selling toys this year, four--including troll dolls and Hasbro's G.I. Joe Hall of Fame Collection--are classics or are based on classic figures, according to a separate Playthings survey of 10,000 stores.

Other top-sellers in the Playthings survey include Creepy Crawlers, Erector Sets and mainstays such as Monopoly and Scrabble games and yo-yos.

The sales tally includes purchases made by children--not just parents.

"Jump-rope and marbles are very popular around here," said Wendy Campbell, child care director at the Northeast YMCA after-school program in Los Angeles.

However, marbles and many other traditional games have new features. For example, some marble sets are made of metal and include magnets, an addition that gives players more game options.