[slideshow_deploy id=’12159′]Ah, gone are the days when an innocent argument could be solved with an intense game of “rock, paper, scissors,” when difficult life choices were easily made with handmade “fortune tellers” and when the “cooties” posed a deadlier threat than Ebola. The 90s bring back childhood memories we’ve all grown to forget. Here’s a list of some of the best foods, fashions and totally “off the hook” fads that made the 90s.
Movies
“The Sandlot”
The only connection 90s babies had to Babe Ruth was “The Sandlot.” This movie reminded us what summers were all about: first kisses, adventures and good ol’ fashioned baseball.
“Clueless”
Ugh, as if! Cher, Dion and Tai — a girl could only wish to have such cool friends. These three girls taught us how to deal with boys, pass a driving test and successfully get your grade changed in a totally fashionable way – *hair flip*
“Space Jam”
Mix in your favorite Looney Toons characters with a few quirky outer space aliens, add the greatest basketball player of all time and you’ve got yourself a recipe for utter amazement. “Space Jam” proved that animation and athletes merge perfectly together, especially in this fun family movie.
“Maltilda”
This is probably the only situation in which abuse doesn’t seem so bad, and only because magical powers are involved. Matilda gave hope to kids all around the world that with diligence and the will to learn, magical powers were just a flick away.
TV Shows
“Are you Afraid of the Dark?”
In one word — yes. Yes, we are afraid of the dark. This chilling after hours show was only watched by the brave, or by those ones who had older siblings to protect them. This creepy Nickelodeon show tapped into all our fears, haunting us with eerie episodes of clowns, monsters and evil dollhouses.
“Figure It Out”
This show brought out our investigating skills, trying to piece together clues in hopes of figuring out what unique skills the guest had. From biting cheese into states to body contortions, this show was the highlight of the evening, especially when slime was involved.
“Clarissa Explains it All” turned “Sabrina The Teenage Witch”
Clarissa definitely explained it all on this show. Speaking directly to the audience, Clarissa made her life experiences of boys, pimples and training bras totally relatable. However, there was one unrelatable aspect of this show. We all envied the relationship she had with her best friend Sam and imagined what it would be like to have a friend who opted for an entrance using a ladder and a window rather than the front door.
“All That”
This show was literally, the kid version of “Saturday Night Live.” “All That” hosted a variety of hilarious skits, from Principal Pimpell to Dear Ashley to the unforgettable Repair man man man man… This show brought side-splitting laughs and even had guest performances from our favorite artists, like Aaliyah, the Spice Girls, TLC and many more.
Saturday Morning Cartoons
Saturday Morning Cartoons gave us a reason to wake up early on the weekend. “Animaniacs,” “Recess” and “Pepper Ann” were just some of the shows that entertained us while our parents were sleeping.
Music
Spice Girls
Posh, Scary, Sporty, Baby and Ginger — who could forget this girl-power inspired group? These super feminist Brits made being a girl a cool thing. With party-favorite hits like “Wannabe” and “Spice up your Life,” these girls brought fun into any atmosphere.
N’Sync and Backstreet Boys Feud
Sigh, why couldn’t we all just get along? The N’Sync-Backstreet Boys feud will forever be a monumental mark of the 90s. These two boy bands belted out some of the best songs of the decade. The Backstreet Boys showed us the meaning of being lonely when they broke up, and N’Sync tore up our hearts when they had their last tour in 2000.
Britney Spears and Christina Aguilera Feud
“Hit Me Baby, One More Time” and “Genie in a Bottle” mean two completely different things to 90s babies. These Mickey Mouse Club stars into the spotlight at the same time and divided the nation into Britney and Christina fans. These two were always head to head battling for #1 spot on MTV’s “TRL (Total Request Live).” Luckily, their feud didn’t last very long; it ended once they performed together alongside the iconic Madonna at the 2003 MTV Video Music Awards.
Destiny’s Child
Who would have known the small-town Houston group would soon turn into one of the greatest female singing groups of all time? Though this group had its ups and downs when it came to group members, one thing that didn’t change was their ability to release hit after hit.
Hanson
Though this group may have been a one-hit-wonder, no one can deny the catchiness of their son “Mmmbop.” These three long-haired brothers had us “Mmmbopping” all day long.
Fashion
Jelly Sandals
No outfit was complete without the essential jelly sandals to top it off. These transparent plastic shoes came in every color imaginable. Wearing these babies on the first day of school earned you automatic cool points.
Scrunchies
If you didn’t have at least two scrunchies, one around your ponytail and another around your wrist, you were missing out. These multi-colored hair accessories glammed up side pony’s, high pony’s, low pony’s and even our wrists.
Overalls
This is one trend I can admit I’m happy is over. Overalls — a parents best friend, a kid’s worst nightmare. These overgrown onesies either came in denim or corduroy and always went well with a nice pair of grass stains on the knees.
Skorts
Skorts: the fashion epitome of party-in-the-front-business-in-the-back. These skirt/short combinations made playing outside a lot more fun, and we didn’t have to worry about crossing our legs or sitting like a lady.
Mood Rings
If you left the house without your mood ring, then you were confused about how you felt throughout the whole day. These rings changed colors depending on your mood, hence the name. How these rings actually worked I have no idea, but I’d be lying if I said I wouldn’t be happy to have one today.
Chokers
Tattoos weren’t technically allowed in most households, especially under the age of 10, so tattoo-like necklaces were the next best thing. Chokers were the “it” thing of the 90s; these plastic necklaces gave that extra oomph to every outfit. From celebrities to school girls, everyone was flaunting these around.
Butterfly Clips
Butterfly clips were another awesome hair accessory. These multi-colored clips accented a multitude of different hairstyles. Matching them with your outfit was a definite must – *hair flip*. However, the downsides of these bad boys were that they got lost quickly and broke super easily.
Games
Jumanji
Playing this game brought tears to many eyes once we realized that wild animals, keen hunters and Robin Williams weren’t included. The movie made this game super popular; unfortunately, our expectations of fantasy exceeded our mundane reality.
Gigapets
Constantly checking your Gigapet to see if your pet needed to be fed, played with or walked was the highlight of our day. How responsible were we toting around virtual pets, proving to our parents that we could take care of a real one someday? Having three or four of these bad boys definitely ensured your level of responsibility, until the battery died — eek!
Nintendo
Duck Hunt, Mario Brothers and Street Fighter: three games that will bring a smile to any 90s baby’s face. Lying on the floor, 12 inches away from the TV was the only way to play Nintendo with friends.
Sega Genesis
Taking out a game, blowing the dust off and placing it in the cartridge guaranteed hours of competitive fun. From “Pacman,” “Sonic the Hedgehog” and the hands-down best fighting game ever, “Mortal Kombat,” Sega Genesis is definitely one of the best things about the 90’s.
Gameboy
Gameboys made the ultimate comeback in the late 90s when they were released in transparent colors. These hand-held consoles varied in colors and had all sorts of games to choose from. This was the beginning of handheld gaming devices and the end of long boring car rides.
Handmade Games
Fortune Tellers
This game not only taught us how to spell and count, but also predicted our future. Picking a color and two numbers could even possibly tell us who the love of our lives was. Oh, how I miss the simpler days.
Passing Notes
Long before social media and text messaging, our only means of communication were through good ol’ fashioned notes. Showing our inventive origami skills and sleuth note- passing skills clearly proved that 90’s babies were one of a kind.
Thumb War
One, two, three, four, I declare a thumb war. Whenever some said that chant, we knew it was on. Thumb wars were a big deal back in the day, and whoever won won whatever you were battling for. So long, pencils, pens and other novelties lost in battle. I bid you farewell.
Books
Goosebumps
Reading these creepy books landed you in two places: in your parent’s bed or in trouble for running up the light bill because you were too afraid to turn off the light. R.L Stine’s Goosebumps books tested our courage page after page, and once the TV series began to air in 1995 we were all doomed – *gulp*.
Animorphs
Admit it. No one’s actually read a full Animorph book, right? The only reason I had stacks of these books in my room was because of the super cool covers they came with. Who could resist a book with a morphing cover? Not me.
“The True Story of the Three Little Pigs”
If it weren’t for the 90s, this poor big bad wolf would still have a bad rep. Luckily, this rendition of the three little pigs helped rebrand Mr. Wolf’s image from a malicious piggy-craving hunter to an innocent cake baker. Ahh, now that’s more like it.
“The Rainbow Fish”
Another book we don’t know much about, besides the colorful graphics. While our parents were busy putting us to sleep with this story, we were busy imagining how we’d look with rainbow-colored skin.
“The Stinky Cheese Man”
Run, run, run, as fast as you can, you can’t catch me, I’m the Stinky Cheese Man. This book told a number of classic fairytales with a hilarious twist. Though this book didn’t teach us many important life lessons, it did manage to teach us an essential element of life: humor.
Fads
Beanie Babies
Beanie Babies should be paying my college tuition right now. Collecting these special edition toys almost guaranteed a prosperous future; at least, that’s what we thought. I still have hope. I have my prized collection in glass cases mantled at my parents’ house. One day they’ll be valuable… one day.
Lisa Frank
If you didn’t start the school year off proudly showcasing all of your Lisa Frank notebooks and folders, then you seriously missed out. These colorful school supplies actually made us excited to do homework.
Pokémon Cards
“Gotta catch ‘em all”: another get-rich-quick scheme we all fell deeply for, some of us more than others. Whenever you opened up a new pack of cards and realized you finally got a holographic, words couldn’t describe the feeling. A couple more years and these things will be worth thousands, right?
Milky Pens
Drawing on yourself is looked down upon, except if it was done with milky pens. These pens took doodling to another level. Having a set of these in your Spacemaker pencil kit was just one more reason passing notes in class was a must.
Slap Bracelets
Maybe it was a good thing schools banned slap bracelets. Walking around having a legit excuse as to why you just slapped someone clearly wasn’t cutting in back in the day. Although these snappy bracelets were banned in school, those rules didn’t quite apply at home.
The 90s were obviously “all that and a bag of chips.” We had “da bomb” music, “off the hook” shows and “totally cool” fashion. There wasn’t much a simple hand game couldn’t solve, and if that didn’t work, a smooth “talk to the hand” gesture surely did. Though it seems like just yesterday we were rebutting every joke with “yo momma,” the good old days have unfortunately passed.
