If we’ve learned one thing, it’s this: life passes us by so fast! Time truly stops for no one, so better enjoy the moment while it lasts. Luckily though, we can always relive the past by looking through our old photos. From sticker albums to school pizza day, here are some of the most nostalgia-inducing photos ever that people shared, and it’s truly the perfect throwback to the good old days.
“The toxic smell and taste of plastic balloons.”
Ok, in all honesty, we probably wouldn’t give this stuff to our own kids, now that we know how many chemicals go into it. But you know what, that was just part of the ’90s experience! We feel seriously lucky to have grown up blowing these neon pink balloons, and we wouldn’t have it any other way.
“When a computer mouse had a little ball underneath it.”
Our computer mouse hasn’t always been wireless and laser-tracked. Back in the day, it used to have a little ball that rolled around while we moved our hand. All 90s kids remember removing the little ball and playing with it as if it was a toy. Good times.
“The one and only Silly Putty!”
It’s always an amazing feeling when you’re going through old stuff and stumble upon a true gem. Well, that’s exactly what happened to this lucky person, and they just had to share the relatable experience with the rest of us. “My silly Putty! I was going through some old things and found it! It has to be well over 10 years old!”
“Who else wanted to munch on these chapsticks?”
Looking back, it’s pretty weird that this company made chapsticks in flavors that are ridiculously tasty-sounding. Like, Berry Jelly Donut and Strawberry Cheesecake? How was this even a thing? Clearly, the 90s were a unique and wonderful time, but they would probably have to include a warning label these days: “do not eat.”
“Does anyone else remember printing out directions before GPS was a thing?”
If you think driving is hard nowadays, just imagine how bad it was a few years ago. Our parents had to literally print out the directions to wherever they wanted to go. This means that if they got lost, they had to ask actual people for help instead of just waiting for the map on their phones to change the route.
“This puzzle brought me back.”
Whoever created this puzzle was clearly trying to make the ultimate ’90s throwback. And they definitely succeeded. Of course, breakfast cereals are still popular today, but something about Trix and Lucky Charms just takes us back to our childhood. Probably because of all the ridiculous, over-the-top commercials.
“Just remembered that Britney Spears and Justin Timberlake used to be a couple.”
Getty Images / FilmMagic, Inc / Jeff Kravitz
This picture brings back so many memories. This absolutely gorgeous dress Britney wore at the 2000 Grammys, Justin Timberlake’s curly hair, the other NSYNC members with their spiky hair and frosted tips… Times have definitely changed!
“Oh yeah, I found the old electric fishing game!”
Who else remembers this game? We hadn’t thought about it in so long we didn’t even remember its existence. But this picture just brought back so many memories that now all we want to do is fish some round fish from this pond. Hopefully, our game is still in the basement…
“I still don’t understand how these balanced on our fingers.”
Balancing sparrows were so fascinating. Somehow, they balanced all their weight on the tip of their beaks and didn’t fall off our fingers. We know that the explanation has something to do with gravity, but the truth is we still don’t understand how it works.
“A friendly reminder from Best Buy prior to New Year’s Eve 1999.”
Oh, the new millennium. No one knew what would happen when the last day of 1999 ended. Some thought everything would change at midnight, some thought it was the end of the world. Just to be safe, computer companies asked their customers to turn off all their computers before it happened.
“Every 90s kid’s dream was to sharpen a pencil until it was this tiny.”
We all had a weird fascination with using a pen until all the ink ran out and sharpening a pencil until it was impossible to keep going. We don’t know why or how it started, all we know is it was our main goal. Few people managed to do it, since we all lost our pencils and pens way before they could reach this level.
“Lunchables MADE US FEEL LIKE CHEFS.”
There was nothing more exciting than bringing Lunchables to school for lunch. Being able to make our own meals made us feel so empowered and creative! Little did we know that making our own meals every day as an adult would get really boring. Funny how things change.
“Covering your walls and ceiling in glow in the dark stars.”
Even though these stars barely worked, everyone we knew had them on their ceiling. So we had them too. We would try keeping them in the light all day hoping it would help them glow at night, but that never really worked. The truth is we could see them better during the day than in the dark.
“Getting your shirt signed on the last day of school.”
This is such a universal memory. At the end of every school year, we would bring sharpies and sign our friends’ shirts telling them how great it was to go to school with them. By the end of high school, we ended up with an entire box of signed shirts. We wonder if ours are still in the basement…
“Back in the day chips came with Prizes.”
Oh, the 90s. As if eating chips wasn’t fun enough, our snacks would come with collectible Tazos. These little disks became actual commodities in every school and were the only reason why we anxiously waited for lunchtime.
“Writing the playlist on a music CD that you just burned.”
Those were the good days. We would come home from school, download songs on our family computer and burn CDs to play in the car. Then, we would make our moms play our mixtapes on the car radio on our way to school every morning.
“Denim on denim…”
Getty Images / WireImage / Steve Granitz
It’s been two decades since Hilary Duff showed up at the Crossroads premiere in this all-denim outfit and we still don’t know how we feel about it. To be fair, we think we have Britney Spears and Justin Timberlake to blame for this trend… Who doesn’t remember their iconic double-denim moment at the 2001 American Music Awards?
“This was my generation’s fidget spinner.”
Did everyone also have one of these tiny skateboards? These were so popular back in the day and suddenly they all disappeared. We remember trying to learn tricks to impress our friends at school, but these were just as hard to ride as the real-sized ones.
“Remember when Pizza Hut looked like this?”
Oh, so many memories. Back then, Pizza Hut had those tall red glasses that somehow made our soda taste extra special and the salad bar that made it look so sophisticated. Besides, they would serve our personal pan pizzas in a real burning-hot skillet which made us feel like grown-ups in a fancy restaurant.
“The smell of opening a brand new can of Play-Doh.”
This picture is bringing us back to the good old days. There was nothing cooler than getting new Play-Doh colors and mixing them all together. Obviously, after combining all of the colors, we would end up with a huge lump of brown Play-Doh which was not the rainbow-colored compound we were expecting to get. Good times.
“Waterful Ring-Toss: Best game ever.”
Before videogames were a thing, we had this game. These were simpler times, but equally fun. These water ring games were everywhere and would keep us entertained for hours on end. Every time we thought we had completed it, one ring would float out of the post and make us keep playing.
“Cleaning out my place and found some crazy bones. Any 90s kids remember these?”
These little toys were all the rage when we were in school. For a while, our lunchtime was dedicated to playing and trading Gogo’s Crazy Bones like they were some sort of special currency… We truly miss the big suspense of getting new Crazy Bones and not knowing which ones would come in each package.
“Don’t break the ice.”
This game had us completely on edge. There was nothing more nerve-wracking than hitting an ice block with the little hammer not knowing if the penguin would fall with the other blocks. If any game has ever taught us how to deal with our nerves, it was this one.
“The Clear Craze in the 90s.”
There was a time during the 1990s when everything was see-through. From computers to video games to Pepsi sodas, no product escaped the clear craze. These clear shells were purposefully made to expose the electromechanical components inside the devices, giving them a futuristic look.
“Wearing lipgloss was only possible on windless days.”
Getty Images / WireImage / Jeffrey Mayer
If you were into makeup in the late 90s, you remember the struggle of leaving the house on a windy day and ending up with your hair stuck to your lips. Having glossy lips was so important two decades ago that we didn’t even care if that meant we’d end up with sticky hair, though…
“Slap bracelets were so technological back then.”
These bracelets were the most technological devices when we were kids. We could not get over the fact that by simply slapping them on our wrists they would curl around them like magic. We are not kids anymore but the mystery still remains – how do slap bracelets work?
“Tamagotchis taught us responsibility.”
Does anyone else remember having to check on your Tamagotchi first thing in the morning every day? These things were like our children and we really wanted to raise them well. But the truth is most times they would last a few days before we realized how much work it was to keep them alive and gave up.
“Binders full of Pokemon cards.”
Just like POGs and Crazy Bones, Pokemon cards were the most exciting activity that entertained us for years during school lunches. In fact, these Pokemon battles were so important that most of us had binders to organize all of our cards and keep all of our collections tidy.
“Found my old Walkman.”
Who else remembers walking around with these huge walkman devices thinking we were so cool? What about listening to music on the school bus when it hit a speed bump, then having to start listening to your CD from the beginning? Technology definitely has evolved a lot in the past decade or two.
“I LOVED these, but never understood why they had to be shaped like a foot…”
Just by looking at this picture, we can feel the pop rocks popping in the back of our throats… These were our favorite treats back in the day! We felt so cool dipping our lollipops in the pop rocks to eat them. What we still don’t understand is why they were shaped like feet, though.
“My Barbies spent more time in the pool than I did”
Even if you didn’t have a swimming pool nearby, these Barbie pool sets made it so you could live vicariously through her. We used to spend the whole summer on the grass, making Barbie splish and splash. Those were the days!
“Who else believed in everything the origami fortune teller said?”
Is it just us or were origami fortune tellers extremely magical and wise? We loved making these at school then telling our friends what their futures would look like. We also felt so cool knowing how to make origami… We surely miss these simpler times.
“Did anyone else also keep Puffy Stickers for special occasions?”
These puffy stickers were so special back then and we remember using them carefully since we could not waste these precious items on ordinary things. In fact, we wonder what happened to all the notebook stickers we kept untouched saying we would use them only on special occasions.
“Found my limited edition ‘Ice Blue’ Game Boy pocket from 1996.”
Game Boys were the best. From the moment we got our hands on our own Game Boys, these little devices followed us everywhere. From school to family events, we could not spend five minutes without playing our favorite games. Those were the good old days.
“Does anyone still play Twister or did we all agree to leave that memory in the past where it belongs?”
Getty Images / Disney General Entertainment Content / ABC Photo Archives
Don’t get us wrong, we loved playing Twister. The problem is that this fun game quickly turned friends into enemies and acquaintances into strangers. It was all fun and games (literally) until a kid accidentally kicked another in the face or stepped on someone’s hand – or maybe we just were way too competitive…
“The 2-pack Chiclets you used to get on Halloween.”
These little packs of gum were great. It’s such a shame that they have been discontinued. We remember getting them when going trick-or-treating and thinking they were one of the coolest snacks we received. There was something so special about these gum packs…
“Scratch and sniff stickers were the best.”
This picture brings us so many memories… These were so magical! How did they manage to keep the smell in the stickers? Honestly, scratch and sniff was the coolest type of stickers. They were so precious that we only used them on very rare special occasions.
“Eating off this fancy cutlery.”
The 90s were full of novelty cutlery. We remember all types of character-shaped spoons, forks, and knives. But these Lion King ones were special. Not only did they have the faces of our favorite characters, but they also changed color. We miss finding them inside Cheerio boxes.
“I could spend hours trying to find Waldo.”
Where’s Waldo was one of our favorite books. Sure, the fact that we didn’t have to read it might have helped, but it was so much fun! All the different characters were so perfectly camouflaged in the numerous backgrounds. We could spend many hours at a time trying to find them all.
“Hitting up Blockbuster on A Friday night.”
Who else remembers rolling up to your local Blockbuster on a Friday and hoping the movie you wanted to see was in stock? If you answered yes, then you are probably feeling some serious nostalgia right about now. Seriously, Netflix and Chill has nothing on this old-school tradition.
“Getting slimed on Nickelodeon was every kid’s biggest dream.”
Getty Images / WireImage / KMazur
If you grew up watching Nickelodeon, there is no way you haven’t dreamed of getting slimed. Watching our favorite celebrities get covered in neon-colored goo was so fun to watch, we couldn’t stop wondering how it would feel to be in their place.
“The only art gear you would need.”
These were the best gift we could get for our birthdays when we were kids. They came with all types of different art supplies and allowed us to explore our creativity in all kinds of ways. We truly miss the feeling of getting these out and just letting them spark our imagination.
“Stepping on these was the only bad part of playing with legos.”
Legos were so much fun. We could spend hours and hours building houses, dinosaurs, and flowers. There was nothing more entertaining than first building a scenario and only then getting the little yellow men to play in it. We wish we had the same creativity we had back then so we could enjoy playing Lego the same way.
“Hot Wheels car wash with the super spinner.”
This picture brings us so many great memories. We remember getting our little Hot Wheels car and rolling it into the car wash, then watching it get cleaned by this very technological system. It was truly a magical experience. Real car washes are not half as fun as this one.
“Those Danish cookie tins that Grandma used for storage.”
Who else remembers finding cookies at grandma’s house only to realize it was her sewing stash? But if you have ever been lucky enough to find one of these tins with the actual cookies inside, you are very lucky. These sugary butter cookies are the most delicious sweets ever.
“I felt like such an adult when i got this razor”
We all had that moment when we realized that other people in our class were starting to shave and we begged our mom or dad to teach us how. Way back when, they made these razors with handles in glittery colors for “young, hip, cool women.”
“The wooden bead maze toy that every dentist seemed to have had in their waiting room.”
These mazes were the only reason why we didn’t mind going to the doctor. Knowing that we got to play with them in the waiting room made things a little better. And after our appointment, we would always ask our moms to play one more time before going home.
“I can still smell the watermelon!”
L’Oreal Kids is such a throwback! There isn’t a single person who didn’t love this shampoo as a kid. The watermelon version smelled so good it almost made us want to eat it, and the packaging was so cool that we played with it as if it was a fish toy. Those were good, simpler times.
“Magic Shell was truly a magical creation.”
Does anyone else remember when the magic shell came out? Suddenly, our regular ice cream with chocolate fudge wasn’t good enough anymore. From the moment we first saw the ad, we knew we needed an ice cream topping that would harden like magic. It wasn’t even about the taste, we just loved watching this magical liquid chocolate become a shell.
“Pedal to the shin metal.”
Riding our bikes around our neighborhood was such a great activity. We felt so free being able to go anywhere – as long as our parents let us. The only annoying thing about riding our bikes as fast as we could was that our feet would slide off the pedals, which would hit our shins. And that was one of the most painful experiences of our childhood.
“Big puffy chunky buttons on the vending machine.”
This picture made us realize how much things changed over the years. Back in the day, vending machines had these chunky buttons with the old soda logos. Not only did the machines change their buttons but soda companies definitely upgraded their logos.
“The anxiety we got when we had to use these sharpeners in a quiet classroom…”
We’re pretty sure this was everyone’s biggest nightmare in school… We remember how much we avoided needing to sharpen our pencils so we wouldn’t have to go to the front of the class and use these loud mechanical pencil sharpeners in our quiet classroom.
“Opening car windows with a crank.”
This is a 90s experience that we really don’t miss. Instead of just pressing on a button to open or close car windows, we had to do a small workout. We would like to take this opportunity to thank whoever created electric car windows, this person deserves a prize.
“Tiny sunglasses are actually trendy again!”
Getty Images / WireImage / James Devaney
As we all know, fashion is cyclical. Everything that was once fashionable will eventually become trendy again and again. So it’s no surprise that these tiny sunglasses we used to wear in the 90s are now so popular again. We just wish we had kept ours so we wouldn’t have to buy a new pair…
“The 90s high chairs at McDonald’s.”
Even if you didn’t have a younger sibling who used these high-chairs, these colors will certainly remind you of the 90s aesthetic. There is something so specific about that decade in the floor tiles and the Ronald McDonald on the chair backrest. Besides, they still had the old tray liners with colorful games.
“That CD collection you kept in your mom’s car.”
These huge binders full of CDs were the best way to show off our great musical taste. Our CDs were categorized by artist name, which was always a problem when they released a new album and we had to shift everything to keep them all organized.
“These Cartoon Network shows.”
The Powerpuff Girls, Ed, Edd n Eddy, Courage the Cowardly Dog, Scooby-Doo, The Flintstones … There were so many amazing shows that it would take all day to name them all. But the important thing is that Cartoon Network had some of the best TV shows at the time and we loved spending hours in front of the television watching all of them.
“That delicious bubble gum smell.”
If you remember anything about being sick as a kid, you remember the delicious taste of bubblegum-flavored amoxicillin. Not only did it taste like candy, but it also came with a cool measuring spoon that just made the whole experience even more fun.
“So many tickets.”
If you wanted to find us on weekends, you just had to go to the arcade. There was something so fun about all the tickets we got from the games and the cheap gifts we could redeem using them. We always tried to keep all our tickets to exchange them for a nice toy, but we were too anxious to wait so long, so we always ended up with a few packets of gum…
“These speakers that everyone seemed to have.”
There is something so nostalgic about these speakers. Before smartphones, laptops, and tablets, we had computers that required external speakers if we wanted to listen to music. For some reason, all speakers at the time looked exactly like this.
“Stick-on earrings for every day of the week.”
If you were a kid in the 90s you certainly wore many stick-on earrings in your childhood. We loved being able to use different pairs of earrings every day, it made us feel so fashionable. Our favorite ones were the stars and the hearts, but we still wore all of them anyway.
“Stamp Markers were definitely the predecessors of the emoji.”
These markers were the coolest. We would use them to stamp all types of little drawings on any piece of paper we could find. In fact, all of the shapes of these stamp markers are now part of the keyboard on our phones, which makes us believe these markers were the pioneers in the art of emoji.
“Nothing made you happier than seeing this when walking into your classroom.”
Even though we loved going to school and seeing our friends every day, classes were sometimes a little bit boring. That’s why whenever we saw these TV sets in our classroom we got so excited. Every time we got to watch a movie we knew we were in for a treat.
“This deliciously crunchy star-shaped toothpaste.”
Just by looking at this picture we are already salivating. How tasty was the star-shaped toothpaste? Not only did it taste delicious, but it also had glitter in it, which made it a little crunchy and made it look super cool. Basically, it was the best toothpaste ever invented.
“Who remembers Mila Kunis in those Lisa Frank commercials?”
This picture unlocked a whole memory we did not know we still had in our brains… There is something so intrinsically 90s about Lisa Frank and the colors used in their products… In fact, looking at this, we cannot stop wondering where all our old sticker collection is.
“Did anyone else have a stage in the cafeteria of their school?”
Hmm. Funny this person should ask. Because for some reason, we DID randomly have a stage in our school cafeteria. We just kind of took it for granted and never really asked too many questions. However, looking back, it’s honestly totally odd. Why would a cafeteria need a stage? We’d have a feeling we’re never really gonna find out.
“Those cute erasers that couldn’t erase anything.”
Who else remembers buying these cute little erasers just because of how nice they looked? Deep down, we all knew they didn’t work, but we still begged our moms to get them for us. Then, they would end up untouched in our pencil case for the whole school year because we couldn’t use them to erase anything.
“Who owned Velour, low-rise Juicy Couture tracksuits?”
Imgur
Juicy Couture fashion was all the rage in the early 2000s. Stars like Britney Spears, Paris Hilton, and Kim Kardashian started the Juicy trend. Young girls everywhere were rocking these velour tracksuits and they are totally giving us fashion nostalgia. Did you ever own a pair?
“8th grade pizza day. The best pizza ever.”
No matter where you’re from, no matter which school you went to, you were most probably served pizzas that looked exactly like this. Why? It’s truly a mystery, but for some reason, every school serves these square pizzas. While it might not seem so appetizing now, it was practically a gourmet meal back in middle school.
“All those afternoons playing Mario kart on the Nintendo 64…”
Who else remembers how fun it was to play on the Nintendo 64? Our favorite games were Mario Kart and Mario Party, but our favorite part was probably when it would stop working and we would blow on the cartridge. It sounds like such an urban legend, but we swear it worked every time.
“kim kardashian was even the ultimate trend setter back in the early 2000s.”
Getty images/ WireImage/ Christopher Polk/ Contributor
These days, Kim Kardashian is an international mega celeb. Everyone knows who she is, but there was a time before she became a famous billionaire. Her looks and style have evolved through the years, but this outfit is giving us some serious early 2000s nostalgia. Who remembers these huge waist belts and tote bags?
“I truly believed these had the power to predict my future.”
Does anyone else remember playing MASH on the last pages of their notebooks? This game is how we spent most of our time during the classes we didn’t like. We truly believed that it would tell us everything we wanted to know about our future.
“I thought Clippy was peak performance in technological advancement when I was a kid.”
Way before autocorrect was a thing, Clippy was our best friend while writing our assignments. This little guy would tell us if we had spelled something wrong and would help us solve any issues we could have while using Microsoft Word. Clippy truly was the epitome of technology back then.
Playing The Legend of Zelda on your Nintendo Game Boy Color.
Who doesn’t miss playing The Legend of Zelda on their Nintendo Game Boy Color? The magic game’s immersive world is something that can’t be replicated in today’s modern gaming era. The limited graphics and sounds of the Game Boy Color only added to the charm of the game, making it all the more satisfying when you successfully completed a puzzle or defeated a boss. For those who grew up playing this classic game on their Game Boy Color, it’s a reminder of a simpler time.
These McDonald’s toys from 1987 are definitely taking us back.
These adorable McDonald’s toys from the 1980s are taking us back. Granted, McDonald’s still sells toys with their happy meals but nothing can top the simplicity of the ones from the 1980s. What do you think?