Nostalgic ’90s Fads Most Of Us Have Forgotten By Now
The ’90s are looked back on fondly by many, as the decade is associated with a simpler, carefree time. It was an era where technology was at a turning point with the emergence of the internet, but social media and smartphones were still years away.
Amid the nostalgia of the ’90s, it’s easy to find fads that emerged, flourished, and then died, all within a few years. You may remember some of these fads fondly (or not-so-fondly), but chances are good you’ve entirely forgotten about many of them.
Beanie Babies
The initial appeal of Beanie Babies lay in their price: These appealing, pellet-filled plush dolls were competitively priced at around $5-$7, and featured a range of unique designs.
Soon, enthusiasm for Beanie Babies reached a boiling point, with collectors investing heavily in the dolls. The secondary market became flooded, enthusiasm dwindled, and Beanie Babies were largely forgotten.
Tailcoats
While tailcoats have a broad history dating back more than a century, the goth and steampunk movements of the ’90s helped to re-popularize them.
Designers such as Vivienne Westwood and John Galliano were known for bringing historical styles like tailcoats into modern clothing. By the late ’90s and early 2000s, fashion had shifted to a more relaxed, casual style, which spelled the end of this short-lived fad.
Yo-yos
Yo-yos were not a ’90s invention — far from it, as they date back centuries — but these simple toys experienced a moment in the ’90s.
A combination of brands creating lightweight, inexpensive plastic yo-yos along with pop culture recognition and even a National Yo-Yo Championship led to yo-yos being everywhere in the early ’90s. Their popularity eventually waned, and they were once again a simple, uninteresting toy.
Pogs
Also known as milk caps, Pogs (named for a juice consisting of pineapple, orange, and guava) were modelled after the paper caps that lined milk bottles.
First popularized in Hawaii, the game exploded in popularity after the Canada Games Company marketed them as Pogs. Their popularity quickly declined, and by 1997, Canada Games Company was out of business.
Hypercolor shirts
These shirts used thermochromic technology that allowed fabric to change color in response to heat. This meant that areas of these shirts could take on an entirely new hue after being touched.
It’s easy to see the appeal of these shirts, and they were indeed popular for several years in the early ’90s. However, the technology used in these shirts caused them to fall apart quickly. This, combined with them losing their newness, led to a decline.
Colorful electronics
For decades, electronics had been produced mostly in neutral or beige tones, but in the mid- to late-’90s, manufacturers started creating electronics in a range of bright colors, often with a see-through design.
This aesthetic can be seen everywhere, from phones to computers to video game consoles. By the early 2000s, sleeker and more minimalistic designs were the order of the day, and these brightly-colored electronics were left mostly in the past.
Frosted tips
A hairstyling technique of the late ’90s that involved lightening the tips of the hair, frosted tips were at the forefront of male fashion around the turn of the millennium.
Fashions are cyclical, though, and the overly manicured styles of the ’90s gave way to a more natural, relaxed aesthetics. Frosted tips were one of the casualties of this shift.
Tamagotchi
These virtual pets were essentially a very simple portable video game, mounted on a keychain. The objective of the game was to simply keep the virtual pet alive.
Tamagotchis were an immediate hit on their release in the middle part of the decade, but the market was soon flooded with competitors. While Tamagotchis never fully went away, their heyday was relatively short-lived.
Inflatable furniture
Vinyl furniture that could be inflated was popularized in the 1990s as a quirky, modern, and affordable alternative to traditional furniture.
Inflatable furniture was a staple in dorm rooms and lofts for much of the decade, but the inherent fragility (and lack of comfort) of these items caused them to lose their novelty.
Slap bracelets
These interactive bracelets were made of a flexible strip, covered in fabric or vinyl, that would wrap around the wrist when “slapped” against it.
These bracelets were not just a fashion accessory but also an early example of a fidget toy. One reason for their decline was safety concerns: As the material inside them was usually metal, it could occasionally poke through the outer coating and cause injury.
Flip-up sunglasses
Flip-up sunglasses are exactly what they sound like: Sunglasses where the lens can be flipped up or down as desired. They were often used by pro golfers and baseball players, but their popularity went mainstream in the ’90s.
Like other ’90s trends, the novelty eventually wore off. Also like other ’90s trends, the millennium’s shift towards more minimalistic and refined styles led to other designs taking prominence.
Macarena
“Macarena” was a catchy song by the duo Los del Río, remixed by the Bayside Boys in 1995 — but the true craze came in the accompanying dance, which was everywhere in the mid ’90s.
The song topped the pop charts and the easy-to-follow dance was a pop culture staple. Like every other dance trend before and since, popularity of the macarena soon fell off.
Chatrooms
In the early days of the internet, chatrooms were one of the main ways to interact with other people online. Unlike email, chatrooms allowed for people to communicate in real time.
Internet-based chat is bigger than ever today, but technological change meant that traditional chatrooms were soon supplanted by individual chat programs like AIM, ICQ, and MSN.
George Foreman grills
Known officially as the “Lean, Mean, Fat-Reducing Grilling Machine,” former heavyweight champion boxer George Foreman popularized these simple grills in the ’90s.
Their ease of use, low cost, and pop culture ubiquity meant that virtually everyone had at least one George Foreman grill by the end of the decade. Competition from other products along with shifting dietary trends meant that demand for these grills eventually fell off.
Super Soakers
NASA engineer Lonnie Johnson designed these high-output water guns, which soon became a summertime staple. Unlike traditional water guns, Super Soakers used water pressure to provide impressive range and power.
Competition from other companies, market saturation, and shifting play preferences meant that Super Soakers didn’t have a long time in the sun. They still exist today, but they’ll never be as hot as they were 30 years ago.
Tickle Me Elmo
Tickle Me Elmo was an interactive stuffed animal that would laugh and react when tickled. It became one of the most sought-after holiday gift items in the mid ’90s, with stores selling out of their stock almost immediately.
After the initial rush and scarcity, competitors rushed to created similar interactive toys. None found the success of Tickle Me Elmo, which itself became a victim of its own popularity.
Sony Walkman
The Sony Walkman portable cassette player was first released in 1979, and by the 1990s, portable players — whether they were made by Sony or a competitor — were a must-have item.
The appeal is obvious, as they allowed people to listen to music on the go. But the fall of cassette tapes and the rise of MP3 players spelled doom for the Walkman. People still listen to music on the go, but not on cassette tapes.
Devil Sticks
These juggling props consist of a central stick, which is manipulated and kept aloft through the use of two more sticks — one in each hand.
Devil sticks were not a ’90s invention, but they did reach the peak of their popularity in the middle part of the decade. Their appeal was short-lived, and the fad had died off almost entirely by the late ’90s.
Overalls
Originally a form of durable workwear, overalls became a surprising fashion item in the 1990s. It was particularly fashionable to wear overalls with one side left unbuttoned, often with an oversized t-shirt.
Overalls were in line with hip hop and grunge trends of the time, which tended to favor baggy clothes. But as styles became more streamlined and form-fitting, overalls lost their cultural relevance.
Swing revival
A surprising musical trend of the 1990s consisted of bringing back the energy, style, and rhythms of 1940s swing jazz.
Bands like the Cherry Poppin’ Daddies, Big Bad Voodoo Daddy, and Royal Crown Revue helped popularize the swing revival. Musical tastes soon shifted dramatically, and genres like pop-punk, indie rock, hip-hop and rap metal eventually eclipsed the swing revival in the mainstream consciousness.
