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As the days grow shorter and the temperature drops, I’ve been forced to face the fact that my senior year of college is almost half way complete. As I reflect back on my college career and everything else that brought me to where I am today (including yesterday’s late-night paper writing session), I can’t help but think about the much simpler times of childhood and the toys that went along with it.
Kids today are bombarded with commercials advertising all the latest games and toys. Most of it is based around a game system or some kind of technology. For the children of the 90’s, things were a bit different. While you can probably find most of these toys on Ebay, the children of the 21st century should be feel sorry they missed out on these popular 90’s toys.
Furby
The Furby is definitely a unique toy. Launched during the 1998 holiday season, the minds behind Furby went on to sell 40 million units, which were translated into 24 languages. The strange hamster-owl hybrid had a number of different requests, including one very demanding “FEED ME.” I’ll never forget how much I annoyed my parents to get me a Furby for Christmas — so much so, that my dad was on the phone with Toys R Us at some absurd hour of the morning on the day a new batch of fur balls were to be released. Once I had my all-white Furby in my hands (quite similar to the one in the picture), this toy that I had waited so long for kind of lost its appeal. It would wake me up in the middle of the night and spontaneously start talking. I can’t say I would welcome a Furby back into my home, but I think the same kids running around singing Hannah Montana songs would like a little white Furby to call their own.
Pogs
My favorite slammer was pink and had silver stars. I had Pogs with Disney characters on them and Pogs with flowers. In fact, I think I still have a couple of them in my room at home somewhere. You could play Pogs anywhere. There was no game system or electricity needed, just a friend with a similar affinity for these colorful cardboard circles and a flat surface.
Tamagotchi
The Tamagotchi was the first digital pet and came in a variety of color combinations. First sold in 1996, the egg shaped device was so high maintenance, I remember trying to get my mom to feed it while I was at school out of fear it would die and my world would come crashing down around me (I was a little dramatic).
Skip-it
Having fun while exercising. What a novel concept. Instead of sitting on the couch playing video games, maybe kids should start using a skip-it again. I spent so much time outside trying to beat my high score for rotations. After my first skip-it, they came out with new models that lit up and made noise. I might have to make a trip to Toys R Us later…
Beanie Babies
To this day I can’t figure out what made these tiny animals so addictive. I have easily over 300 of these creatures sitting in a box in my parent’s attic at this very moment. I still even have some in a fancy plastic case in my room. Ty Inc. launched Beanie Babies in 1993 and the furry friends eventually rose in popularity in the mid to late 90’s. The closest thing I can think of to Beanie Babies on the market today would be Webkinz, but they definitely don’t have the same pull as Beanie Babies did. Who knows, maybe they’ll make a comeback.
The Pokémon Franchise
It’s embarrassing to think about how well versed I was in all things Pokémon about 10 years ago. I had the cards, the games, the movie, the movie soundtrack and just a general love for Pikachu and his friends. Pokémon was truly the first franchise to cover everything. Before Disney took over and Miley’s face was plastered all over, Pokémon held the attention of millions of children, including my own.
Dream Phone
If there is one thing about Dream Phone that I will never forget, it’s that everyone loved the same guy. My friends and I would fight over this handsome stud’s card and I’m pretty sure we had all developed a pretty unhealthy crush on him. I can’t think of another toy on the market today that encourages girls to be boy crazy in the same way Dream Phone does. I can still hear the phone’s response when you found the right guy for you: “You’re right! I really like you.”
If only it were that easy…
