The ’90s was a decade of simple yet memorable toys. Back then, kids were happy and content with less technologically advanced toys, such as the tamagotchis and board games, a scenario completely opposite to the generation today. Everybody now enjoys their past time surfing the Internet using iPhones, tablets, and smartphones.
Among all the popular ’90s toys, there are a few that made a mark in the lives of the past generation. Below are some of the most memorable.
Super Soaker 50
Super Soaker is a brand of recreational water gun that uses manually pressurized air to shoot water with greater power, range, and accuracy than conventional squirt pistols. It was invented by Engr. Lonnie Johnson in 1989. Super Soaker 50 was the first Super Soaker water gun. It outsold all of the motorized blasters that had previously dominated the market.
Tamagotchi
Tamagotchi is a keychain-sized virtual pet simulation game created in Japan by Akihiro Yokoi of WiZ and Aki Maita of Bandai. Upon activating the toy, an egg appears on the screen. After setting the clock on the device, the egg will wiggle for several minutes, and then hatch into a small pet. Pets have a Hunger meter, Happy meter, Bracelet meter, and Discipline meter to determine how healthy and well behaved the pet is. There is also an age and weight check function for the current age and weight of the pet. The player can care for the pet as much or as little as they choose. Thus, the outcome depends on the player’s actions. The pet can become sick for a number of reasons such as overfeeding of snacks or failing to clean up droppings. If sickness is left unchecked, the pet can die.
Creepy Crawlers
Creepy Crawlers was originally released back in 1964 by Mattel, under the name Creepy Crawlers Thingmaker. It came with a little oven that was used to cook up chemicals called PlastiGoop, which came in a bunch of different colors and would harden into semi-solid rubbery replicas when heated. Due to safety concerns, Mattel discontinued it in 1978. However, manufacturer ToyMax gave Creepy Crawlers another try in 1992, this time with new safety measures. Instead of squirting PlastiGoop into a sizzling mold, kids injected it into the molds, and the molds were then put inside an oven, with a door that kept them secure until the oven cooled.
Power Rangers
These Power Rangers toys were the most popular ’90s toys to give for Christmas. Inspired by the Japanese Super Sentai superhero team TV shows produced by Toei Company, this famous franchise first launched in 1993. In 1994, when Power Rangers were the best-selling ’90s toys, each figurine cost only $10. And believe it or not, you can still buy a basic figurine for under $10 on Amazon today!
Talkboy tape recorder
The Talkboy is a portable variable-speed cassette player and recorder manufactured by Tiger Electronics in the early 1990s. Fun fact: it was originally conceived as a non-working prop for the 1992 movie Home Alone 2: Lost in New York, used by the main character Kevin McCallister. The original model consists of a battery-powered handheld cassette player/recorder with an integrated monophonic speaker, grip handle, and an extendable microphone.
Crossfire
Crossfire was a table top game that tasks players with pushing two pucks into their opponent’s goal by shooting metal balls out of plastic guns mounted on either end of the board. Think football but smaller and with way more pieces to lose. Though Crossfire was popularized in the ’90s, it was first released in 1971 by Milton Bradley. A rip-off came out in 1973 called Gunfight at OK Corral, so Bradley later updated to the 1994 version.
Sound Bites
Brought to you by Oddz On, the same company that distributes the popular twirling Spin Pops, Sound Bites is a battery-powered lollipop holder that plays music inside your head. When you bite down on a Sound Bites lollipop, vibrations travel through your teeth to your inner ear. The music then sounds louder inside your head than it does to the person standing next to you. They come in guitar, drum, and saxophone versions, as well as Space Wars, cartoons, and as if anyone needed this one, inner voices, like laughter, ringing phones, and a voice that says “No way!”
