About This Quiz
The 1990s were one of the most memorable decades. Hair flattened out. Fashion explored previous decades. New music genres emerged, and MTV became the voice of the youth. But the most memorable changes that came into play (pun intended) in the '90s were the toys. It was still a time when safety was left in the hands of people who could read the instructions, and kids still relied almost solely on their imaginations. Plastic wasn't BPA free, and water gun companies made epic strides in design. However, it was also a time of transition. We were given video games and over 50 cable channels to help us through the rainy days. The Internet was becoming a sensation, and we could see images of what others were doing as well as talk to people from all over the country and world. We were no longer bound to our backyards. Life was fascinating and new, and our toys became a part of us.ÂÂ
We created a quiz to take you back to the good old days of the 1990s. If you were growing up or coming of age back then, you will definitely recognize some of these toys, but only true '90s kids can name all 40. Do you think you have what it takes?
First released in 1959, Troll Dolls made a sweeping comeback in the 1990s. These little dolls came in various colors with tons of outfits, and some of them had jewels in their bellies (feel free to take a moment to pause in nostalgic reverie).
To be more exact, these were the Mighty Morphin Power Rangers, and you didn't mess with them. Though some people noticed that the colors of their outfits were a little insensitive, others just watch to see these characters fight it out.
Nerf made a long line of softer toys that you could throw at people without hurting them (well, we all know it simply hurt less than actual plastic toys, but all the same). These guns were great for older kids in the '90s.
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Skip-It was the perfect replacement for jump roping. You did the same movements, but this toy actually had a counter on it, so you could prove to your friends just how good you were at jumping over a plastic stick.
Bop Its were a great way to challenge your friends. It was nice to take turns with them, but it was also a very stressful game for children. The oddly shaped contraption would give you commands, and you had to follow them quickly or lose.
The controller for the Nintendo 64 had three handles, a trigger, a joystick and a D-pad ... not to mention six button options for moves. It was intense, but nothing like some of the controllers we see these days. They were pioneers, that's for sure.
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When Game Boys first came out, they were crude monochrome graphics on a green background (very much like the first computers). However, later in the 1990s, Nintendo released the Game Boy Color, and life got better for everyone.
Furbies were really innovative toys for their time. They would talk to you and ask you for things. Every once in a while, you could hear it tell you that it was lonely or scared if you left it alone too long.
Nobody really wanted to play with Stretch Armstrong dolls, they just wanted to try to break them. You could push this guy to his limits, but he rarely broke. If you broke him, your parents were out some cash, and you lost interest quickly.
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Pokémon cards were a great game. You could trade them, bet them and play them. These days, cards from the original packs are highly collectible, some of them reaching over $1,000. We hope you caught some.
Doodle Bears were pretty awesome to have around. When you could do nothing to stop your kids from drawing on things, it's always best to give them something that they are actually allowed to write on. It was washable too!
American Girl Dolls weren't just dolls. They had their own book series, names, personalities and clothing line. They were the greatest dolls ever, but they were incredibly expensive.
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The Nerf Vortex Aero Howler whistled when you threw it and it could go far, especially if you had a good arm. These balls were perfect for kids of all ages, because they didn't hurt and they were smaller than regulation footballs.
If you took a Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle and a Shark Bites snack and forced them to have a baby, this is what you would get. They were kind of ugly, but they were definitely fun to play with.
Polly Pocket sets came with tiny figurines that could sit down and stand up. They were excellent for young kids who had to go to the babysitter's house a lot, and they were actually really fun and creative to play with.
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Beanie Babies were all the rage in the late 1990s. Adults even collected them, and fights broke out when new releases showed up. People couldn't get enough of these little guys ... that is, until they had too many and couldn't sell them for anything.
Super Soakers were the best reinvention of a toy that anyone could ever have in the 1990s. They squirted 50-100 feet, meaning you could get someone wet and run away with one heck of a head start.
Lite-Brites were all the rage in the early 1990s. They were basically a pegboard with a light behind it, but if you were smart enough, you put a piece of construction paper on it and made your own designs.
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Moon shoes made you feel like you were on the moon, except for the whole lack-of-gravity part. They were a bunch of high-end rubber bands tied to buckets, and they weren't very safe. But no one ever died from a scraped knee.
Buzz Lightyear was a fictional toy in the movie "Toy Story" (1995), but when the movie was released, so was his action figure ... which did everything the fictional Buzz could do (except come to life ... that we know of).
Koosh balls were a great way for young kids to play with rubber strings and accidentally snap themselves. They weren't super painful, but these little balls were actually pretty fun to play with, and they eased stress.
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You had to feed them, water them and give them love, and if you didn't they would die. It was a harsh lesson for young children, but it taught them responsibility in the 1990s. '90s kids still look back on these with fondness today.
Puppy Surprise was a coveted toy by girls who just wanted more animals in their lives. Every time you opened a puppy surprise, you got to look inside the mama to see how many puppies you got. You could get up to five puppies, but most of the time, you just got three.
Girls got to make cookies in their Easy-Bake Ovens, but boys got to make fake spiders and bugs in their Creepy Crawlers machines. Couldn't we give girls the options to make cool stuff too? No? We're just cooking. Cool.
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Pogs were everything in the early- and mid-1990s. They were just little chipboard circles with images on them, but they changed the way we looked at games. Whatever Pogs landed right side up were given to the person who slammed the stack. It was a play-for-keeps game.
Socker Boppers were made during an era when it was still cool to hit people for funsies. These days, a toy like this probably wouldn't make it to market, as it encourages violence ... because hey, no one ever got hurt by being punched in the nose by a pillow.
Betty Spagetty dolls were small plastic dolls that gave young girls the opportunity to get creative and create their own toys. They all had interchangeable heads, legs, shoes and clothes, along with various other accessories.
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Littlest Pet Shop characters came out a little later in the 1990s, but they were excellent toys. Some children had multiple sets and basically made entire towns filled with pet shops (because that's the dream in the end).
"POP! Goes Perfection!" *Terrifying Screams* This game was fun if your older brother didn't palm one of the pieces every time you tried to finish the puzzle. Otherwise, plastic exploded all over your face.
Play-Doh Fuzzy Pumper Barber and Beauty Shop was a great way to accidentally mix the colors of your Play-Doh. The commercials mixed the colors of hair, which was fun, but when you did it, all of your Play-Doh just turned brown.
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Mighty Max took the idea of Polly Pocket and added some He-Man designs to it, and gave boys a travel option for toys. They were very creative settings (even if they were a little grotesque at times).
Baby, Posh, Ginger and Sporty Spice all had their own dolls (not that we know what a sporty spice actually is ... it may taste like Gatorade). The British pop sensations owned a large part of the decade.
You put them on a platform and pulled a string, and these things got some major air. They were an awesome action toy for young girls who didn't have brothers. They came in a lot of varieties, and they were super cute.
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Foxtails were heavy balls attached to cloth tails. You could throw them like regular balls, or you could twist them around your head to get momentum and then release them ... you know, in case you wanted to break a window.
Yep, you could talk underwater. Your friends couldn't really hear underwater, but you could talk. These came out in 1997 and didn't last very long, but they were definitely a fun idea.
Dream Phone was a game that was all about getting your favorite "hunk" to answer the phone for you. Save your anxiety, you didn't have to actually call real people. What luck when he finally answered!
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People make their kids slime as fun rainy day projects these days, but before there was a recipe for such fun stuff, Nickelodeon gave us Gak. It made farting sounds and got stuck in furniture really easily, but only the parents cared about that.
Magic Mitts were great if you were bad at playing catch. When someone threw the furry ball your way, all you had to do was place your hand in the general vicinity of where the ball was, and you'd catch it. Everyone's a winner!
These "puppies" weren't just robots, they were interactive. After turning it on, you could use its bone to give it some commands. Alright, they didn't do much, but they were still pretty cool (for a little bit).
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Sylvanian families first arrived on the scene in the mid-1980s; however, by the time we reached the 1990s, most '90s kids got a few for hand-me-downs and others just collected them from garage sales. They were the perfect size and so very cute.