Life

13 Toys Every '90s Kid Should Force Their Kids To Play With

by Lindsay E. Mack

It’s easy to wax nostalgic about the the '90s, but some things about that decade were pretty wack. Just check out the goods that were for sale in the toy aisle. There are loads of toys every '90s kid should force their kids to play with, because few things are funnier than watching an iPad baby react to an old Game Boy. Back in the ‘90s, kids had to walk uphill in the snow to get enough batteries for five minutes of play time.

There are three great reasons to bust out the old ‘90s toys from your parents’ house. First, it will give your kids a sense of how much things have changed in the past decades, especially as far as technology is concerned. An original Tamagotchi will probably seem like an ancient artifact to kids who grew up on apps. Next, sharing old playthings is a sweet way to bond with your kid. If you child gets attached to your favorite Beanie Baby from yesteryear, you will have still more things in common. Lastly, it’s good for your own amusement as a parent. Hand your kid a container of Pogs and see if he can guess their purpose. Chances are, most of these old-school playthings will leave your kids totally baffled.

1

Beanie Babies

"Hey kid: I waited in line for three hours to buy Peanuts the elephant and Nip the cat. Try not to bend the tags when you play with them."

Most '90s kids still have a box of pristine Beanie Babies stowed away somewhere. How can you explain to your children that these toys were the most coveted things in the world for a hot minute? You might as well hand them over to your kids now; the value for that market crashed long ago.

2

Girl Talk

What kind of girl talk girl are you? It was a truth or dare board game that involved dares to call a guy and tell him something gross or take zit stickers as a penalty. The graphics alone are pure '90s gold.

3

YakBak

The YakBak was a little device that let you make quick recordings and replay them. Although the technology is ancient by today's standards, your kids will probably get a kick out of making weird sounds and playing them back. Some joys are universal.

4

Oopsie Daisy

It was a crawling doll that regularly fell on her face. For some reason you and all of your friends had one. Getting your own kid's reaction will be an entertaining experiment in sociology.

"Mom, you thought this was fun?"

5

Original Game Boy

That giant grey behemoth entertained you for hours of car rides. See how long your tech-savvy tot can last in Tetris. They'll be crying for their iPad in no time.

6

In-Line Skates

Many '90s kids wore roller blades all the time, to the detriment of carpets and tile floors everywhere. Good luck trying to explain their immense appeal to your own kid: "the wheels were all in a line so they were way cooler than regular skates."

7

Crossfire

CROSS-FI-RE! The ad for this game ran no fewer than 30 times during every cartoon's commercial break. See if your little one finds it as extreme as you remember.

8

Tamagotchi

Yes, it's definitely worth finding the weird battery needed to power up your old Tamagotchi. Maybe your kid will be lucky enough to get the secret character. (Giga Pets and Nano Pets are also acceptable substitutes).

9

Doodle Bear

If you can dig up your old Doodle Bear, chances are it's covered in a gold mine of '90s scribbles. It is almost guaranteed to have that stylized S drawn somewhere.

10

Littlest Pet Shop

The OG Littlest Pet Shop toys look very different from their big-eyed modern day versions. But your kids will probably find them just as adorable.

11

Street Sharks

Some '90s trends are impossible to explain. There was once a cartoon about shark-human hybrids that fought crime... or something. And they came with their own action figures. It was "jawsome!"

12

Pogs

To be honest, most '90s kids didn't know what to do with Pogs, either. You had to knock down stacks of them in some sort of game. Most kids collected them because it was a thing.

13

Rappin' Rockin' Barbie ®

Is there anything Barbie can't do? This one came with her own boombox, which is another concept you will have to explain to your kids. Before iPods, people carried around giant speakers to listen to music on the go.