If you grew up during the ’90s, you are probably convinced that those were the most magical years.
The music felt better, colors were more vivid, and TV Shows and movies were simply on another level. The world felt like a fairytale playground, and most of the things we enjoyed back then do not exist now.
It makes us both sad and nostalgic, but it surely does not take away from the beauty and fun we had back in the ’90s. Here are some of the things we desperately miss from the most wholesome decade.
1. Saturday Morning Cartoons
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It was fantastic to wake up early because you wanted to, not because you had to. The TV remote was like a golden ticket, and you would run to the sofa in your pajamas with a bowl of sweet cereal so huge it could feed an entire nation.
You knew exactly which channels had the finest shows since the lineup was perfect: Animaniacs, X-Men, and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles.
You’d laugh, sing along to the theme tunes, and get really into the cliffhangers that wouldn’t be addressed until the next Saturday. Yes, streaming lets you watch whole seasons in one sitting now, but nothing beats the delightful pain of waiting all week for the next episode.
2. Renting Movies at Blockbuster
There was something special about Friday nights. You’d walk inside Blockbuster and right away smell that strange but familiar mix of popcorn, sweets, and plastic VHS cases.
You would look at the New Releases wall and hope that your choice wasn’t already gone. If it were, you would have to talk to your friends or siblings about what to rent instead.
Sometimes you picked a random movie just because the cover looked cool, and half the time, they were the best ones.
And of course, there was always the gentle reminder: “Be Kind, Rewind,” because nothing was worse than getting a tape halfway through the movie.
3. CD Binders and Mixtapes
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You didn’t get music right away; you had to wait for it, sometimes even weeks. You felt like that big zipped binder full of CDs was your most important possession, and only you could figure out how to organize it.
Making a mixtape for someone was like writing them a love letter in music. You had to carefully record tracks from the radio and try to cut off the DJ’s talking. It took a lot of work, patience, and Olympic-level rewinding skills.
Playlists are useful these days, but they’ll never be as meaningful as giving or getting a custom music list created in your best handwriting.
4. Game Boy and Portable Consoles
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Your Game Boy was always there for you. It was there to save you from long car drives, tedious family gatherings, and even the waiting area at the doctor’s office.
You’d squint under streetlights while riding in the rear seat at night, hoping to finish a level before the next stretch of darkness appears. If you lost because of a low battery, it felt like true agony, especially if you were in the middle of a battle.
Today’s consoles may have greater graphics, but nothing surpasses the thrill of trading cartridges with a friend and discovering a whole new world.
5. Phone Calls on a Corded Landline
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Before texting and FaceTime, there were long phone calls in your bedroom or hallway. You’d pull the curly cord across the room to obtain some privacy, but your family could still hear half of what you said.
You’d sketch on notepads, lie on the floor, and twist the cable around your finger while talking for hours about nothing.
There were no dropped calls until someone in the house picked up the other phone and disrupted the whole atmosphere. The sound of turning the rotary dial or pressing each number is now a sound that is no longer heard.
6. Disposable Cameras
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Using disposable cameras was exciting but sometimes quite risky. You never knew if you had amazing pictures until the prints came back, which sometimes took weeks.
You often forgot what was on the film, which could lead to funny surprises or fuzzy disappointments. And let’s be honest: half of the fun came from the finger-over-the-lens images and the double exposures that came out of nowhere.
You can’t beat the thrill of browsing through newly printed images and remembering an entire summer in one sitting.
7. Snack Foods And Drinks That Have Disappeared
The snack aisle in the ’90s was a total mess in the greatest way. The packaging was bright, the flavors were strange, and the sugar levels would probably be prohibited now.
Dunkaroos were money, 3D Doritos were the snack of choice for cool kids, and Surge cola made you feel like you could run a marathon after drinking half a can. There was at least one snack in every lunchbox that kids could sell or trade on the playground like stocks.
Some of these goodies have come back in limited editions, but the taste was never exactly the same, maybe because they don’t have that tiny bit of childhood magic.
8. School Book Fairs
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It was like Christmas in the middle of the school year during book fair week. You went for the shiny posters, the new pencils, and the bookmarks with tassels, even if you didn’t read much.
You’d feel like a millionaire when your parents gave you a few dollars and you had to choose between a mystery novel and a humor book. The library or gym smelled like new pages, and for a short time, school felt like a fantastic shopping spree.
Standing in line with a new book in your hands was surely more exciting than shopping online.
9. TV Theme Songs You Actually Knew by Heart
Theme songs weren’t just noise in the background; they were like little hymns. Everyone could rap the intro to “The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air,” sing the chorus to “Full House,” or perfectly hum the claps to “Friends.”
They were a part of the show’s identity, a sign that it was time to sit down and watch. That common moment has faded away now that streaming platforms automatically skip intros.
No one would have dared to skip ahead back then because those songs were part of the experience.
10. Hanging Out at the Mall
The mall wasn’t just a place to shop; it was the best place to hang out. You’d go from store to store, smelling every candle at Bath & Body Works, looking through CDs at Sam Goody, and pretending you could buy things from The Limited Too.
Pizza slices in the food court were as big as your head, and you and your friends would share an Orange Julius while you figured out where to go next.
The mall was a place where you could be free, shop for clothes, and have fun all at the same time. You can’t get this magical feeling online for sure.
