Ah..the 20th century. So many things wrong with it, yet so many things that are just so, so right.
Despite the shell suit tracksuits and the crushes on Zac (or maybe Slater) from Saved by the Bell a lot of good came out of that time. It was a world where scaring yourself witless by Are You Afraid of the Dark? and Goosebumps was the norm, while simultaneously giving yourself a new hairstyle courtesy of your pink or yellow highlighter.
It was a simpler time, when space hoppers provided hours of amusement, kiss chase dominated the playground and pogs were ferociously bargained for. The main battle of your day was who was going to drag themselves away from Zig and Zag to get up off the couch to answer that now mysterious being – the landline.
It was the world of absolutely maddening internet connections (that beep, beep, beeping noise will never leave our brain), your mother threatening to get an itemised phone bill and singing along to Pulp’s hit song Disco 2000, and imagining this strange, far away land.
It was the time of Oasis versus Blur wars, when stick on earrings and Alice bands were cool, (though not as cool as knowing all the words to Living Next Door to Alice) and irony was to be found everywhere thanks to Alanis Morissette.
Here are some other things we miss about the good old days…..
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Girl Power!
Ah the world of pop could never have been what it is today without the platform shoes, dodgy belly tops and random hairstyles that made up the Spice Girls. Girl Power took over the world and everyone in your class was assigned their role (and you were very annoyed if you wanted to be Baby Spice and had to be Scary Spice instead). Many the hour was passed in front of the mirror warbling to Wannabe and Spice Up Your Life. Though there was a bit of confusion when the girls got all grown up and started singing songs like Mama – but we loved them nonetheless!
Polly Pockets
No they couldn’t fit in your pocket, and yes, you were 99% likely to lose at least three of your new ‘dolls’ but how amazing were Polly Pockets?! Hours of endless enjoyment with miniscule little play figures and then, when they launched the Polly Pocket wedding toy.. oh my. Could. Not. Contain. The. Excitement.
Saturday Night TV
We may have our X Factor and Strictly these days, but back in the day, there was nothing better than curling up after tea (yes, tea – the meal – it still existed then) and watching The Gladiators and Blind Date. The bad bit was hearing the opening credits to Glenroe on a Sunday evening and knowing that school had reared its ugly head again (on a side note, why couldn’t we have been picked for School Around the Corner?).
Mixed Tapes
Ah there was no other way to show your love for someone then making them a mixed tape. If you weren’t in the mood for a new boyfriend though, you could amuse yourself for hours by taping that song you LOVED off the radio. Hours would be spent listening to the radio, fingers hovering over the play and record buttons, ready to spring into action at the exact right moment. Until the DJ ruined it all by talking over the intro – then you just had to start all over again. Sigh.
Smash Hits!
Oh the magazines of the 20th century. The countdown to those fortnightly afternoons that announced the arrival of the latest Smash Hits! was the hardest thing to deal with – the excitement was just unbearable. Then, when it did arrive, the annoyance when the collectable song lyrics were for N’Sync and not 5ive.
Penny sweets
These were the days when your granny gave you 50p and told you not to spend it all in one shop. Literally, you would have a job trying to, with all your favourite treats so cheap and cheerful. Penny sweets, Chomp bars (the real ones, not the updated one) and Smiley bars…succulent orangey chocolatey goodness…NOM. Usually we ate ourselves into a sugar frenzy…add a slice of strawberry Swiss Roll and we were gonners.
Giving the ‘Whatever’ sign.
Clueless has a lot to answer for as it spawned a generation of people flashing the W sign at everyone they met. W of course being the cool shorthand finger thing you did to say ‘whatever’ (add this to Ross introducing some new arm moves in Friends and people were barely speaking!). Clueless, one of the best 1990s movies, gave everyone a taste of USA life, a jealous desire for Cher’s rotating wardrobe (which also helped you to match your outfits) and a long-time fear of driving on LA freeways. Couple this with Sweet Valley High and we were in all-American teen heaven.
Tamagotchis
We still get a shiver of guilt running down our spine when the dreaded Tamagotchi word is mentioned. We all wanted one, we all got one, and we (well most of us) let the poor thing die after just a few days of ‘attentive caring’. It was the insistent beeping that did it. Feed your Tamagotchi, your Tamagotchi has pooed everywhere, your Tamagotchi needs hugs. AHHHHH. Could. Not. Cope.
Busting a Move
You may deny it, but at some stage in your life you have definitely danced, or at least attempted to dance, to Saturday Night or the Macarena. Like the Spice Girls, this was a must-know in primary schools and at underage discos everywhere. You knew the moves or you got off the floor. End of. Those hard core ones among us also knew the moves to 5ive’s Everybody Get Up (but shsssh it’s a secret).
The Battle of the Cereal
It’s 6am. It’s a Saturday morning and you know you are the only one awake. Your mother came home with the shopping last night and you spied that magical box sticking out of the shopping bags (back when shopping bags were free). You sneak down the stairs, creeping quietly through the dark. Rounding the corner with joyful delight rising up inside you, all hope is dashed as you see your sister gleefully standing over the previously unopened box of Cornflakes. And the much-coveted reflector for your bike that was the cause of your stealth? Now nestled safely in her hands. Cue a full week of getting it rubbed in your face.
Special Mention
A special mention has to go out to Nope – the creator of the warmest and coolest hoodies, jeans and tracksuit bottoms of the 1990s. Miss them so much!
