With everything moving so fast these days, those of us that lived life before the widespread use of the Internet yearn for a simpler time. To think that 1990 was a simpler time (ha!), we must be getting old…
Here’s a list of 40 trends, songs, toys and food that, whether you were a parent or a kid at the time, will bring you back to the 90s…
Multi-Color Pens
These little gadgets probably drove our teachers crazy. And you know you tried to push all the colors out at the same time!
Waterfall Ring Toss
Popular in many a dentist office, these little impossible puzzles left 90s kids entertained for all of … five minutes? This was a holdover toy, originally released in the late seventies, but that goes to show that unlike today, playthings lasted more than a year back then…
Spice Girls
As much as we may cringe at the sound of “If you wanna be my lover…” we can’t deny that we know the next lyric. Rumor has it these feminist icons may be returning to the stage…
Candy Cigarettes
Apparently back then parents were willing to let their kids pretend they were puffing away. It’s hard to imagine seeing these on the shelf today. Do they still sell these?
Easy Bake Oven
Originally released in the sixties, this childhood staple is still sold today. Many a kid appreciated this toy. It definitely brings us back to a simpler time…
Nickelodeon Slime
For some reason Nickelodeon introduced the idea of slime and, aptly, it stuck. Did you know the network still slimes people to this day?
Mary-Kate And Ashley Olson
These two were all over the TV and movie scene in the 90s. As the youngest sibling on the hit sitcom Full House, and starring in multiple movies including Double Double Toil And Trouble, just hearing the actresses’ names takes us back…
Cory And Topanga
Seeing these two stumble threw young love taught us that TV romance is almost never the same as romance in real life. But we can still dream, can’t we?
Gameboy
Ask a male 90s friend if they would still play this and their answer will be yes, unless they’re lying to you. Everyone had these (girls too), and we loved them.
CD Players
For a short time between tape players and MP3s there were these awkward pieces of technology that cost too much, skipped when you played them, and inevitably broke down way too fast. They were portable CD players … do you remember them?
Skip-It
Someone thought to invent a toy that allowed kids to jump rope without needing a couple friends to play. It was ingenious and you can still find these toys today. Everyone tried it at least once…
Butterfly Hair Clips
A fad like silly-bandz, these accessories could be seen in almost every classroom in the 90s. How many of those girls grew up to get butterfly tattoos? Is there a correlation?
The Backstreet Boys
Boy bands were all the rage in the 90s. The Backstreet Boys’ roller-coaster ride to fame was as fast as it was short, and two decades later we remember at least a couple lines from their hits…
N’Sync
We couldn’t leave out The Backstreet Boys’ counterpart: N’Sync. There was a feud between fans as to which group was better, but pop music is always appreciated more in the moment. And these groups (minus Mr. Timberlake) have fallen out of the spotlight. But they at least enjoyed a fun 15 minutes…
Pogs Or Milk Caps
The rules to this game were somewhat elusive and probably depended on who was playing, and where. But we still had at least some fun throwing these things around.
Pokemon Cards
Pokemon came a long way from a simple card game. Preteens with playing cards evolved into adults playing the game on their smartphones almost 30 years later … perhaps it was a reverse-evolution?
Slap Bracelets
Fun and fashionable, these annoying accessories compare to the more current trend of fidget-spinners, considering how much attention they stole. Did you know they make self-rolling Yoga mats now using similar technology?
The Macarena
We may never know why certain music trends grab us by the ears and don’t let go. The Macarena was one of them. To think that to this day, some music sticks around simply because there’s a dance associated with it … perhaps it’s a part of our souls to dance?
Lite Brite
The bane of many a parent’s existence, we all remember playing with these toys, but how many can honestly say they remember cleaning them up? This toy required both patience and organizational skills … yet someone thought it would be a good idea to give to young children!
Furby Toys
A marketing marvel, these toys were released around the holiday season and almost every kid wanted one, or several. Like many fads, Furby dolls rose high and fell fast, but the memories these toys left will last and last … probably because more than 40 million have been sold worldwide!
AOL
Remember waiting for this service to start? It took so long to dial up, and before you knew it you were kicked off when someone in your house used the telephone. Oh my, how did we live before smartphones?
Tamagotchi
These little toys taught children the joys and pains of keeping a pet, and also introduced them to the idea of losing one. Kind of dark when put that way, but kids loved these toys regardless. Did you ever own a Tamagotchi?
Dunk-A-Roos
Like similar snacks, kids always wanted more cream then there was to dunk in. It was just so good and there were more cookies than stuff to dunk them in. Perhaps that was planned? The only way to get more was to buy more … ingenious.
Blockbuster Video
Who didn’t love the family trip to Blockbuster Video? But like CDs and tapes, technology made Blockbuster obsolete, and the rest, as they say, is history.
Floppy Disks
Long before cloud storage were these things called flash drives, and long before those were these things called floppy disks. You’d be hard pressed to find someone born after the 90s that could name one of these if they saw one. For those of us that remember them, yeah, we’re getting old…
Indoor Inflatable Furniture
These things didn’t even last as long as they took to inflate, but they were cool for a few minutes. Sitting on them wasn’t as comfortable as we expected…
The Sandlot
The movie was iconic and one of the best of the decade bar none, and that’s including movies for adults and kids both. Kids who loved it wanted a sequel, but when that came out it just wasn’t the same…
That Weird “S” Everyone But You Knew How To Draw
For some reason in the 90s this “S” symbolized the epitome of artistic talent. It was simultaneously mesmerizing and completely useless. But it brings us back nonetheless, does it not?
Rugrats
Though most couldn’t name a single episode’s plot-line, we all remember the show’s iconic characters. Rugrats was the most memorable show of the 90s that no one remembers.
Pencil Sharpeners On The Wall
The wall sharpener was the best way to take a break from sitting at your desk, or, as some have memed recently, the best way to show off an outfit. And even though these may be in classrooms today, they remain a symbol of childhood for kids who attended school in the 90s.
Amoxicillin
Perhaps the only medicine children didn’t mind taking, Amoxicillin actually tasted good! This bright pink remedy brought many a child a little joy in times of pain…
Etch A Sketch
Like the Lite Brite toy above, Etch A Sketch took a lot of patience to get good at, which is probably why a lot of kids played with it for, at most, several minutes at a time. And even though we didn’t know how to use it, we all had one at some point…
Discovery Zone
A competitor to Chuck E. Cheese, Discovery Zone was a place to eat pizza, play arcade games, run around in ball pits, and – this goes more so for the parents – appreciate the smell of human feet. This place was a lot a fun at one point…
Goosebumps Books
At some point in the 90s these books were everywhere. They even made a TV show based on them. These quick and fun reads were an excellent way to get kids to read.
Bill Nye The Science Guy
This show used to be on in the mornings before school, and each episode ended with a Weird-Al-Yankovic-esque parody song that taught kids about scientific principles. Would today’s kids enjoy this program? We think they would, though they might not recognize the song parodies.
Weird Al Yankovic
Since we brought him up… “Weird Al” was a parody hit maker we all enjoyed in some form or fashion. Even though the singer got a Hollywood Star, his charm didn’t last very long…
Ring Pop Candy
These clever snacks/toys were as delicious as they were messy. It was impossible to eat one without getting it all over your hands. And as annoying as this was, it’s partly the reason we can’t forget them.
Pop Rocks Candy
Does anyone know what made these things work? Another toy/snack that is rarely seen nowadays, Pop Rocks also came along with an urban myth: don’t eat them and drink soda at the same time … because something bad will happen, or something.
Lunchables
To most 90s kids these were a fun treat, and to most parents they were probably expensive, non-nutritious, messy and non-filling ways to feed your kids. How come so many things that kids enjoy, their parents despise? It’s a dynamic that may never be completely understood.
Fruit Stripe
This juicy gum was mouthwatering, though the taste didn’t last very long. Before you knew it an entire pack was gone, just like the 90s…
