The 1990s shelf
1990s things worth remembering.
Web-safe colors, dial-up, and Beanie Babies.
55 catalogued finds
Polly Pocket
“tiny compact dollhouse”
Gak
“nickelodeon slime toy”
POGs
“pogs”
Furby
“talking fuzzy robot pet”
Skip-It
“ankle spinning ball toy”
Bop It
“toy where you twist it”
Tamagotchi
“90s digital pet”
Super Soaker
“big water blaster”
NERF
“foam dart blaster”
Pokemon Cards
“gotta catch them all cards”
K'NEX
“plastic rods connectors”
Tetris Handheld
“falling blocks handheld”
Beanie Babies
“bean bag stuffed animal”
Dance Dance Revolution
“step on the arrows dance game”
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.”
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.”
Tech Deck
“tiny finger skateboard”
Portable CD Player
“discman anti skip”
Wild Berry Pop-Tarts
“purple blue pop tart”
Talkboy
“talkboy”
Disposable Camera
“wedding table camera”
Sock'em Boppers
“inflatable punching gloves”
Moon Shoes
“bouncy shoe toy”
Stomp Rocket
“jump launch rocket”
Dream Phone
“pink phone board game”
Fruit by the Foot
“long fruit roll snack”
Mall Madness
“electronic mall board game”
Gushers
“fruit snack with juice center”
Dunkaroos
“cookies with frosting dip”
Warheads
“extreme sour hard candy”
Karaoke Machine
“home singing machine”
Arcade Fight Stick
“arcade joystick controller”
Doodle Bear
“draw on bear toy”
Transparent Landline Phone
“clear phone with lights”
Airheads
“stretchy taffy bar”
Street Fighter Mini Arcade
“hadouken mini arcade”
Mortal Kombat Mini Arcade
“finish him mini arcade”
Floam
“bead slime toy”
Mike and Ike
“mike and ike egg candy”
Jax
“bouncing ball game”
Blo-Pens
“Markers you blew through like tiny airbrushes — spray-paint art for kids, plus the inevitable dizzy spell from blowing too hard.”
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.”
Sega Dreamcast
“swirl logo console”
Foam Disc Shooter
“foam disc gun”
Scented erasers
“Novelty fruit- and dessert-shaped erasers that smelled amazing and barely erased anything, traded and collected more than actually used on paper.”
Doc Martens boots
“Chunky, air-cushioned leather boots with yellow stitching that went from British workwear to a grunge and Britpop uniform practically overnight.”
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.”
Platform sneakers
“Chunky sneakers with a thick raised sole popularized by Spice Girls-era pop culture, adding a few extra inches to every outfit.”
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.”
Scientific calculator
“A basic scientific calculator with trig and log functions, standard classroom equipment before graphing calculators took over.”
Discman
“A portable CD player known for skipping if you so much as jogged with it, eventually solved by "anti-skip" buffering technology.”
Overalls
“Denim overalls worn with one strap deliberately unclipped and dangling, a defining 90s look from playgrounds to boy bands.”
Cargo pants
“Loose-fitting pants with oversized pockets down each leg, worn baggy and stuffed with everything a kid could carry.”
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.”
Combat boots
“Chunky lace-up boots borrowed from military surplus and worn with everything from band t-shirts to babydoll dresses.”