Throwback: The Coolest Fashion Accessories of the 90's/2000's!

Photo by Cookie the Pom on Unsplash

We all love a good throwback, don’t we? I know I do! Especially when the world seems crazy and complicated (which again, if you’re reading this in the future, it’s 2020. I hope that explains our current world status). But one of the many things I was thinking about lately, was the fashion back in the late 90’s/early 2000’s. Remember how it was a much simpler, bright, and shiny time? We loved our plastic (especially see-through plastic) and our colors! So futuristic and so new millennium! (And we loved our glitter! And things shaped like butterflies! Why did we think bug-shaped things were so cute??) And let’s not forget those cute shirts with all of those sassy slogans on them! “Queen of the Universe” written in Star Wars font and other slogans and sayings we thought were so cool and clever (looking back they’re oh so cringey!). And despite our futuristic looks, it was also a total throwback time, when 1960’s fashion reared it’s groovy head and platform shoes and sandals came back into style (thanks, Spice Girls!) and so did tie-die and peace signs. Even flared jeans came back into play, which I have to say was quite dangerous, as it made riding a bike very difficult (I’m not saying I ever got my jeans stuck in the pedals and spokes of my bike multiple times. Ahem).

But you know what was even more fun than the fashion? The accessories! As mentioned above, butterflies reigned supreme and so did peace signs and smiley faces. We stuck those on every piece of jewelry and accessories that we could!! So let’s take a fun look back (because I really need this right now, and maybe you do too) at the very, very cool 90’s/2000’s accessories we all loved and wanted as kids and tweens!

(I’m still jealous of everyone who got to shop at Limited Too all the time as a kid! I literally only went there once and that was because I begged for a gift card from there for my birthday so I could finally have a shirt from Limited Too like all the other girls did. I was able to get one on sale and wore it as often as I could in the hopes that people would think I was cool. Sigh. Memories!)

My everything back in the day. I wanted my entire wardrobe to be from there. Still kind of do, in a way.

If you haven’t read my latest throwback post where I talk about the raddest foods from the 90’s/2000’s, you can read it here!

Water Glitter Bracelets

Was there an official name for these? I don’t know, but I loved them! They could add a bit of colorful pizazz and swishy glitter to any boring outfit and make you look oh so cool. Mine never leaked, but the water would always eventually dry up, and I would be left with plastic bracelets just filled with glitter. Not as cool!

Butterfly Hair Clips

Oh, the butterfly clips! The epitome of 90’s/2000’s fashion! Who did not want to twist their hair into teeny tiny twists and then hold them in place with these sharp little glittery butterfly clips? (Lord help you if you stepped on one! They were right up there with stepping on Legos!) They may have been uncomfortable to wear, but fashion is worth the pain! Or, at least we thought so back then!

Shiny and Glittery Butterfly Hair Clips 

Not at all to be confused with butterfly clips, these special hair clips were in a league of their own (sooo much fancier and grown up!). They were usually silver and shiny  but also could come in other bright colors, and, if course, they all had glitter on them. The fun bit is that they were bigger than regular butterfly clips, and their wings were on spring like things, so the wings moved whenever you did a super cute hair toss (you know you attempted that at least once!)

Plastic Inflatable Bags

Remember how I said that we loved our plastic fashion back in the 90’s/2000’s? It must have been something so futuristic about colorful, almost see-through like plastic (much like the see-through plastic phone and colorful Mac computers!) and wearing them on your back as a backpack or dressing up with one that was a purse. I remember wanting a plastic inflatable CD case with water and glitter in it (of course). Never got one, but that’s just as well. Who has a CD collection anymore?? (Well, I did back in the day. And mine would have looked so cool in one of those CD holders!)

Jelly Shoes

There's that plastic again! And glitter! And together they made jelly shoes! (Also, do these count as a fashion accessory? I’ll just say yes!) The most uncomfortable, blister-inducing shoes and sandals to ever be put on your feet, but dang it if they weren't so cute. Also, who can forget that plastic-y smell and squeak of the shoes as you walked around? Bonus points if yours had glitter in them or if you had multiple pairs of them! (You lucky thing, you!)

Slap Bracelets

Beauty is pain and so was 90's/2000's fashion (as we have learned above). So why not accessorize with something that will literally slap you around the wrist but is also a bracelet?? But it was okay, because that painful plastic was covered with cute, bright patterns and was oh so snazzy and in. Bonus points if you asked your frenemy if they wanted your slap bracelet and you could slap it on their wrist really, really hard. All in the name of friendship! “Want my slap bracelet?” “Sure! Ow!” “Oops! Sorrrrryyyyyyy, bestiiiiieeeee!” (Friendships were so complicated and fraught when we were young!)

Plastic Tattoo Chokers

I don’t know how these came into fashion (and how they came back into fashion now!), but these were. The. Coolest! You could get a black one to wear around your neck, or they had rainbow colored ones too. They even had one for the tops of your arms (very Pamela Anderson) and ones for your fingers too! Maybe it was the taboo nature of wearing something that resembled a tribal tattoo (so risque then!), but if you had one of these, you were a fierce fashionista who also might have had a little bit of a rebel in you. (But it was so sad when these stretched out and broke! Or if they had a charm on them and then the charm fell OFF! So tragique!)

Friendship Necklaces

Were you really best friends if you didn’t give each other a friendship necklace? I mean, how else would anyone know you and your friend were best friends for life?? These were the perfect items to buy at Claire’s and give to your bestie, and came in so many different types of hearts, shapes, colors, and more. They even came in bracelets and keychains! But nothing was worse than seeing your best friend wearing one half of a friendship necklace that you didn’t give them! The horror and heartbreak! Being a 90’s/2000’s kid was so tough!

Mood Rings

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Tweenage years can be difficult and tumultuous. That’s why wearing mood rings made it so easy to tell how you were feeling at any given time. Did your ring turn blue, purple, or green? That all meant something! But only if you had your handy dandy mood ring color guide. If you lost that, then you didn’t even know what you felt! (Except you had a really cool ring that changed colors. At least you had that!)

Yin and Yang and Smiley Face Jewelry

Remember how I said that the 1960’s had a comeback in the late 90’s/early 2000’s? Well, what’s more 60’s than a smiley face? Nothing says peace, love, and happiness like a bright yellow face with black features! And for some reason yin and yang, peace signs, and other "alternative" symbols like that were in (probably another nod to the 60's hippie culture!) and were on necklaces, bracelets, earrings, shirts, you know it. Groovy, man! 

Zig Zag-Headbands

Now, headbands have always been around, but what if you had a headband that was plastic, stretchy, and also pulled your hair back in this weird design and made it nearly impossible to get it out of your hair without it getting hopelessly tangled? Obviously some fashion executive thought that in the late 90’s and early 2000's and thought it was the best hair accessory ever and we thought the exact same thing! These were one of the coolest hair accessories that any girl could rock (besides butterfly clips). I totally (attempted to) rocked this look and I probably failed miserably, because looking back, why did we want our hair to look like this??? (I think that is one question we’d have to ask our past selves and we’d still never know)

Mini Backpacks

Okay, these were probably the status symbol of my childhood. I know you might be saying Beanie Babies were, but they was the toy status symbol. Mini backpacks were the fashion accessory status symbol. It was like a step-up into being an adult: not quite a purse, but a small, fashionable backpack to hold all of your important...things. If you had a mini backpack, you had the coolest fashion accessory. And if you had more than one mini backpack, well, I am very jealous of you, and I am currently over the age of 30. I personally only had one mini backpack, but, oh, how I treasured it! It was a plastic (of course) see-through (of course) Tweety Bird (random) mini backpack that I used to hold my watermelon Jolly Ranchers. If I wasn't the epitome of late 90's, early 2000's chic...well, honestly I wasn't, but let's just pretend I was! It would make my whole child/tween/teenhood so much easier to remember that way! And way less awkward to look back on, honestly.

And those were some of my favorite fashion accessories from the 90's and 2000's! Isn't it weird that some of these fashions have come back into actual fashion? My friend's little sister was showing me her mini backpack and I thought, "fashion really is a cycle! I should have saved that Tweety Bird backpack!" (Even though it was plastic and basically fell apart/melted). I've also seen girls rocking the black tattoo chokers too! So strange! Who would have thought 90's fashion and accessories would be in...again??

What were some of your favorite accessories from the 90's/2000's? Did you have a mini backpack? Did you rock those iconic butterfly clips or water glitter bracelets? Let me know in the comments, and if I missed anything else from the 90’s/2000’s! (Should I have included Heelys??) Also, what fashion accessory from 2020 will make a comeback in the future? (Hopefully the entire year will never make a comeback again. 2020 can go back to hell from whence it came!)

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Throwback: 13 of the Most Rad Foods From the 90's/2000's!

Photo by Sarah Takforyan on Unsplash

I don’t know about you, but right now in life seems like a good time for a trip down memory lane!

Remember when Trix cereal was still shaped like fruit? Those were the days! Sometimes I miss being a 90’s kid. Not necessarily for the 90’s component of fashion or trends (we don’t need the Bedazzler to make a comeback), but for those carefree times of being a kid. When all you did was go to school, then play and eat and drink all the sugariest snacks known to mankind while watching Saturday morning cartoons! The 90’s were just really a special, glucose and corn syrup-centric time, and an artificially colored world, without all of these fancy-schmancy organic and all natural snacks for kids now. (Which is wonderful, but let’s not forget to treat the little ones to candy or sugary snacks every once in a while so they know what taste is!) And yes, while the 90’s have had a resurgence (French Toast Crunch is back and so are scrunchies and mom jeans, and apparently Dunkaroos??? Which I honestly don’t remember ever eating, but I must have, right?? Then what kind of 90's kid was I??), some of these foods I’m going to list have gone away and are probably never coming back! I am literally still in mourning over some of these snacks. Especially the last one. Bring it back to the U.S., Coca-Cola! I know you still sell it in other parts of the world! I know it…

So 90’s kids (and other young whippersnappers!), please enjoy this total nostalgia trip of 90’s kid’s food!

Also, disclaimer: I know some of these foods are still available in stores even now, but to me, they really encompass the taste of my childhood in the 90’s, so I apologize for them not being 90’s exclusive! But even if they still make them today, their essence is still oh so 90’s/2000’s.

If you haven’t read my latest throwback post about my favorite toys from the 90’s/2000’s, click here to read it! It’s a total blast from the past!

Fruit By the Foot and Fruit Roll Ups

Yes, you can still buy these, but they definitely don’t have the same feel and nostalgia as they used to when we were kids. Trust me. But the big question as a kid was: were you more a Fruit By the Foot kid, or a Fruit Roll Up kid? I personally loved Fruit Roll Ups. You got to unroll them, plus, a lot of them had multi-flavored and multi-colored parts (for that fun tie-dye effect!), and you could punch out different shapes! (My favorite were the ones that were pizza shaped, and you could punch out all the toppings/slices, to make a fruity pizza sticky snack that was possibly even more unhealthy than actually pizza) So much more fun than just unrolling a sticky Fruit by the Foot that probably wasn’t even an actual foot in length! Lame! (I’d still eat it if given the chance though!)

Fruit Gushers

Oh man, Fruit Gushers were so awesome! They were fruit snacks, but with some weird, liquid-y corn syrup flavoring in the middle. Did they gush when bit into them? No. Did they all stick together when you tried to take one out of the pack? Well, yes. And no, they didn’t turn your head into different fruits like in the commercial, but honestly, that was terrifying, so I’m glad they didn’t. But talk about currency in the cafeteria! If you had one of these in your lunchbox, your mom was super cool!

Lunchables

Oh, Lunchables. How I lusted after you! Back when I was younger, they only had the turkey and cheese with crackers kind, but that didn’t matter. The fact that you could put your own little lunch together and it came with a drink and dessert? It was the perfect meal! You were basically a gourmet chef when putting your lunch together! Then they branched out into Lunchables pizzas (which you ate cold, so eww) and Lunchables nachos (again, cheese that you can heat up? Yuck), but that siren call of a drink and a dessert while you masterfully prepare your own lunch was such a siren call to a kid and such a status symbol in the school cafeteria!

Handisnacks

Okay, I know this one is gross, but hear me out. I used to love these things! (Which is ironic because I hate most processed cheese products now). Whether it was the little cracker breadsticks with the cheese dip or the crackers and the red stick to spread the cheese-like concoction on the crackers that came in those little divided clear plastic containers, I found these oh so yummy! I literally used to ration the cheese spread so I could eat that last. I know, I know. I’m disgusted just at the memory, but that’s how good I thought they were! I saw that they still sell them at the store and I was tempted to try one for old time’s sake, but maybe it’s just better to leave some memories- and tastes- in the past.

Otterpops

If you didn’t have Otterpops in the summertime, did you even do summer right as a kid? I have no idea why their little mascots were otters, but I loved how they had cute punny names (“Little Orphan Orange” for the orange one though everyone went after the blue raspberry flavor, let’s be honest) and there was nothing better than cooling down on a hot day with one of these sugary frozen ice pops. Sure, the knockoffs were pretty good too, but nothing could beat the real Otterpops! (Not an ad, just a fan!)

Amazing Fruit Gummy Bears

We all know Haribo and Black Forest gummy bears (and other shapes they produce) are the kings of gummies, but do you remember Amazing Fruit Gummy Bears? Because I do! They came in a blue rectangular bag and had the cutest gummy bear mascots! Were they the best gummy bears out there? I honestly don’t remember, but they were so iconic for the times that I kind of wish they would come back so I could taste them and see if they were really as good as I thought they were! (Though no one is coming for Haribo!)

Hi-C Ecto Cooler Juice Boxes

For some reason, this flavor of juice box was so, so popular. And for a good reason. It obviously came out when Ghostbusters or Ghostbusters 2 came out (because it had Slimer on the box and also the Ecto thing in the name), but this flavor really stuck around for a long while after the movies were released. And I can see why: it was so delicious! It was a citrus-y orange flavor that was so addicting, that you just had to have it with your lunch at school. I remember sucking these boxes dry and being so sad when all of the juice was gone. I actually used to blow into the empty juice box and then squeeze it to pretend like I was putting on Ecto Cooler flavored perfume. Yes, I was a weird kid and am still a weird person.

Creme Savers

You guys. Creme Savers! Do any of you remember these??? They were hard candies that were either orange creme or strawberry creme flavored and they tasted so, so good! Literally the perfect mix of creamy and fruitiness! Plus, the swirl design on them was so much fun. They were like a younger, hipper butterscotch hard candy for the youth, and I loved them for it, so watching them be discontinued was like a knife in my young gut. Can we start a petition to bring them back, please??

EZ Squirt Colored Ketchup

There was this time back in the late 90’s/2000’s where some corporate exec thought they knew exactly what kids wanted and thought, “what if we took something normal colored...and changed it to a DIFFERENT color???” And guess what? They were right! Kids like me where super into it...until they actually got it and then had to eat it. I remember wanting the EZ Squirt Colored Ketchup so badly and then when I actually got it (purple, of course), I was so weirded out by it! It tasted exactly the same but the fact that it was purple (and I think it also came in blue and maybe green...?) was just so...icky! It just goes to show that kids think they know what they want and then when they actually get it… they change their minds real fast! (Also, does anyone else remember colored sunscreen? It would be blue or purple and then when you rubbed it onto your skin the color would vanish! We really loved different colored things in the 90’s/2000’s!)

3-D Doritos

What with personal computers and the internet and the new millennium being all the rage in the late 90’s and early 2000’s, 3-D was also big! We had 3-D animated movies like Pixar and video games now had 3-D, not 2-D graphic designs. So why not take a flat, practically two dimensional boring chip and make it...3-D?? And that’s exactly what Doritos did! Pretty much a puff (aka the 3-D part) with three sides to represent a Dorito chip, these came in plastic canisters (sooo much cooler and more high tech than a bag!) for easy snackage (I mean, you’re always on AOL so you need a snack that’s handy and quick to eat while you ask A/S/L in chatrooms). Did these taste better than regular Doritos? No, but the shape made them novel and made us feel like we were in the future! And that was kind of all that mattered back in the day!

Orbitz

My questions for this drink are: Why? How? Who? What gave you the right? And why did we think this was so cool? Now we all know boba with its tapioca balls is a pretty popping (no pun intended) drink. But Orbitz was on a whole other level! It must have been because of the nearing year 2000, where we imagined either the world was going to end or technology was going to be so advanced that it was going to affect our food and drink. Enter, Orbitz! The weirdest, most random drink ever known to man. It was basically a fruit flavored drink, non-carbonated, with these odd, small floating colored balls inside. It pretty much looked like a drinkable lava lamp (which did have a resurgence in the 90’s/2000’s!). They were the hippest thing when they came out and I remember someone let me have a sip of theirs, and it was honestly the most confusing thing I’ve ever tasted. All I can think of is that we thought it was kind of space-y and futuristic, and this being the new millennium, we were all for it! Not surprisingly though, it was discontinued. I guess it’s just boba for us millennials now!

Berry Berry Kix

You guys, I really miss this cereal! Every time I go to the cereal aisle at the store and see the regular Kix cereal, I always remember Berry Berry Kix. Not only did it taste yummy and berry-ish, but the berry cereal was just colored Kix all stuck together to look like a group of berries! So adorable! Kix is an okay cereal, a bit boring and plain, but Berry Berry Kix really elevated that mild flavor with some sweet tartness that was just perfection. Am I starting multiple petitions now to bring some of these foods back?

Fruitopia

And I saved the best for last. If I were to wish anything on this list to come back it would be Fruitopia. In case you never had the pleasure or honor to delight in these delicious drinks (if so, I feel so, so sad for you), they were made by Coca-Cola and were fruit flavored beverages packed with Vitamin C (aka the easiest vitamin to put into any food or drink) and they were so so so so good! I seriously cannot tell you how yummy these drinks were! They came in so many different flavors, but my favorite one was green. Which after doing much research, I figured out that that flavor was called Kiwiberry Ruckus. These drinks were so popular back in the day, that they had vending machines of it everywhere! I remember visiting Disneyland and getting a Fruitopia drink! I remember visiting a farm somewhere in Amish country and stumbling upon a Fruitopia vending machine! I remember there’s even a shot in the movie Independence Day in the very beginning where you can actually see a Fruitopia vending machine! (Seriously, look out for it next time you watch that American 4th of July classic!) I was so sad when these drinks were discontinued back in 2003, but I heard a rumor that they still sell them somewhere in Asia, and one day, I want to find out if that’s true. Because these drinks need to come back and I know I was joking about petitions, but I will literally make one and have people sign it and send it off to Coca-Cola to make this happen! Who’s with me??

The best flavor EVER! Don't at me.

Those were just some of my favorite foods, snacks, and drinks from the 90’s and 2000’s! I know I probably missed a bunch of them, but these were the ones that stood out most in my mind and reminded me most of my childhood. Ah, I wish I could go back and eat and drink these foods without that knowledge of what all of the ingredients are doing to my insides. Those truly were the days!

Let me know what foods from your childhood were your favorites or if you recognized or liked any of the foods on my list! And what classic 90’s foods/snacks/drinks did I miss?? Also, should I do a part two list?? Because as I was looking for the images for all of these foods, I came across so many more foods from back in the day that I could have included! Oh, the memories!

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Throwback: 12 Of My Favorite Toys From the 90's/2000's!

Photo by Angelina on Unspash

Ah, childhood. We all have such nostalgia for when we were younger, no matter what age or generation we came from. Times were just simpler then. We didn’t have to work, pay bills, pay taxes, or buy groceries, or just worry about life in general like we all do now (why is that a thing? Who decided that adulting should be so complicated and difficult? I’d like to have a word with them!) All we had to do was go to school and then play. And playing was the best. Whether it was just being creative and using our imagination or playing with toys and using our imaginations, you have to admit, that there was something magical about toys from the 90’s and 2000’s (or at least I think so!). It was right on the cusp of old school toys and technology, so we had the both of best worlds. A magical, wonderful mix of toys that were both classic and modern and just perfect for us grown up millennials.

Here are a few of my very favorite toys from when I was a kid back in the 90’s (and I’m just adding the 2000’s, just in case. There was a bit of a crossover back in the late 90’s and early 2000’s, plus, my memory isn’t what it used to be. Not that I’m old. I just...have better things to remember now! Good save, self!)

Barbies

I swear, I had this Barbie as a kid! Remember how those birds that balanced on your fingers were a thing then??

Oh, Barbie. We loved you and yet had no idea how bad you were for our body image later on. But you had the most fashion forward outfits and hair (at the time), the neatest accessories, and the coolest jobs ever! (Who else could be an astronaut, ice skater, Olympic gymnast, teacher, and a doctor? Only Barbie!) Thanks to Barbie, her forever boyfriend Ken, her friends and family (why did Barbie have so many sisters? Skipper, Kelly, and probably more? Who were her parents and why did they keep popping out kids?), we were able to imagine fantastic scenarios with our friends and create our own little almost grown-up worlds. And who can forget dreaming of owning a Barbie Dreamhouse with a freaking elevator? I’m still jealous of any girl who had that growing up! And who could forget that wonderful plastic smell when you opened up a brand new Barbie from her box. Ah. There was nothing like it!

Pound Puppies & Pound Purries

Look at those sad, "adopt me!" puppy dog eyes. No wonder all of us millennials love our pets more than our significant others!

To be fair, I believe these toys were first released in the 80’s but I remember loving them in the 90’s! These sad, big eyed puppies and kittens all needed homes and would look at you desperately and lovingly from their cardboard kennels in the toy section. How could you not want to adopt one and take one home? I remember having both Pound Puppies and Pound Purries and loving them to no end. It’s also made me realize why I now want to adopt every stray animal I see as an adult and give them a home. Damn you, Pound Puppies and Purries! I don’t have enough money for all that kibble!

Tamagotchi & Nano Pets

I think the secret jobs of Nano Pets and Tamagotchis were to really train us to take care of ourselves as adults. Sadly, in real life, we can't start over and get a new life- I mean, pet.

Now here we get to the early and wonderful technology of the 90’s/2000’s! Stuffed animals like Pound Puppies were cool and all, but what if you could take that animal and make it a digital little pet of black pixels on a screen in a round piece of plastic that was also a keychain, and play with it, clean up after it, and feed it through a series of pressing little buttons? Even better! Tamagotchis and Nano Pets were all the rage when I was in grade school and all the coolest kids had them. I remember wanting one so bad, but I really wanted a Nano Pet, since you could pick your animal, whereas Tamagotchis were little alien creatures (or so I remember). Then I finally got a Nano Pet on one of my birthdays from a classmate and it was- a Nano baby. A little disappointed, I still relished the idea of having my own Nano Pet. It was such a status symbol! And then I lost it. I lost my Nano Baby. I think this may be the reason I don’t want kids. I’d just lose them like I lost my Nano Baby. Gosh, I hope she’s doing alright. She must be in her twenties by now! They grow up so fast...

Sky Dancers

She's beauty, she's grace, she'll fly up into your face and take your eye out- said all of our moms.

 If you don’t know what a Sky Dancer is, I’m so, so sorry. A Sky Dancer was the coolest toy from my childhood (well, one of them anyway) and it was basically a fairy (or a water nymph or something very girly and cutesy) with wings that were located in the front and back, and when you put her on her base, you could pull a string and she’d spin around and around, lifting off and flying around with her wings spread out. They were very hard to control, but also so much fun to set flying. This was also another must have toy and status symbol of being a kid. “Oh, you have one Sky Dancer? That’s cute, I have five!” Also, if you can find it, please check out the video of the little girl playing with her Sky Dancer and it flying into the fireplace. It makes me laugh so hard every time.

Skip-It

This was a legit toy and the outfit this girl was wearing was legit too. At the time. Now, I can't vouch for it. But scrunchies are back in style, so who's laughing now?

No no, this isn’t a cousin to the Bop-It (though that was also a cool- and frustrating- toy back in the day!). The Skip-It was the cool version of a jump rope, where you put the round plastic ring around your foot, and swung the ball type thing at the end around your feet, using your outer leg to skip over ball. If you were really cool, you had the kind with the counter on it, which counts every time you skipped over the ball. And guess what- mine had the counter on it. Oh yeah. I was a pretty awesome kid back then! The only problem with Skip-Its was when you missed the skip and the hard ball slammed into the back of your heel or your shin. OUCH.

Polly Pocket

I had this exact one as a kid and the fact that it lit up (batteries not included!) made it even more special! Plus the gazebo lit up too. I love gazebos.

A classic. What little 90's girl didn’t want or have at least one or two Polly Pocket toys? I know I had quite a few (thanks to hand me downs from my older sister). Each Polly Pocket came in either a shell like case (or another fun shaped case) and opened up into a small scene or scenario. Think Cinderella-esque castle that lit up and came with a princess and a prince (see above), or a pool park with a lazy river and little moving rides (I also had that one!). Each Polly Pocket character was teeny-tiny and bent at the waist and was a total choking hazard, which was why years later they redid Miss Polly and friends and made her bigger, so she could now wear different items of clothing. But it just doesn't match the mini-magic worlds that Little Polly and those Pockets held.

Littlest Pet Shop

I swear, I had a few Littlest Pet Shop cat/kitten sets, a bird cage one, a bunny burrow one, and a hamster one. I loved that the cat ones usually came with litter boxes AND a scratching post. How realistic! But where's the pooper scooper? And the vet bill(s)?

If you were anything like me as a kid, when you grew up, you either wanted to be an artist or a veterinarian (those two go hand in hand, obviously). Or a close second, you wanted to own a pet store! (Even though now we know to adopt, not shop, when choosing a pet!) But the Littlest Pet Shop toys certainly made me want to be the proud business owner of a pet store that sold animals of all kinds, including dogs, cats, birds, rabbits, fish, probably reptiles and probably even some weird exotic ones too, like arctic creatures such as whales and penguins. The toys were all super cute and small and you could buy them as a set of one animal toy with accessories, or even a set with parts of the store or little habitats for your animals. They still sell Littlest Pet Shop toys, but sadly they’ve had a makeover and are now bigger (again, must have been a choking hazard thing again!) with weird, large eyes and overly large heads, too. Sigh. Remember when we used to make toys look like the actual animals they actually resemble? Kids these days!

Quints

I don't remember the Quints AND bed sold separately! What a scam! Anyway, MY Quints toys were brunettes. Just FYI.

How do I describe Quints? They were the strangest concept and yet so popular! They were a set of five, very small baby dolls, a mix of boy and girl dolls (sometimes. Or maybe some were all girls or all boys? Who knows!), and they were quintuplets. Why any child would want to play with five tiny baby siblings confuses me now, but I remember loving my Quints dolls! In the box, they all came in one bed, and mine were a special kind where you could feed them water from a bottle and then they “peed” out the water. I thoroughly enjoyed feeding them, sans diaper, and just enjoyed watching the water come out their bottoms. Weird? Yes. But then again, I was a weird child. I also loved tucking them into that giant bed that they all shared, which thinking about that now, seems very unsafe for five babies. But I guess five individual cribs would not have been as cute.

Beanie Babies

I never had a Beanie Baby bear, but oh did I want one. But what kind of kid wanted the Jerry Garcia bear? Except for me, the daughter of a Grateful dead fan. I love my dad, but I really don't understand him.

Beanie Babies!!!! The holy grail of 90’s and 2000’s toys! They took the world by storm and not just kids! Adults were in on the action too! The adults were all for Beanie Babies for their value (because apparently everyone thought that Beanie Babies would be the equivalent of gold bars in the not-so-distant future), but kids were all for collecting. You had to have one of each and as many as you could. I didn’t have the biggest collection of them, but I treasured each and every one of them as if they were holy relics of some bygone saint that grants miracles. I even had the clear display boxes and tag protectors! Sadly, Beanie Babies did not increase in value over time, and my collection slowly disappeared as I lost interest and gave them away. But I will never forget that rush of getting a new Beanie Baby and adding it to my collection. Plus, who could forget the adorable names they all had plus the cute little poems that were included on each tag??

Pocahontas EVERYTHING

I had this doll! And a Pocahontas lunchbox that I sadly can't find a picture of but it was really cool, you guys!

If you thought Frozen was a phenomenon now, then you weren’t a kid in the 90’s when Pocahontas came out. It was the sh*t. And I mean that in the best way possible, considering that the movie was incredibly historically inaccurate and actually very disrespectful to Pocahontas’s actual true and tragic story (I guess they tried to make up for that in the sequel but apparently that flopped because it leaned more towards the truth. No one wants that, right?). I remember being obsessed with the movie. My very first CD I ever owned was the Pocahontas soundtrack. I had Pocahontas hiking boots, a Pocahontas lunch box, and a Pocahontas Barbie doll. I was Pocahontas obsessed and is probably the reason why I still want a pet raccoon, despite them being very troublesome, but cute, pets. And illegal where I live. Dang it!

Pokemon Cards

Apparently, there's a game to be played with these, not just to collect them. Huh.

Gotta catch ‘em all! And boy did we try back in the day! Even if you didn’t play the card game, you had to collect the cards, regardless of whether you understood it or not (okay, so I knew some of the Pokemon monsters/creatures/things and watched the show sometimes, but the cards were where it was at). All us kids really knew was that some of the cards were valuable, and we needed all of the cards. You were pretty cool (and organized) if you had your cards in a really cool binder with clear card holders so you could display your super rare and holographic cards for all to see. The whole thing was such a phenomenon that it spawned toys, movies, golden Pokemon cards in their own Pokeballs at Burger King (yes, I had one and cherished it), soundtracks featuring the best late 90’s pop artists EVER (Baby Spice, B*Witched, M2M, anyone?). And it still blows my mind to this day that Pokemon is back and better than ever with kids like it was back in my day. Maybe not with cards, but with Pokemon Go, memorabilia, collectibles, toys, and the Detective Pickachu movie- Pokemon lives on! (And probably never really went away, I just didn’t realize it. I guess the world doesn't revolve around me and my interests, sadly.)

Sand Art

Was there a point to this? Who knows! But it was soooo cool at the time!

Okay, this is a weird one, but I needed to include it! As a kid, amongst all the other toys I loved, I also was obsessed with craft making kits. Whether it was that weird pot-holder kit that almost every kid had and parents begrudgingly used them (not because they didn’t love their kids, but because the pot-holder themselves were so misshapen and ugly) and friendship bracelet kids (or if you were really lucky- make your own lip gloss or candy kits!), kits were my jam! (Yet there were no jam making kit for kids. Huh. Lost opportunity there.) I loved being creative as a kid and kits were my way of expressing myself in a total company manufactured way. But one of the kits I most remember from my youth were sand art kits! Essentially, the kit came with multiple plastic bottles of varying sizes and shapes, and with packs of different colored sand. You could then pour the sand, layer by layer, with a funnel, into the bottles, making different layered designs. What were you supposed to do with these beautifully colored bottles after you popped the plastic cork in ‘em? I guess just display your wonderful artistic talent for putting different colored sand in bottles in a somewhat pretty pattern? Also, some of the bottles were small and could be made into necklaces, which is something I’m sure every kid wanted to wear and none of the colored sand ever spilled out. The 90’s were a weird time, you guys.

Those were just twelve of some of the toys I could think of (I’m sure if I had given myself more time I could have come up with so many more toys!) that I loved as a kid back in the 90's/2000's! These posts are always such a trip down memory lane and reminds me of how much toys have changed from then and till now (I feel like all the toys they have today talk and make noise. With waaaay better technology. These lucky kiddos nowadays!) Plus, it’s amazing to realize how important toys were in our lives! They really dictated who you were in school, your “status” if you had this toy or that. Oh, fads. Let’s just let toys be toys and be fun to play with! (Thank you for coming to my TED Talk!)

What were your favorite toys from back in the day? And what was the coolest toy that you could own back when you were a kid? Let me know in the comments and thank you for reading this total random nostalgia trip! If you have any other 90's/2000's nostalgia ideas for blog posts ideas for me to write, let me know!

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Throwback: Pop Music from the 90's/2000's I Loved As a Kid!

Do you ever feel like things were much more simple when you were a child? The world wasn’t so harsh, it wasn’t so complicated, you didn’t have to adult like you do now. You could just play outside, or with one of your many toys (if you were still into toys then. I mean, if you were a tween, you stuffed your Beanie Babies, Barbies, and stuffed animals in the closet and tried to act as cool as a teenager as you could around your friends), fight with your sibling over who got to go online (you know, if your mom or dad didn’t have to use the phone), or play some music on your ultra cool state of the art fun colored cd player in your room as you drink a Fruitopia (do you remember Fruitopia? I miss those drinks so much! Especially the green one! Bring it back!) and eat some bagel bites. And you know what kind of music ruled the world in the late 90’s, early 2000’s? No, not punk or rock: POP. Pop ruled the world. Or, at least my world.

So I present to you, some pop music from the 90’s/2000’s that I loved and obviously shaped me into the wonderful, strong, beautiful, and socially awkward woman I am today! So blame them for the mess I am, not me.

And yes, I will be listening to these musician’s/artist’s songs while I write their little blurbs. You know, just to get in the nostalgic mood of my youth. Not because I still like them or anything. They’re guilty pleasures, not my actual taste in music. (You’re seeing right through my lie, aren’t you? Dang it!)

Backstreet Boys

“Backstreet’s back, all right!” Dun dun nun nun nun dun dun dun dun… (You know you were doing that with me in your head!) Ugh, these five boys. The flashy, baggy clothes and the questionable facial hair. They were just the bad boys of the boy bands. They had no qualms with being a little nasty and adult (but kept it roughly PG for obvious radio play). I had their first album self-titled album, and let me tell you, I played it on REPEAT (and it was an enhanced CD. Do you remember those? If you put it in your disc drive on your computer you could play little special features. Mine was just a clip of a music video so it was pretty disappointing). And then when their second album “Millennium” came out (so perfectly titled, because in 1999 we were ALL obsessed with the 2000’s and what the future and Y2K would bring!), WHOA. My friends and I were just amazed. That album brought us the beauty that is “I Want it That Way” (“you are….my fiiiiirrreeee….”), “Larger than Life,” “Show Me the Meaning of Being Lonely” (SO heartbreaking and moving). To me, they peaked there, but I think it’s nice that they’ve reunited (“Oh my god, we’re back again!” Sorry. I had to) and are having a good time making music together. It makes my little millennial heart happy. Oh, and like all boy band fans, my friend and all had our favorites. Mine was Nick. That blonde hair, parted right down the middle. Mmm. 90’s perfection.

N’Sync

N’Sync. They were pretty much Backstreet Boys’ little brother. Slammin’ and iconic songs though, and actually my favorite of all the boy bands. In fact, they were the first concert I ever went to. It was a magical night in the nosebleeds, where I could barely see them through my mom’s friend’s binoculars. So magical. My very favorite album of theirs was the “No Strings Attached” album, which I must have played a billion times (though their first album was still really good. “Tearing Up My Heart” is still so catchy and “I Want You Back” still gets me singing along to it!). “Bye Bye Bye,” “It’s Gonna Be Me,” “Just Got Paid” (which I still think of everytime I get paid), and “Digital Getdown” (remember how dirty we thought that song was?? I mean, it was, but looking back now, I’m just thinking about how unsexy dial up internet really was). But let’s try to forget that oddness and awkwardness that was their third album “Pop.” My friend even got me one of the marionette dolls of Justin Timberlake (I wanted Lance, but my friend couldn’t find a Lance one. So sad. My favorite and ultimate crush was Lance for so, so long. I know, I know. But we didn’t know back then, now did we???), that they sold around the time “No String Attached” was released. I should have treasured it and kept it in the box, but I was too tempted to play with it and check if it was actually wearing underwear (it was. Black boxers). I wish N'Sync would be like the Backstreet Boys and reunite, but that Timberlake fellow seems adamant not to. C’mon, Justin, do it for the fans! (And for the rest of the band, I don’t think they’re quite as busy as you at the moment.)

B*Witched

Oh, B*Witched. These ladies were my GIRLS! I loved them so, so much! From the first moment I heard “C’est La Vie” I was hooked. “Rollercoaster” was also amazing, and “Blame It On the Weatherman” was so sad and beautiful to my 9 year old self. I also loved that they were Irish, with their cool accent, that they wore all jean outfits (SO cool!), and each had their own emblems (cat, shamrock, a B, and a star, I think?). I had the official B*Witched book, written by the girls (I think I may still have it somewhere!), and was one of the first to buy their second album “Awake and Breathe” (not as good as the first, but still had some good songs on there. “Jessie Hold On” is a fun Irish-Western diddy) at the store the day it was released. I was so happy a few years ago when I learned that they had had a reunion, released a CD, and went on tour! I didn’t know it at the time, of course, but I loved listening to their new music and watching all the stuff they had Youtube, like the British TV reunion documentary they put out (so much drama! Me-OW!). B*Witched will always have a special place in my heart and I still listen to their music when I’m feeling nostalgic and happy.

Aaron Carter

I guess I had a thing for blue-eyed, blonde, singing brothers, okay?? If you thought I loved Nick Carter and Lance Bass, then you had NO idea how I felt for Aaron Carter. I was literally in love with him. I had his albums, posters, everything. I was convinced I was going to marry him (sad, but true). When I listened to his songs, I pictured me as his love interest and believed it. Sigh. I remember watching that Lizzie Maguire episode where he kissed Hilary Duff and feeling that knife of betrayal in my heart. That first heartbreak...I’ll remember it always. (Do you guys remember that Aaron Carter/Hilary Duff/Lindsay Lohan love triangle that happened? So stupid but so riveting at the time!) His music wasn’t the greatest (he pretty much sounded like he was talk singing- I do NOT want to call it rapping- on his first albums) but you have to admit, his version of “I Want Candy,” “Aaron’s Party (Come Get It),” “That’s How I Beat Shaq,” and honestly, so many more were really fun to listen to then. Now...now, not so much. But it was fun when it was happening! And that’s all that really matters, right? (I’m cringing really hard right now thinking about the fact that I liked his music. It must have been pubescent hormones or something)

Spice Girls

B*Witched may have been my favorite girl group ever, but the Spice Girls were my first experience with girl groups and they. Were. EVERYTHING. Everyone loved the Spice Girls and they dominated the world. Not only was their music incredible, from crazy fun bops about female empowerment but their outfits were iconic (who else could bring platform shoes back? No one but the Girls!) and their personalities were just SO fun and spunky. And nothing was cooler than having a British accent in my youth. So fancy. So exotic! And of course you had to have a favorite Spice Girl. Were you a Baby? Ginger? Sporty? Scary? Posh? I never had one I truly identified with (I loved them all) but I was always Posh or Sporty, probably because I was a brunette and my friends always picked their favorites before me. But it’s amazing how one simple song (remember how we used to giggle at “2 Become 1”? Heehee, it was about DOING IT. Teehee) can take you back. I was in the pharmacy the other day and “Spice Up Your Life” came on and I literally remembered every single world and wanted to start “slam it to the left” cause I was having a good time remembering how much fun it was to feel so young and free and just filled with joy and hope and girl power. And then I picked up my birth control and got back to adulthood. Sigh.

And the Spice Girls movie, Spice World? Don’t even get me started. I think it’s a masterpiece of satire and surrealism, so don’t come after it saying it’s a bad movie. I will come for you.

Destiny's Child

Are you even a real Destiny’s Child fan if you don’t even remember that they originally had FOUR members in the group? Ugh, you call yourself a fan! (I’m kidding!) But the trio of Beyonce, Michelle, and Kelly were so cool, in their matching-but-not-matching outfits, their super cool dance moves, and such catchy songs like the female empowering “Survivor” (with the awesome music video set on a jungle island where they literally had to SURVIVE), “Say My Name” (such a bop!), and of course, they gave the world the song and the phrase “Bootylicious.” Looking back, it’s weird that we didn’t see Beyonce for the star she was going to be, because obviously she got the most lines in the songs and all the runs and it seemed like Michelle and Kelly were just providing backing vocals, but hey, what did we know then? But honestly, when Beyonce played the Super Bowl and Kelly and Michelle came popping out of the stage during “Bootylicious,” I popped out of my seat and rejoiced at the reunion. The girl were back! If only for part of one song. But it was enough to appease my childhood self.

Mandy Moore

"Candy"

Okay, I’m not slamming Mandy Moore, but honestly, she kind of only has one good song, in my opinion, and that’s Candy. My friend had Mandy’s first CD and we would replay Candy over and over and over again. Remember me talking about those enhanced CDs? Well, Mandy’s first one was enhanced too and included the music video to Candy which is ICONIC and something my friend and I watched over and over again, like the song. But seriously, starting out the video in that lime green Volkswagen bug (sooo trendy and cool at the time!), those tank tops with the thin straps, the hair up in spiky sections, wearing her portable CD player like a crossbody bag??? Mandy was the epitome of 2000’s chic. And that song! So addicting, in a sickeningly sweet way that just makes you want to sing along in your room with your friends at a sleepover, hairbrushes in hand like microphones. If that song doesn’t take you back, I don’t know what will.

Aqua

"Barbie Girl"

Guys, this song. This song when it hit the airwaves and my school, was THE song. We didn’t know why this random band we had never heard of decided to write a song about being a Barbie Girl but it was catchy and we LOVED it. It was also slightly naughty with lyrics like “you can brush my hair, undress me everywhere,” which is exactly what we did with Barbies, but to an actual Barbie girl?? Scandalous! And the music video was so odd and the bald guy playing Ken was so creepy yet we watched it on repeat. Recesses were filled with the voices of girls singing “life in plastic, it’s fantastic!” on the playground equipment. Random one hit wonders like this always seem to make a certain time feel so special, as if it just stops a moment in time to make you really remember it. And thanks to this song, I distinctly remember bonding with my girl classmates over this inane, strange, and odd song by a band I never heard from again. Now come on, Barbie, let’s go party! (Ah ah ah yeah!)

Britney Spears 

And at last we have the princess of pop. Britney Spears was just so cool. Was her voice the greatest? Not at all. But were her songs, her dance moves, and her outfits on point in every possible way? Hell yes. From “...Baby One More Time” to “Lucky” to “Toxic” (and one of my personal favorites “Born to Make You Happy”) and so many more, Britney was everywhere, grabbing attention good and bad (remember when our parents thought she was so provocative and racy? Times were so much more innocent then when you look at today’s music. Like a school girl outfit could ever compete with whatever pop or rap diva is wearing nowadays. No one even bats an eye now!), and making waves while she did it. Every girl wanted to be her and every guy wanted to...umm...well, you know. (And remember when she and Justin Timberlake dated?? They were such a power couple! Dressing in matching all denim?? Talk about couple goals, guys. Celebs try these days with their significant others, but they truly can’t compare to the originals) But through all of her struggles and her not so great choice in men (coughkevinfederlinecough), she came out stronger (“than yesterday! Now it’s nothing but my way! My loneliness ain’t killing me no more… I, I’m stroooonger!” Sorry, I had to. It’s such a good song!) than ever. Even if you weren’t her biggest fan (I love her, but I’m not super into her), her music probably shaped your childhood and tweenage years without you even knowing it. And we will always love her for it. Keep on keeping on, Britney you queen!

And those were some of the groups and singers in the 90’s/2000’s that I loved as kid! Or tween. Whatever you want to call me at an awkward elementary/middle school age. Because trust me, I was awkward. I had such a fun time strolling down memory lane while listening to these songs, so I’m sorry if I rambled but the memories kept tumbling out! Who was your favorite pop group or singer you listened to as a kid? Do you still listen to their music or does it make you cringe now? (Like Aaron Carter now does for me. Eek) Let me know!

Stay Weird!

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