The 1990s shelf
1990s things worth remembering.
Web-safe colors, dial-up, and Beanie Babies.
55 catalogued finds
Polly Pocket
“tiny compact dollhouse”
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Gak
“nickelodeon slime toy”
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POGs
“pogs”
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Furby
“talking fuzzy robot pet”
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Skip-It
“ankle spinning ball toy”
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Bop It
“toy where you twist it”
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Tamagotchi
“90s digital pet”
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Super Soaker
“big water blaster”
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NERF
“foam dart blaster”
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Pokemon Cards
“gotta catch them all cards”
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K'NEX
“plastic rods connectors”
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Tetris Handheld
“falling blocks handheld”
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Beanie Babies
“bean bag stuffed animal”
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Dance Dance Revolution
“step on the arrows dance game”
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Sky Dancers
“Pull the cord and the fairy doll's foam wings spun her into the air — and, occasionally, into someone's eye. Banned, beloved, unforgettable.”
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Turtle Sandbox
“The green plastic turtle whose shell was the lid — every backyard had one, every kid remembers flipping it open to find last summer's toys.”
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Tech Deck
“tiny finger skateboard”
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Portable CD Player
“discman anti skip”
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Wild Berry Pop-Tarts
“purple blue pop tart”
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Talkboy
“talkboy”
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Disposable Camera
“wedding table camera”
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Sock'em Boppers
“inflatable punching gloves”
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Moon Shoes
“bouncy shoe toy”
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Stomp Rocket
“jump launch rocket”
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Dream Phone
“pink phone board game”
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Fruit by the Foot
“long fruit roll snack”
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Mall Madness
“electronic mall board game”
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Gushers
“fruit snack with juice center”
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Dunkaroos
“cookies with frosting dip”
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Warheads
“extreme sour hard candy”
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Karaoke Machine
“home singing machine”
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Arcade Fight Stick
“arcade joystick controller”
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Doodle Bear
“draw on bear toy”
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Transparent Landline Phone
“clear phone with lights”
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Airheads
“stretchy taffy bar”
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Street Fighter Mini Arcade
“hadouken mini arcade”
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Mortal Kombat Mini Arcade
“finish him mini arcade”
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Floam
“bead slime toy”
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Mike and Ike
“mike and ike egg candy”
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Jax
“bouncing ball game”
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Blo-Pens
“Markers you blew through like tiny airbrushes — spray-paint art for kids, plus the inevitable dizzy spell from blowing too hard.”
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Water Wiggler
“The slippery water-filled tube that squirmed out of your grip the instant you squeezed it — impossible to hold, impossible to put down.”
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Sega Dreamcast
“swirl logo console”
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Foam Disc Shooter
“foam disc gun”
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Scented erasers
“Novelty fruit- and dessert-shaped erasers that smelled amazing and barely erased anything, traded and collected more than actually used on paper.”
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Doc Martens boots
“Chunky, air-cushioned leather boots with yellow stitching that went from British workwear to a grunge and Britpop uniform practically overnight.”
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Fanny pack
“A zippered pouch worn on a belt around the waist, endlessly mocked and endlessly practical for keeping your hands free at theme parks and concerts.”
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Platform sneakers
“Chunky sneakers with a thick raised sole popularized by Spice Girls-era pop culture, adding a few extra inches to every outfit.”
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TI-83 graphing calculator
“The boxy graphing calculator every high schooler needed for algebra and calculus class, doubling as a covert gaming device once you found the games.”
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Scientific calculator
“A basic scientific calculator with trig and log functions, standard classroom equipment before graphing calculators took over.”
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Discman
“A portable CD player known for skipping if you so much as jogged with it, eventually solved by "anti-skip" buffering technology.”
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Overalls
“Denim overalls worn with one strap deliberately unclipped and dangling, a defining 90s look from playgrounds to boy bands.”
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Cargo pants
“Loose-fitting pants with oversized pockets down each leg, worn baggy and stuffed with everything a kid could carry.”
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Trucker hat
“A mesh-backed cap with a curved foam front panel, worn flat-brimmed or curved, that went from farm-supply freebie to genuine fashion statement.”
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Combat boots
“Chunky lace-up boots borrowed from military surplus and worn with everything from band t-shirts to babydoll dresses.”
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