Let's be honest, when we girls were much younger, shopping for school supplies was the most exhilarating time of the year, second only to attending a birthday party at Libby Lu. Since having a trendy collection of classroom essentials was the epitome of high elementary status, we lived for back-to-school sprees. Even though we have since learned that school supply shopping is actually super depressing, the happy memories we have comparing our glittery, monkey-ridden notebooks will last forever.
These are just a handful of the things we wouldn't have dared to be seen without.
1. Lisa Frank folders
These obnoxious folders were a staple. We just loved everything about Lisa Frank and the super "cute" animals that appeared on every single item.
2. Gelly Roll pens
Our teachers probably didn't approve of us using these on our math homework, but gosh, were they just so pretty.
3. Stationery kits
A super girly stationery collection was the perfect way for all of us to play MASH, write notes about our crushes and store our too-perfect-to-use erasers. Also, we loved the idea of a lock and key to keep our "deep, dark secrets" safe, even if we lost the key three days later.
4. Flexible erasers
Nothing was cooler to us than these bright, wiggly erasers. They weren't practical at all unless we tied them into a knot, but we all loved them anyway.
5. Fluffy pencils
How could we not feel like fairies while writing with these? They weren't the best when we needed to erase something, but at least we could dust things or tickle our friends' noses if we needed to.
6. Lip Smackers
7. Push pencils
These were great, until we realized we lost a peg.
8. Trapper Keepers
Bright, overly-decorated Trapper Keepers were the perfect tools to keep all of our papers somewhat organized. They also made perfect canvases for all of our BFF's signatures.
9. Pencil grips
It didn't matter that the point of these grips was to help us hold our pencils correctly. What mattered was that they made our pencils look super rad.
10. SpaceMaker case
We lived in the pre-pencil pouch era, and we didn't want it any other way. Sure, a new SpaceMaker looked so nice. But it looked even better with our drawings all over it.
11. Character lunch boxes
Whether it was a Barbie, My Little Pony, Lisa Frank or Disney design, we all wouldn't be seen at lunch without our beloved lunch boxes. Extra popularity points were given if we had the matching Thermos to go with it.
12. Sparkle purses
Even though these blindingly-awesome bags weren't necessary for school, they sure looked awesome hanging in our lockers. These purses were the perfect storage spaces for all of the lip gloss tubes we owned, too.
13. Mini notebooks
These really served no academic use, but they were most definitely the cutest way to pass notes to our friends across the room. Without the teacher looking, of course.
14. Pink Pearl erasers
Even though these erasers were supplied by most of our teachers, we still loved them, mostly because we would stab our pencils into the pink flesh, creating all kinds of dots, smiley faces and flowers. We were so destructive.
15. Hair clips
It didn't matter what kinds of hair clips we had, but we made sure to have enough to fill an entire front pocket of a JanSport backpack. You know, in case we were having a "bad hair day," if that was even possible when we were that young.
16. Bright stickers
While Lisa Frank stickers were the most desired, we really went crazy over any type of sticker that would make our pencil cases and Trapper Keepers unique.
17. Brush compacts
These brush/mirror compacts were must-haves on bathroom breaks. We never missed the opportunity to brush our locks, so we could look awesome for spelling, of course.
18. Stamp markers
What better way to make a colorful border around our reading worksheets than with stampers?!
19. "Baby-Sitters Club" books
There was no doubt that we would always come back from library day with yet another book from this collection. They were the best.
20. Multicolor pens
We praised these pens (aka the greatest inventions on the planet) whenever we felt like writing our journal entries of the day in four different colors. Nothing was cooler than having one pen that acted like four.
Thanks to the '90s, we were able to express ourselves in the brightest, most sparkly and most obnoxious of ways, yet we wouldn't have changed a thing. Now, if only rainbow pens and bright stickers could make us as excited now as they did then...
