The ’90s are back, big time. From the new Blink-182 tour dates to the “Scream” slasher film reboot to the return of super wide leg jeans and Birkenstocks, Millennial nostalgia has been guiding both media and fashion in the last few years. (Here are 29 fashion trends only ’90s kids will remember.)
One major reason Millennials and newer generations alike have been pining for the ’90s is that the ubiquity of the internet and cell phones had not fully taken hold. These technological changes have shaped society as we know it, and not always for the better. The ’90s were a decade of freedom from the ever-present eye of social media. They were a time when access to music and films was much more limited, which made hearing a favorite song on the radio all the more precious.
Passing time without cell phones, children and teenagers in the ’90s clung tight to their favorite hobbies. To determine the best hobbies kids had in the ’90s, 24/7 Tempo utilized editorial discretion to select pastimes, games, and sports that peaked in the last decade of the 20th century. Many of these hobbies were also big in prior decades, however we focused on activities that saw a decline in popularity in the 2000s or 2010s. (These were the top toys when Millennials were kids.)
Here are 25 of the best hobbies kids had in the ’90s:
Making mix tapes
Whether the songs were recorded straight from the radio or from a CD, mix tapes were a time consuming project that preceded the digital playlist.
Passing notes in class
Passing notes was a convenient way to keep abreast of social happenings or to ask someone to a dance – that is until the teacher intercepted and read it aloud to the whole class.
Learning jump rope tricks
From the criss cross to the 360 turn, jump rope tricks were not only challenging and fun; they earned kids respect in the social order.
Collecting sports cards
Sports fans would do extra chores or even forego lunch some days to save up money for packs of baseball or football cards.
Going to the roller rink
School field trips and weekend outings sometimes entailed going to the skating rink and doing the limbo, the hokey pokey, and the chicken dance.
Collecting Pogs
A fad that ended just as quickly as it started, Pogs were cardboard discs that could be won in a game by hitting your opponent’s stack with a “slammer” and keeping the discs that landed face up.
Reading Goosebumps
These supernatural horror novels became so popular with children that they were turned into an anthology television series that ran for four seasons.
Watching Nickelodeon game shows
Game shows like “Double Dare,” “Wild and Crazy Kids,” and “Legends of the Hidden Temple” were thrilling weeknight and weekend entertainment.
Writing to pen pals
Nowadays, kids can keep in touch with friends all over the world through email and social media. For kids in the early ’90s, however, the feeling of opening the mail box to find a letter from a pen pal in another state or country was exhilarating.
Listening to Walkmans
While waiting at the bus stop or going on a family road trip, having your own choice of music piped into headphones offered a feeling of freedom and individuality.
Reading teen magazines
Keeping up with celebrities and fashion trends, learning how to be confident, getting dating tips, and laughing at embarrassing stories sent in by other subscribers were just a few of the perks of reading teen magazines.
Bedazzling clothing
Rhinestones were big in the ’90s, and this craft tool made it easy to apply sparkles to hats, jeweled eyes to characters on T-shirts, accents to jeans, and so much more.
Collecting CDs
As CDs became the predominant way to listen to albums, teens began spending all of their money on music and asking for more CDs for birthdays and holidays.
Hanging out at the mall
Doing anything but actually shopping, teens descended upon malls in droves, often spending hours eating at the food court, playing in the arcade, and people watching.
Renting movies at the video store
Before the advent of streaming, kids went to the local video store to rent films on VHS, and eventually on DVD. Sometimes a hit film was rented out, and the only options were to get on a wait list or check again another day.
Making friendship bracelets
Kids made these colorful, woven bracelets to give to their friends. Many would wear them day and night, without ever removing them, until they finally wore thin and fell off.
Playing video games
After the Nintendo Entertainment System, ’90s kids got hooked on newer consoles including Super Nintendo, N64, Gameboy, and Sega Genesis, playing both solo and against friends.
Using disposable cameras
Disposable cameras were all the rage. Kids could pass a one around at a party and end up with some hilarious surprise pictures after getting the film developed at a local pharmacy.
Rollerblading
Aside from rolling down flat stretches of pavement, many kids learned tricks and began grinding on public handrails and on PVC pipes in homemade backyard skateparks.
Collecting American Girl dolls
Originally designed to teach lessons about American history and the roles of women, this popular doll line expanded in the ’90s to include modern girls with a diversity of eye, skin, and hair colors.
Playing outside unsupervised
Kids in the ’90s had much more freedom than they do today. Helicopter parenting was virtually nonexistent, and nobody threatened to call the cops on your folks if you were playing unaccompanied in the neighborhood.
Mastering Skip-it
A thrilling reason to get off the couch, Skip-it would count how many successful rotations you made before missing and whacking yourself in the shin.
Collecting comic books
Marvel and DC gave many of their classic superheroes modern makeovers to appeal to youth in the ’90s, and a new publisher, Image was also born.
Raising Tamagotchis
Raising cute digital space aliens became an engrossing pastime, which included giving them medicine when they were sick, cleaning up their droppings, and mourning their eventual deaths.
Skateboarding
With the inauguration of the widely publicized ESPN X Games, many kids began learning how to skateboard. Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater video games solidified the appeal of this extreme sport.
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