12 (Formerly) Cool Things '90s Kids Collected Because They Were All That & A Bag Of Chips
Beanie babies forever.
Wikimedia Commons and Flickr Every generation of kids has their own weird stuff they couldn't get enough of and begged their parents to buy for them, and '90s kids were no different.
Looking back, the things that seemed so cool (if you didn't have them or a ton of them, your life was over) may seem kind of stupid now.
I mean, electronic pets, weirdly stuffed animals and glittery unicorn stationary?
The weird thing is that now when you see a Furby or Polly Pocket, you're reminded of those days when things didn't seem as complicated as they are now, and the most important thing was to collect as many Pokémon cards as you possibly could.
It's not that the toys loved by '90s kids were any more creative than the toys of other generations, it's that they were the toys of their time.
Did you usually play with these toys with your siblings, friends or alone? As silly as some toys may seem they probably taught you a lot and encouraged you to use your imagination.
Some people keep a toy or two from their childhood well into adulthood. They can trigger happy memories or help you to loosen up.
There's a certain smell that I call new doll smell; it's very distinctive and when I smell it, usually from a new doll, I remember the thrill I got when I received a new doll as a present. It felt as if I had a new friend and that a whole new story was suddenly available to me.
Do you let your own kids play with your toys or do you forbid them from touching them? You might be a collector of toys that were popular when you were a kid and/or sell them on online auctions. If so, you have to have a talent for noticing something collectible and a deep knowledge of all things '90s.
No matter what your motivation is, it's still fun to see the toys of your past and remember when getting a new toy was everything. Return now to that time of innocence when you needed a VCR to play a movie and felt guilty if you ignored your robotic pet.
12 Things Pretty Much All '90s Kids Collected (Because They Were Totally Cool At The Time)
1. Beanie Babies
Photo: Joel Telling on Flickr
And you couldn't have just one! You needed as many as possible.
You know, especially given how much we all knew they would surely be worth some day... Not!
2. Tamagotchis
Photo: Tomasz Sienicki, CC BY-SA 3.0
Because everybody needs a bunch of digital pets.
And these were as cutting edge as cutting edge could be at the time.
3. Pogs
Photo: Jewel457 - Own work, CC BY-SA 3.0
The name POG originates from a brand of juice made from passionfruit, orange, and guava. People used the POG bottle caps to play the game before it became commercialized.
4. Troll Dolls
Although troll dolls were created in the late 1950s, they had a huge resurgence in popularity in the 1990s.
5. Polly Pockets
Teeny tiny toys were super fun for kids to collect ... and for parents to worry that their child will stick the teeny tiny toy up their nose.
6. Goosebumps books
These books promised to give you goosebumps — and they delivered.
7. Furbies
Photo: Alexas_Fotos on Pixabay
Furbies were another electronic, robotic must-have-toy. I'm still unclear why we needed to have a bunch of them.
Fun fact: Furbies were officially banned by the NSA, the Norfolk Naval Shipyard, and the Pentagon in 1999.
8. Anything from Lisa Frank
The colorful world of Lisa Frank's art was filled with unicorns, dolphins, kittens and rainbows, and was on stickers, buttons, stationery, folders, lunchboxes, backpacks and more.
9. Movies on VHS Tapes
Photo: By Jonmallard - Own work, CC BY-SA 4.0
Everybody collected their favorite movie (usually Disney) on VHS tape so they could watch it over and over again ... until the tape broke and you had to beg your parents to get you another one.
10. Sky Dancers
Fly high, little Sky Dancer. Fly high!
(Especially now that you have been recalled.)
11. Gel and Milky Pens
Photo: Janelle on Flickr
If you were a true romantic, you used a milky or gel pen when you wrote out the name of your crush.
12. Pokémon Cards
Photo: By Jarek Tuszyński - Own work, CC BY-SA 4.0
You didn't just want to collect as many Pokémon cards as you could get, you needed them.
Christine Schoenwald is a writer, performer, and teacher who loves writing and performing personal narratives. She's had pieces in The Los Angeles Times, Salon, Woman's Day, Purple Clover, Bustle, and is a regular contributor to Ravishly and YourTango. Check out her website or her Facebook page.