Talk to your kid about Frozen or Facebook, and they follow right along. But try bringing up just about anything you experienced as a kid in the 90s, and today's children give you a blank stare. Remember how you had to actually dial up the Internet? Or go all the way to Tower Records to buy your favorite songs on CD? Our kid can't even dream of how hard we had it way back in the day.
For a peek at just how much of your own childhood has fallen to the wayside, check out this list of things every '90s kid experienced that would leave our kids scratching their heads. Some are no doubt for better, others for worse, but all in all they're testament to how much things change from one generation to the next!
We really miss #6, but #16? Good riddance!
Image via K Tempest Bradford/Flickr
The Sound of Dial-up Internet
Ah, that creaky, static-y sound of a 14K modem. It would drive kids bonkers today, but back then it was our ticket to the World Wide Web — not to mention a ton of fights with your siblings trying to kick each other offline so they could call someone. Those were the days!
The Flying Toasters Screensaver
There's just something about chrome kitchen appliances fluttering across your computer screen alongside buttered toast: They made those book reports you were typing up seem a bit more bearable.
Blowing Into Nintendo Game Cartridges
If your video game wasn't loading, all you had to do was huff and puff into that cartridge, re-insert, and presto! Zelda is on. While the jury is out on whether this trick made any difference, it doesn't matter to our kids.
Disposable Cameras
In an era of camera phones, it's pretty strange to think you'll ever be without a camera. But back in the 90s your parents didn't want you carting the family's one (expensive) camera on the field trip, which is why disposable cameras were the perfect fill-in.
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CD Singles
There was a time when nothing beat playing hooky from school and heading to Tower Records to buy a CD single of your favorite song — not to mention unwrapping the plastic packaging (which was notoriously hard to take off). Now, kids just download songs off iTunes — which is a whole easier, but a whole lot less exciting, too.
Koosh Balls
These shaggy rubber balls were invented by a dad who wanted something easy for his 5- and 8-year-old kids to hold and throw. They felt so ah-mazing, they quickly caught on — nothing kids have today comes close.
Finding a Movie at Blockbuster
There was a certain thrill and frustration to trolling those aisles with the kids, hoping to find the perfect Friday night family movie — not to mention panic when you realize you've racked up a week's worth of late fees for not returning it.
MapQuesting Your Family Road Trip
At the time, it was a huge step forward in technology and it sure beat squinting at maps … but then again, accessing GPS on your phone today beats squinting at MapQuest directions.
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Fax Machines
In the 90s, these gadgets were staples in any school or pediatrician's office, and it sure beat snail mailing your kids' immunization records and other paperwork where it needed to go. Today, faxes probably serve as doorsteps at best; emailing scans or PDFs is so much easier.
Getting Your Favorite Songs on HitClips
First introduced at McDonald's playing *NSYNC and Britney Spears, HitClips quickly caught on from there. Fine, so they could only play about a minute lo-fi stereo, but they were awesome at the time … that is, before iPods eclipsed them out of the market.
Using *69 To Find Out Who Called
Because back in the 90s, we didn't have cellphones that I.D.'d every caller. Instead, people would call and hang up … and what if it was your high school crush who lost his nerve? *69 allowed you call him right back!
Pogs
Yup, slamming "slammers" into a pile of discs and keeping those that fell face up was low-tech entertainment at its best. Who needed Angry Birds when you had Pogs as an outlet?
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Recording TV shows with a VCR
In the days before DVR, you actually had to insert a clunky tape into a machine to make sure you get to see Dawson's Creek … and risk accidentally recording over your sister's dance recital (oops).
Crying Over a Dead Tamagotchi Pet
Because no matter how much you feed and walk those digital critters, sooner or later their time is up.
AIM Instant Messenger "Away Messages"
Whether it was an announcement like "Nature is calling and I'm answering" or "My dog ate my away message," you couldn't leave your computer without warning everyone back in the day. Now your kids' take their Facebook messaging everywhere they go on their phones.
Lugging Around Portable CD Players
Sure, it was nice to have your music on the go, but try putting that in your pocket while you walk, or in an armband for a jog! It was just not happening. Aside from the size, any tiny jiggle would make your tunes skip. So while we may wax nostalgic about certain things from our past, this isn't one we necessarily need our kids to experience, is it?
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Music Clubs
Long before MP3s made downloading music a breeze, pretty much every kid begged their Mom and Dad to let them join a music club. After all, those Columbia ads for "10 CDs for one penny!" were just too tempting to ignore … that is, until you were knee-deep in monthly automatic mail orders of Sir Mix-a-Lot CDs you didn't want.
One Hour Photo Shops
Yup, there was a time when, rather than seeing your photos instantly on your phone, you had to drop the film off and sometimes wait days — days! — to see your best friend's funny faces. One Hour Photo shops cut that wait down to a merciful 60 minutes. It may seem like light years today, but back then it was great!
Bag Phones
Before cell phones became ubiquitous, there were bag phones: Think of them as cell phones so large, you needed a sack to carry them around. Fine, it was portable, but barely … and texting your friends or surfing the web weren't even imaginable.
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