Before smartphones and VR gaming, we had to resort to analog means of entertainment. Board-games and sleepovers were common during the ‘90s, with not a text message nor a selfie in sight. Looking back on the last decade before the tech takeover, one thing becomes clear: some of the toy trends were downright weird. For ‘90s kids, happiness could be found in collecting Pogs or taking care of our pixelated Tamagotchi pets.
The only things that thrilled and obsessed a then-10-year-old me were toys. While they may look simplistic now, these creations brought me more joy than a Happy Meal, and my love for them went as far as collecting barbie dolls and spending hours with my Dear Diary. They may sound weird today but hey, these vintage toys deserve to be remembered. After all, they were part of our childhood memories.
I was so fascinated with the bright designs of Pogs, though they spent most of their time in the plastic tube we ‘90s kids were given to collect them in. Although I’m not sure exactly what their purpose was, every self-respecting cool kid of the 90s had a collection.
Imaginary cooking and baking are weirdly fun activities for youngsters. If you’re one of those 90’s kids who love to prank your siblings and parents with creepy creatures, you probably made sure a Creepy Crawlers Oven was on your Christmas wishlist. This weird toy allowed you to bake inedible gummy creatures like plastic bugs and snakes.
The stress ball of the ‘90s, this slippery plastic oddity was designed to alleviate anxiety and boredom. While the strange toy is simple in its design – it’s just goop wrapped in plastic that endlessly slides into itself in your hands – something about it just made you never want to put it down.
For ‘90s kids, our first experience of a portable digital device came in the form of a Tamagotchi egg complete with a pixelated pet to take care of. What made this toy weird is the fact that we got so much joy from doing mundane tasks like cleaning up pixelated poop!
This glossy clay looks cooler than the famous Play-Doh and had a tad more versatility. Kids (and kids at heart) can put their imaginations to work, forming different shapes, designs, and characters.
If you’re a die-hard fan of Barbie and you’re a 90s kid, your parents must have bought you this two-foot-tall plastic doll. Thankfully, this came long before the release of films like Annabelle!
Only 90’s girls will recognize this cute toy designed to keep secrets safe. Raise your hand if you owned one of these cool diaries!
Did anyone in the ‘90s not have at least one Beanie Baby? These bean-filled toys are so cute that we all went crazy over them.