20 Toys Every ’90s Kid Just Had to Have
If you were a kid of the ’90s I know what you wanted as gifts. Here’s why: we all wanted the same things. I’m sure there’s a study to be done on ’90s commercials and the hypnotic power of Nickelodeon, but really, it just felt like everything that existed back then was awesome and absolutely necessary. What they were selling, I was begging my parents to buy, if you know what I mean.
Here’s a rundown of 20 toys from the ‘90s we were always asking for—and sometimes got!
1. Tamagotchi
This little guy was an electronic keychain that doubled as a pet you had to take care of. I remember playing with mine all of Christmas day and a week following. . . and then shoving it in a drawer and letting the battery ran out. RIP Tamagatchi.
2. Talk Boy
All ‘90s kids worship Kevin McCallister. That’s just a fact. So when he rolled out with a Talk Boy, it was ALL I wanted. Let me be clear, I was personally offended by the existence of the Talk Girl as a 7-year-old and would have refused it had I received it. Luckily for me, I never got a Talk Boy OR Girl.
3. Pillow People aka Those Stuffed Animals That Were Actually Windows
I never quite understood the concept behind these guys but I wanted one because another idol of mine, DJ Tanner, had one.
4. Gak
I recently described this as “Remember, that stuff Nickelodeon made that was gross to touch and you made it make fart sounds?” I think that description is pretty accurate, actually.
5. American Girl Dolls
I felt like EVERYONE I knew had an American Girl doll except me. I remember asking for one—I didn’t even really read the books—and getting the Samantha book instead. Obviously, as a small brunette, she was my favorite but I just wanted a giant doll, guys!
6. Game Gear
I was a Sega kid through and through so as soon as Game Gear came out, I NEEDED one.
And I, thankfully, got it, though since I get very car sick, I could only occasionally play it on road trips and mostly had to save it for when I was motionless.
7. Anything Related to the Show Dinosaurs
I just discovered Dinosaurs is on Netflix and I now know how I want to spend my time, forever and always. I could have received any toy related to this show and been ecstatic!
8. Trolls
Duh, duh, duh. I recently found my troll collection and it is, IMO, spectacular.
9. Creepy Crawlers
If you read that in the voice of the Creepy Crawlers theme song, congrats—we’re soulmates. I had this and it smelled gross to make. I mostly hate bugs, but it was pretty fun to pour that goop into the little trays and cook them.
10. Beanie Babies
I never really got into Beanie Babies, but that didn’t mean I was going to turn down my Erin one (that’s the all-green one with a shamrock on its chest). My parents even got a little plastic protector thing for the tag because as we all knew, they were going to be worth a lot of money one day. Sure.
11. Skip-It
For a semi-uncoordinated person like me, Skip-It was a challenge—but one I was up for. I could have played with it for hours.
12. ANY Electronic Diary
The one time I got in trouble in middle school was an electronic diary-related incident and I still get anxious and embarrassed thinking about it.
13. Moon Shoes
I mean, come on. No brainer.
14. Rollerblades
Once you graduated from those keep-your-sneakers-on roller skates, roller blades came out and it was fantastic. I even had a Barbie that had rollerblades. Perfect.
15. Power Wheels
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2Kx1rnt1UkA
I never had one of my own and when my cousins got one, I was too big for it. But you better believe I still rode in it, because it was THAT important.
16. POGs
Also still have my POG collection and it’s weirdly still growing since my friend sent me some Simpsons ones recently. I don’t remember actually PLAYING the game but I still had a ton of slammers and POGs.
17. Slap Bracelets
I think slap bracelets got banned in every school, right? It was definitely outlawed at mine. I loved them then and I love them now, as I currently own not one but two slap bracelets.
18. Discman
You needed a Discman if you wanted to listen to your CDs on the road. It wasn’t as convenient as a Walkman, but it was just as cool. You just had to remember to buy the one with the no skip feature. That was KEY.
19. Electronic Dream Phone
This board game was very important in any young girl’s life. I played it at every sleepover I went to until I graduated to a Ouija board.
20. Mall Madness
Similarly, I owned Mall Madness and was obsessed with it. Too bad shopping IRL isn’t as easy as it was in that game.
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