Oftentimes I am left thinking about things that I loved as a child that are either no longer made or went out of style. It makes me feel…what is the word? Old? No, nostalgic. I miss many things that I had as a child, whether it was a fun and popular snack or a toy I used to play with. Let’s take a trip down memory lane back to the late 90s and the early 2000s, shall we? Here are some fun things you are going to wish you had never forgotten:
1. Wonder Balls
They came wrapped in fun and colorful foil. It was a milk chocolate ball that was hollow with candy and toys inside. Unfortunately, this delicious candy got recalled because of choking hazards. They were so fun from the inside out with milk chocolate and some tart and sour candies on the inside. I mean, how much better can it get?
2. Beanie Babies
If you didn’t collect Beanie Babies when you were younger, were you ever even a child? Honestly, I think I had hundreds. What I loved most about them is that they had names on their tags. This was a great idea because indecisive people like myself did not have to go through the pain and trouble of naming them. But seriously, there was every type of animal imaginable, and they even had Beanie Babies that were people and eventually mini-Beanie Babies. You can collect them all. I am waiting for the day that Beanie Babies become really valuable because I could definitely become rich off of the exorbitant amount I have.
3. Dunkaroos
This was only like my favorite childhood snack! They came in little plastic containers with little cookie pieces and then icing dip on the side. Whoever came up with this idea is a legend.
4. Hit Clips
There weren’t always iPods, iPhones, and iPads. And on the seventh day, God created Hit Clips. You would laugh at these things -- they are small music players that have these little inserts that play songs by artists such as NSYNC, the Backstreet Boys, and Pink. To listen to my music in the olden days, I used Hit Clips. Honestly without this invention, I don’t think Apple would have even been able to invent iPods. Okay, they probably would have, but this portable music player, that is considered a toy, is pretty darn creative.
5. Furbies
These things may or may not creep you out. I actually liked them as a kid, when they didn’t run out of battery. To be completely honest, I am not sure what type of animal a Furby resembles. Maybe an owl? People also claim they see some hamster characteristics in there as well. They came in all different colors and some of them even had eyes that lit up! You might be asking what the point of a Furby was. Well, it was a robot that entertained children. Pretty neat, huh? Now we have laptops and iPhones, so Furbies kind of went out of style.
6. Silly Putty
Do I even need to explain this one?
7. Push Pencils
You were so cool if you had push pencils. Once the tip of your pencil started to get dull, you would just take out the plastic, put it in the bottom, and a new tip would come up. The things that used to fascinate me are just terrific, absolutely terrific. What is best about this one is you never had to sharpen your pencils and crush your knuckles on those "old-fashioned" pencil sharpeners.
8. Squiggle Pens
As a child, the smallest things amuse you. As a teenager, those small things amuse you a little more. And as an adult, you are somehow even more amused than you were when you were a child. I actually bought a squiggle pen from Urban Outfitters over the summer. A battery is put into the top of the pen, and you can insert different colored ink. When you flip on the switch, the pen vibrates and makes a cool squiggle from the vibrations.
9. Game Boy
I still remember the day I first got my first Game Boy. Yes, I used to play on a Game Boy. I actually loved that thing. My first Game Boy was so old that it needed a separate light that connected to it so you could actually see what you were doing in the dark. I feel so old now because there are game systems like the Wii (which I obviously have). However, there is nothing quite like a Nintendo Game Boy, especially the first one.
10. Slap Bracelets
This is pretty self-explanatory. They were those cool bracelets that just started as a straight line and with a simple tap to the wrist, it became a bracelet.
11. Stick-On Earrings
For those of us who did not get our ears pierced at a young age, we turned to stick on earrings. How stylish are they? The only downside is they never stayed on your ears long enough for you to even pretend you had pierced ears.
12. Lisa Frank
I am obviously talking about those majestic looking folders and pencils that only every girl had.
13. Koosh Balls
I honestly can’t even explain. Please just refer to the picture.
14. Milky Pens
They came in all different colors, and you were looked at as such a cool kid because you had them. Essentially, they are like gel pens, just not as metallic.
15. Blockbuster
I genuinely miss Blockbuster. I loved going to Blockbuster to rent videotapes with my family. Yes, back in the olden days we had video tapes, not even DVDs. Unfortunately, I am pretty sure Blockbuster went out of business because you know, technology and Netflix.
I hope you enjoyed this throwback to the 90s and early 2000s. I hope you feel as old as I do. I mean I am only 19 years old, but I remember when I was a little kid I thought people in college were so old. However, nostalgia is a pretty good feeling and all of these things remind me of my childhood and how awesome it was, and I hope you feel the same way. The 90s kids have to stick together.
