Back before there was an app for just about everything and iPhones were about as ubiquitous as it gets, life was so much simpler.
Today’s kids will never fully understand the joys of having to rewind a VHS tape back to the beginning or taking roll of camera film to the nearest drug store in anticipation, only to have half your photos come out blurry. But that was all part of its charm. Nineties kids and even those born in the early 2000s may not have had smart phones or bluetooth, but if I’m being totally honest, I don’t think we missed out.
But like they say, “out with the old, and in with the new.” So to celebrate just how far technology has come in the last few decades, here are 30 throwback toys and gadgetsthat time forgot.
1. Before there was “Netflix and Chill,” there was, “Be kind. Rewind.”
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2. Sony’s Walkman was supposed to be a portable listening device that you could take anywhere. But let’s be honest, how far were you REALLY willing to carry that thing?
3. The Poo-Chi was a much smaller investment parents could make for children who just would not stop crying about getting a dog.
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4. Long before text messaging and voicemail, it was nearly impossible to see any businessprofessional without a beeper attached at their hip.
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5. In the days before blogging and data decryption, teens kept their crushes and other secrets private in a password protected journal.
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6. HitClips players were basically the iPods of their time, except these digital clips only played a minute of all your favorite Top 40 hits.
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7. To introduce a whole new generation to the home computer, Apple released the iMac G3, which came in a variety of neon colors to appeal to families and kids of all ages. I remember when my school got fresh new iMacs in blue and purple!
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8. I pretty much visited my aunt every weekend just because she had a Nintendo 64 in her house.
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9. Tamagotchis gave Fido a run for his money. These virtual pets slept, ate, and even pooped!
10. While the original Gameboy only had a black and white display, the Gameboy Color updated its design and graphics to include every color of the rainbow.
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11. In the good old days, there wasn’t a cloud to save all our information to, so we had to carry around floppy disks to save our book reports and class presentations.
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12. For those of us that couldn’t afford the convenience of an iPod, these generally cheaper mp3 players were our go-to devices to play all of Britney’s hits.
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13. It was nearly impossible to stay organized throughout the work day without a pocket organizer. It served as an address book, calculator, and calendar.
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14. It was incredibly hard to sleep at night when you owned like eight Furbies that all needed to be fed and wanted attention at different hours of the night.
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15. “Smart” is the last word you’d use to describe this ancient cellphone.
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16. Before video game designers used advanced graphics and game layouts, we got down with this Atari setup.
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17. Believe it or not, there used to be a time when everyone you knew didn’t carry around a phone in their pocket. For just a quarter a call, you could use one of these babies.
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18. With an old palm pilot, you had the whole world at your fingertips…well…part of it, at least. Head over to the next page for more technological wonders!
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19. Before you could customize playlists on iTunes or Spotify, it was all the rage to record your favorite songs on cassette and make your own mix tapes.
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20. The Talkboy originated as a fictional toy in the second “Home Alone” movie, but retailers quickly started stocking this voice recorder for all children to enjoy.
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21. iPods have gone through a lot of changes over the years, but the original design is just too good.
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22. I remember being envious of anyone in middle school whose parents bought them a Motorola RAZR.
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23. Say cheese! Instant cameras like this and the Polaroid were all the rage and they’re even making a comeback.
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24. If you didn’t have your favorite song lyrics set as your AIM away message, were you really, truly living?
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25. In the ’80s and ’90s, some cars were sold with their very own phones. Sure the reception wasn’t very good, but these worked wonders in case of an emergency.
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26. Before smart watches tracked our steps and told us when to take a moment to breathe, these bad boys came equipped with our favorite video games, like Tetris.
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27. Apparently, ’90s kids couldn’t be trusted with their own pets, so Sony released a robot dog to teach the youths some responsibility.
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28. Today we know iBooks as an app on our Apple devices, but back in the day, iBooks were their very first laptops!
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29. VideoNow was to TV what a CD player was to music. You could enjoy up to 30 minutes of your favorite shows anywhere you went.
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30. And finally, before Millennials found it necessary to talk back to their parents, the Yak Bak did all the hard work for you.
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