Why ’90s Kids Were the Last Generation of Outdoor Adventurers

Trends are typically tied to specific generations. The '50s were noted for poodle skirts, capri pants, hula-hoops, and drive-in movies; the '70s gave us wrap dresses, bellbottoms, roller disco, and roller skating. With each passing decade, a new one emerged, creating new trends and fads indicative of the times. But new trends don't always mean the end of old ones and each generation often brings back certain styles or activities.

When it comes to the resurgence of a decade gone by, trends of the time often return with new generations, whether taken from generations before or creating similar, updated versions. We've seen a comeback of '70s styles, and '80s music, and now we're seeing a return of the '90s in a major way. Millennial nostalgia has guided media and fashion recently, from the new Blink-182 tour dates to the return of super wide-leg jeans and Birkenstocks. (Here are 29 fashion trends only '90s kids will remember.)

Children and teens of the '90s didn't rely on smartphones for entertainment. They found ways to amuse themselves and clung tight to their favorite hobbies. To determine the popular hobbies every '90s kid loved, 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, but 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 popular hobbies every 90s kid loved:

In the days before smartphones, 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.

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. It was a bonus if you knew how to double-dutch.

Sports fans would do extra chores or even forego lunch some days to save up money for packs of baseball or football cards. Every baseball card collector wanted specific rookie cards, like Ken Griffey Jr., Chipper Jones, and Derek Jeter.

School field trips and weekend outings sometimes entailed going to the skating rink and doing the limbo, the hokey pokey, and the chicken dance. A birthday party at the local skating rink was a right of passage.

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. Although they were technically made for a game, some kids collected Pogs just to look at them.

These supernatural horror novels, written by R.L. Stine between 1992 and 1997, became so popular with children that they were turned into an anthology television series that ran for four seasons.

Game shows like "Double Dare" (where contestants got slimed), "Wild and Crazy Kids," and "Legends of the Hidden Temple" were thrilling weeknight and weekend entertainment.

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.

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.

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. One of the most widely read teen magazines in the '90s was Seventeen.

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. Tools like the Bedazzler were all the rage, allowing creative kids to customize any article of clothing.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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. It was Nintendo that gave us the original Super Mario Brothers.

Disposable cameras were all the rage. Kids could pass a one around at a party and after getting the film developed at a local pharmacy, they'd end up with hilarious surprise pictures.

While roller skating was popular in the '70s, rollerblading took over as the most popular activity in the '90s. Aside from rolling down flat stretches of pavement, many kids learned tricks and began grinding on public handrails and PVC pipes in homemade backyard skateparks.

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.

Kids in the '90s had much more freedom than they do today. Common activities included climbing trees and biking long distances. Helicopter parenting was virtually nonexistent, and nobody threatened to call the cops on your parents if you were playing unaccompanied in the neighborhood.

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.

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 cute digital space aliens became an engrossing pastime. This included giving them medicine when they were sick, cleaning up their droppings, and mourning their eventual deaths.

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.