I was a 90's kid

Mixed CD Playlist

2012-01-29T16:17:00.000-08:00

Today, I was bored and started going through a box of old cassette tapes that I found stuffed on a shelf in my bookcase. I was really hoping to come across some old mixed tapes from the 90's—and did find a few pret-ty awesome buried treasures. (Lion King soundtrack, anyone?!)

My favorite find though actually turned out to be a CD—a case-less, blank-faced burned CD.

I've always found that listening to find like this is a little bit like what Forrest Gump says about eating a box of chocolates: You never know what you're gonna get.

Today's find was no exception. Every song on the CD was a song I had totally forgotten about.

99% of the songs on this CD aren't from the 90's—but I thought I should share the playlist with you all anyways. I have a feeling that you'll enjoy listening to these throwbacks as much as I do...

Track 1: "#1" Nelly

Track 2: "Can't Deny It" Fabolous feat. Nate Dogg

Track 3: "Superwoman" Lil' Mo feat. Fabolous

Track 4: "We Right Here" DMX

Track 5: "Lay Low" Snoop Dog feat. Dr. Dre and Nate Dogg

Track 6: "I'm Real" Jennifer Lopez feat. Ja Rule

Track 7: "Big Poppa" The Notorious B.I.G.

Track 8: "Dance With Me" 112

Track 9: "Bad Boys For Life" P Diddy

Love this music video.

Track 10: "Caramel" City High feat. Eve

Track 11: "Who We Be" DMX

Track 12: "I'm a Thug" Trick Daddy

And last but not least...hahaha.

Track 13: "Fill Me In" Craig David

Apparently...I thought I was some sort of rap superstar in the early 2000s? Turns out, every single track on this CD is a hip hop song.

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10 Awesome 90's Pictures

2012-01-28T13:03:00.000-08:00

Long hair don't care?

SoCal Surf Wear...So-hot-right-now.

Classic 90's boys

I don't even know what to say about this one...

Scrunchie + Combat Boots + Leggins + Side Pony + Oversized Vest

Zachary Ty Bryan: left, Jonathan Taylor Thomas: right

"Lifetime Membership"?! Any Lisa Frank members out there able to confirm this claim?

Teen Beat Rider Strong!

Queen Latifah is rockin' the one shoulder overall look

This picture pretty much sums up the Spice Girls...and why they were so awesome.

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90's Fads: Blow Up Furniture

2012-01-21T09:35:00.000-08:00

In the 90's, blow up furniture was the coolest.

If you needed to get your bestie something for her B-day, a blow up chair made the perfect gift. Someone got me one for my 11th birthday and I loved it! It was purple and had the words "Sexy," "Cool," "Da Bomb," "Duh," and "Phat" written all over it in neon.

I remember thinking it was a little scandalous that it said "Sexy" on it...but that only made me love it more.

Did anyone else have blow up furniture back in the day?

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My Lunchbox in the 90's

2012-01-17T06:58:00.000-08:00

Back in the day, sugary snacks and drinks were a necessary staple in my lunchbox. In fact, I probably would have started having some serious withdrawals if I didn’t get my Nestle Chocolate Milk and Fruit by the Foot fix by the time my 12:00 lunch period rolled around.

Shortly after the 90’s though, “Health Food” became mainstream and parents started becoming concerned with phrases like “all natural,” “sugar-free,” and “100% pure fruit juice.” Ugh.

Today, I’m pretty sure most parents out there would rather choke and die on their organically grown tofu, veggie vegan wrap, than feed their children some of the things that I was allowed to eat regularly in the 90’s…

It wasn’t just me eating this junk either! All of my friends’ lunchboxes were filled with tasty treats that would probably give most of the kids I’ve recently babysat a 12 hour sugar high.

Here are some examples:

Squeezits! God, why did they have to stop making these?!

Dunkaroos! Secretly, all I really wanted was the frosting.

Sprinklin's! Yogurt never tasted sooo good.

Uncrustables. Pb+J without the crust? Yes please!

Sunny-d! This orange juice is like crack.

Gushers! "Made with Real Fruit Juice"...really? Lies!

Can you think of other sugary treats that were created in the 90's?

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2012-01-15T09:06:00.000-08:00

Get more daily thoughts of I was a 90's kid by following me on Twitter @iwasa90skid!

90's Fashion: Limited Too

2012-01-14T05:34:00.000-08:00

What the HELL happened to Limited Too? According to my research (a.k.a. wikipedia), "On August 12, 2008, Tween Brands announced that the nearly 600 Limited Toos would convert to the lower-price Justice brand, discontinuing the use of the Limited Too name."

Whyyyyyy thoughhh?! Justice?! WTF is "Justice"?

Us 90's kids...or, well, us 90's girls...KNOW that back in the day the best place to shop for back to school clothes was LIMITED TOO. I could only afford to buy things from there every once in a while. It was my ultimate dream to win a Limited Too shopping spree so that I could have an entire wardrobe of Limited Too clothes....

In elementary school, I would spend hours looking at their newest catalogues, circling the new tankinis, spagetti strap tank tops, and peddle pushers I wanted for summer, and wishing desperately that I looked more like one of these girls...

What did us 90's girls love about Limited Too's clothes? Let's see: the glitter...the sparkles...the flare jeans with butterflies on the butt pockets...the shirts plastered with pictures of puppies, kitties, peace signs, and sayings like "Buy it now. Tell dad later!"

Things that may ring a bell: Too Bucks, 99% Angel, and these....

Sooo hot right now.

Dream outfit:

Did you shop at Limited Too in the 90's? What do you remember about it?

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Where in the world is...Ferguson from "Clarissa Explains It All"

2011-12-26T12:09:00.000-08:00

Remember Clarissa's ginger-haired, money-hungry little brother, Ferguson (a.k.a. Fergbreath, Ferg-face, Fergwad)?

Well, he totally seemed to fall off the face of the earth after his "Clarissa Explains It All" gig...so I thought we should see where he’s at today.

Ferguson today.

Here are some Ferg facts…

-as it turns out, Ferguson's real name is Jason Zimbler

-he graduated from University of Notre Dame in 1998

-Zimbler once spoke about issues concerning free condom distribution in schools in front of the House of Rep’s Select Committee on Children, Youth and Families in 1992
-he has a graduate degree in Theatre Directing

-today, he is a software designer for HBO

Find out more here.

What other 90’s child actors would you like to find out more about?

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90's Slang: Phat

2011-12-25T22:12:00.000-08:00

Phat: ['fat']
adjective
1) very good, excellent, cool
Example: "Man, this song is so phat."
2) attractive, sexy.
Example: "Damn. Did you see that ass, dawg? That shit is phat."

See also: bomb, tight, sweet, rad.

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Born in the 90’s: Instant Messenger

2011-12-21T16:13:00.000-08:00

I’ll be the first to admit: I was an AIM addict for many, many years. I made my first SN—Kellyg9090—in the fourth or fifth grade...and, from the first moment I logged on, my obsession grew rapidly.

If you think about it, instant messaging was an amazing revolution for us 90’s kids. Before it was invented, if we wanted to talk to someone after school, we had to actually call them…on their house phone. Terrifying, I know.

With instant messenging, suddenly we had this great new way to do things like…

-tell a boy/girl we liked them without having to muster up the courage to do it over the phone or in person

-contact someone after 9PM (aka: when it would be too inappropriate to call someone’s house)

-have conversations without the risk of parents/siblings listening in

-dump a BF or GF in the meanest way possible

….and the list goes on!

Honestly, my adolescence would have been completely different without it! Now, I haven't logged in so many years that I don't even remember my password anymore.

Does anyone out there still actually use their AIM account?

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In the 90’s, I Couldn’t Live Without My…ADIDAS!

2011-12-21T15:49:00.000-08:00

Back in the day, it was common knowledge that everyone who was anyone owned at least one pair of Adidas Trainers. Bonus points if you had several pairs in different colors!

I had one pair—purple stripes on white—and I wore those babies until the day they fell apart. To up their cool factor, I even changed out the standard white laces for some totally awesome colored ones that were orange and pink striped. Sooo original of me, I know.

Did you own a pair of Adidas trainers? What did yours look like?

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The Muppets

2010-05-03T05:09:00.000-07:00

The Muppets weren't exactly exclusive to the 90's, but some of their best movies definitely debuted in the 90's: The Muppet Christmas Carol, Muppet Treasure Island, and Muppets from Space.

One of the first movies that I recall seeing in theater as a child was Muppet Treasure Island. It came out in 1996...and seriously, that movie is still one of my favorites. If you haven't seen it, I suggest you do. And if you have seen if and don't agree that this Muppet movie is pure comedic genius...I'm honestly not sure if we can get along.

I still have it on VHS and, if I could actually FIND a surviving VHS player somewhere...I think I would make it a point to watch at least once a year. Below is my favorite scene from the movie. It's taken from when the Muppet's pirate ship arrives on an island where the buried treasure is supposed to be. Soon, the crew is confronted by a tribe of native pigs led by who else but...Miss Piggy herself!

Check out "Boom Shakalala."

Love it every time. My favorite thing is how the music gets more and more intense and then abruptly STOPS as Miss Piggy makes her dramatic entrance. I think that's why I love this scene so much: I love Miss Piggy.

Does anyone else have a favorite Muppet character or movie? I know I'm not the only one who loved the Muppets!

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Creepy Crawlers!

2010-04-25T06:40:00.000-07:00

I had totally forgotten about "Creepy Crawlers," the toy that you can make squishy bug-shaped things using a little oven like the one you see above. This toy is such a throw back!

Look at this commercial I found for "Creepy Crawlers." I love it because the commercial mentions that you can also use the oven to make "Mighty Morphin' Power Rangers" figures!

I definitely never had this toy (I HATE things that creep and crawl), but did anyone else own this toy or have a brother or sister that did?

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90's Television: Go Go Power Rangers!

2010-04-24T06:22:00.000-07:00

I was the biggest girly-girl EVER growing up... so, looking back, it's kinda surprising to me that "Power Rangers" was a semi-big part of my childhood.

I know I never watched the show. I never would have been into watching it with the constant combat scenes and action. Super heroes just weren't really my "thing."

Yet, I pretended to be a Power Ranger with my friends ALL THE TIME. I think there this one summer when I was in second grade maybe and "Power Rangers" was all we would play. "Playing" a Power Ranger basically just meant that we all "called" which Ranger we wanted to be (all my friends wanted to be the PINK Ranger, or the yellow one if the pink one was already "called"). I specifically remember some girls refusing to play if they weren't the coveted Pink Ranger. Anyways, once we all were assigned a character from the show, I guess we would just run around doing what kids do best, which is playing "make believe." You know, pretend combat scenes, pretend villians, etc.

For all of you who don't remember what the show was about (like myself), it was a show about a group of teenagers known as Power Rangers, who could morph from normal people to super heroes. Each Power Ranger had a specific color suit associated with their character: blue, green, pink, yellow, red, and black.

These Power Rangers usually possessed some sort of super-human ability, such as amazing hand-to-hand combat skills or incredible strength. Their arch-enemy in the show was known as Rita Repulsa, who is an evil alien that has just been released from 10,000 years of confinement. Much of the show is of the Power Rangers fighting an endless amount of monsters and, of course, Rita Repulsa.

I think this video provides a perfect look into what the show was like:

The original series, known as "Mightly Morphin Power Rangers" is the series that I think most of the people my age remember. It ran from 1993 to 1995. The orginal cast of characters included Jason (Red Ranger), Zack (Black Ranger), Billy (Blue Ranger), Trini (Yellow Ranger), and Kim (Pink Ranger).

Do those character names ring a bell for anyone? What was YOUR favorite Ranger?

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The Weekly Hit From The 90's: "C'est La Vie" by B*Witched

2010-04-23T06:56:00.000-07:00

I was inspired by "Smart House" to post this song. It was one of the main songs of the movie. Enjoy!

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Disney Channel Original Movies

2010-04-22T09:41:00.000-07:00

Beginning in 1997, movies produced for the Disney Channel were known as Disney Channel Original Movies. These movies were very exciting to me as a 90's kid. I looked forward to the premier night of an Original Movie every time Disney came out with a new one.

The earliest Disney Channel Original Movies that I remember watching were "Brink!" and "Halloweentown." Every prepubescent girl in America liked "Brink!", a movie about a group of in-line skaters, because of the ultra-dreamy, Erik von Detten.

Above is a picture of him. In the 90's, my friends and I would have died for a chance to run our hands through his sunkissed lock. We thought he was such a babe!

In the fifth grade, I sat across from this girl who had everything on, in, or around her desk literally plastered with pictures of Erik von Detten taken from magazines like Tigerbeat. Picture this: her trapper keeper, plastic pencil case, and notebooks covered with this Disney teen icon.

It's funny, looking back, how much we idolized the young actors and actresses who starred in these straight-to-television movies.

Two of the best Disney Channel Original Movies were "Zenon: Girl of the 21st Century" and "Smart House." Both premiered in 1999.

"Zenon: Girl of the 21st Century"

Zenon, the main character who is pictured above (the blonde one), is a 13-year-old who lives on a space station that orbits the Earth. This movie was great because I loved the space-age looking outfits, the names of the characters (Zenon, Nebula, Gemma, Astrid), and the pop star in the movie, Proto Zoa. I LOVED his song "Supernova Girl."

Listen to the video above. AMAZING. Really brings you back, doesn't it?

"Smart House," my other favorite Disney Channel Original Movie, also has a scene that I just NEED to point out. To give a little background, "Smart House" is about a family (a dad and two kids, one of the kids being Ryan Merriman from my Pre-teen Hotties of the 90's post) who win a computerized house that starts to have a personality of its own that resembles an overbearing mother. So anyways, Ryan Merriman's character, Ben Cooper, is in this scene where him and his two friends start dancing to this song by 5ive called "Slam dunk (da funk)."

Here it is:

My roommate found this video and we both think it's pretty funny. When I was 11-years-old and watched this, I'm sure I thought "OMG Ryan Merriman is amazing! He is cute AND he can dance!?!?" Now, I'm thinking, wait, what guy and his friends just break out into a choreographed dance?

Although "Smart House" and "Zenon" are my personal favorites, other notable Disney Channel Original Movies from the 90's include "Can of Worms," "The Thirteenth Year," "Johnny Tsunami," and "Horse Sense."

What Disney Channel Original Movies do you remember???

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Pre-teen Hotties of the 90's

2010-04-19T14:44:00.000-07:00

At some point, every 90's kid had a major crush on at least one of the following people...

Rider Strong, a.k.a. Shawn Hunter from "Boy Meets World."

Shawn Hunter: the player (who everyone knew was secretly sweet deep down).

Shawn was a total heart breaker--and almost always in detention more than he was in class--but what girl could resist his charming dimples and mop of shiny, touchable-looking locks? One flash of his smile and any 90's girl would swoon over this bad boy.

Tiffani Thiessen, a.k.a. Kelly Kapowski from "Saved by the Bell"

Miley Cyrus has nothing on Kelly Kapowski. With her wholesome girl-next-door looks, tiny waist, flawless tan, and perfectly teased hair, Kelly Kapowski was the ultimate girl Hottie of the 90's.

Mark-Paul Gosselaar, a.k.a Zack Morris from "Saved by the Bell"

Well, since I mentioned Kelly Kapowski from "Saved by the Bell," I figured it only made sense to mention Zack Morris, her high high school sweetheart...

Zack Morris was every 90's girl's dream guy. He had boy-band-esque blonde hair, a perfect smile, and enough charm to get himself out of almost any trouble. Zack and Kelly were the perfect 90's couple.

Jonathan Taylor Thomas, a.k.a. Randy Taylor on "Home Improvement"

Jonathan Talyor Thomas played characters other than Randy on "Home Improvement" but that's where J.T.T. first got his rep as a mini-stud muffin. His brothers on the show are actually kind of cuties themselves--but it was Randy who was by far the cutest.

Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen

God, how I wanted to be Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen. They never had a bad hair day. They had all the coolest clothes. And they were blonde, skinny, and perpetually sun-kissed.

What makes these Hotties from the 90's stand out from the rest? Well, for starters, there's two of them.

Ryan Merriman

Ryan Merriman first starred in "The Luck of the Irish" and "Smart House" (which were two of the best Disney Channel Original Movies).

He was a blue-eyed, brown haired cutie who always played the same role: the popular, athletic ladies man.

Amanda Bynes

I've never been a big fan of Amanda Bynes. The Amanda Show kind of annoyed me. But who cares what I think? Guys always seemed to think she was really pretty. Some might even say hot.

Anyone remember any other Pre-teen Hotties from the 90's?

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90's Television: Doug

2010-04-14T09:01:00.000-07:00

I mentioned "Doug" before in my post about the "Rugrats", but, as I promised, I'm giving "Doug" its own post.

The show "Doug" is about an 11-year-old kid, Doug Funnie, who moves from his old town to a town named Bluffington. There we follow his adventures, mostly real, but sometimes imaginary (he often likes to imagine himself as a superhero named Quailman or Smash adams, a James Bond-like character). His best friend, Skeeter (who for some reason has blue skin, never really understood that one), is pictured in the above picture. Other important characters include Doug's beatnik-esque sister, Judy, his sometimes almost human-like dog named Porkchop, his arch-enemy who lives in a trailer park, Roger, his big crush, Patti Mayonnaise, and Bebe Bluff, who is rich and kind of snobby.

Judy

Porkchop

Roger

Patti

Bebe

I loved Doug. What a great show.

Does anyone have a favorite 90's Nickelodeon show that I haven't mentioned yet?

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The Weekly Hit from the 90's: "No Scrubs" by TLC

2010-04-13T10:00:00.000-07:00

Pictures of Me From the 90's

2010-04-12T22:30:00.000-07:00

Now, I don't know how many readers will find interest in this, but I thought I would try to find as many pictures as I could (which isn't many because I'm limited to the ones stored on my computer at the moment) from when I was actually "a 90's kid."

This is a one of the oldest pictures I have of my best friend Brittney and I. I'm on the left. Britt's on the right. (Duh.)

Britt and I are still bestest of friends today. This picture was taken circa 1994, I'm going to guess. I know we look like we are different ages because I am full head taller than her, but we are actually only a few weeks apart!

This picture is another of Britt and I. Again, I'm on the left. I always ask my mom why the hell she let me out of the house looking like this. Don't you just love the whole high tops with a ballet tutu look I'm rocking?

Here, I'm the one in the middle. I'm trying to look like a "movie star" in my grandfather's aviators and my grandmother's fur coat. To the left of me is one my childhood friends, Rachel, and to the right is Britt again. As you can see, I am about two heads taller than her at this point.

This picture is kind of fuzzy and small, but I'm the second one from the right. My friend's and I are on our way to the South Boston St. Patty's Day parade. We went every year almost. Britt is the one farthest to the left. She's such a little shrimp!

Here's a picture from my 4th grade "Spice Girls" birthday party. I'm the one in the red-ish looking tank-top.

Well, this picture is embarrassing. Look at those costumes! This was for my 5th grade jazz recital. I'm the one in the dead center.

This picture is also from 5th grade. My friends and I are at Canobie Lake Park, a local amusement park. I'm the second one in from the left. Next to me, as usual, is itty-bitty Brittney. I love the sneakers with the bathing suits. Sooo hot right now.

Here's another from the same day. .

Okay, so, this picture might be from a little past the 90's, but I thought it was a good final addition anyways. You might not be able to tell, but in this picture I have braces. I'm posing for this picture because I am all ready for my first dance! Did anyone else wear their hair styled like I have it? It was all the rage at my school to do cornrows across your head.

Well, that's all I've got for now. Sorry that the pictures are a little random and sparse. Maybe I'll upload some better ones when I get the chance!

Rugrats

2010-04-12T21:00:00.000-07:00

If there is one television show that I would say reminds me of my childhood, I would have to say "Rugrats." I literally grew up with the "Rugrats." Well, the characters on "Rugrats" never really grow up on the show. The characters are always toddlers in the original series. (In the second-rate sequel series called "All Growed Up!", the characters are portrayed as older versions of their baby-selves).

Maybe I'm just feeling lazy, or maybe I feel that faithful Wikipedia (I'm sorry, I love Wikipedia) just does a better job explaining about "Rugrats"than I could, either way, below is a quote from Wikipedia.com that explains the show's premise:

"Rugrats is an American animated television series created by Arlene Klasky, Gábor Csupó, and Paul Germain for Nickelodeon. The series premiered on August 11, 1991 and aired its last episode on June 8, 2004. The show focuses on four babies and their day-to-day lives, usually involving common life experiences that become adventures in the babies' imaginations. It was one of the first three Nicktoons and also aired on Nick Jr. in 1995."

I was born in 1989. And, as you can see, the show aired in 1991 and ended in 2004, which means that for practically the first 12 or so years of my life I watched "Rugrats." For some reason, it never really got old, despite the fact that it is about "four babies and their day-to-day lives."

The main characters included the adventurous Tommy Pickles, who is from a Jewish-Christian family, the "scaredy-cat" redhead Chuckie Finster, twins Phil and Lil Deville, who always looked identical, basically, despite being different genders, and Tommy's cousin, Angelica Pickles, who is a bratty, manipulative, and constantly spoiled "big kid" to the babies (she is three-years-old).

Above is a picture of all the main characters plus some.

Whenever I think of "Rugrats," I always think immediately to my other all-time favorite childhood cartoon, "Doug." I never knew why I associated the two shows, but now I realize that this association probably stems from the fact that both shows debuted on the same day. "Doug" also ran for the exact same years as "Rugrats," meaning, "Doug" ended in 1994 as well. (Of course, then there was Disney's "Doug," which was never as good as Nickelodeon's and Disney's "Doug" began in 1996.)

I think though that because "Doug," just like "Rugrats" deserves its own moment of glory on my blog for its sheer awesomeness, I will save the reminiscing on this series for another post. So, stay tuned to hear about things like Skeeter, Patty Mayonnaise, and Quail Main.

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Toe Socks

2010-04-07T05:57:00.000-07:00

Although toe socks originally came into popularity in the 70's, they did make a brief appearance in the 90's amongst adolescents.

I remember wearing toe socks like normal socks (you know, like, with jeans and sneakers) but some people decided it would be cool to wear them knee high (toe socks were almost always ridiculously long) with shorts on or with flip flops.

Above is a prime example of this fashion ~~statement~~ faux pas. Toe socks are pretty hideous looking and aren't actually that comfortable sometimes on your toes, so why were they created? Do they serve any purpose?

Good question. I'm not quite sure why toe socks were invented. I guess I always just assumed they were created as a silly, fun thing for kids kind of like tattoo choker necklaces or butterfly clips. Apparently, some people beg to differ.

I found the following quote on a blog called "The Socks Drawer":

"... toe socks are getting attention again not only for a way to add fun to your wardrobe, but for better foot health! Toe socks advocates claim that they are healthier than conventional socks for the proper balance, grip, and support your feet need. Toe socks are compared to gloves for the feet. Because the toes are separated, they give the feet and toes greater dexterity to provide optimal muscular form and function. In fact, the APMA (American Podiatric Medical Association) has given their seal of acceptance to toe socks made by injinji and Wigwam."

Interesting. Who knew people debated the health benefits of these goofy, rainbow socks? Personally, I think my feet are doing just fine in my usual white ankle socks, but if you are having podiatric issues maybe you should look into utilizing this 90's throwback.

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"Gee, Quinn."

2010-04-06T05:52:00.000-07:00

Before shows on MTV like "Date my Mom" or "Jersey Shore," there was "Daria." It was created in 1997 and ran until 2002.

The show centers around a high school girl, Daria (pictured above), who is characterized as a pessimistic, smart, combat-boot-wearing upper-middle class teenage girl with an incessently monotone voice. The show's satirical, exaggerated look at life in a town known as Lawndale often pokes fun at high school, suburbia, and popular culture.

I was almost too young for "Daria" when it aired in the 90's. It was definitely a show, like all MTV shows, that I had to sneak to watch in elementary school. At the time, I think the humor and themes were probably way over my nine-year-old head, but I still watched the show from time to time. My older sisters watched it, so I knew it had to be cool enough to sneak around to watch.

Even at a young age, I didn't have much patience for a character like Daria though. I get sick of pessimistic people fast (think Eeyore from Winnie the Pooh), and Daria is no exception. In reality, I think my favorite character on the show was always Daria's arch-nemisis: her 14-year-old old materialistic younger sister, Quinn.

Quinn = Daria's opposite. (Ie: Quinn is popular, perky, and pretty and portrayed as only caring about being so.) Quinn is often seen with her clique called "The Fashion Club," a hilariously shallow group of four girls who met to discuss fashion and decide what trends are cool.

The Fashion Club:

Although Quinn has an annoyingly high voice and is the epitome of "ditzy," I find her character and friends funny. I have love for her in the same way that I do for Cher from "Clueless." Like Cher, I think Quinn's trivial high school issues, such as acne and boys, are entertaining.

Quinn is so caught up in the social heirarchy of high school that she is actually ashamed to say Daria is her sister. Instead, she claims to be an only child and refers to Daria around others (when she has to) as a cousin or distant relative.

On a final note, I posted a clip above that I think gives a feel for the show for those of you who aren't familiar with it. I think my favorite part of this clip is when Quinn's bitchy Fashion Club friend, Sandi, says "Oh, look Quinn. She's wearing sandals like yours. Is this a rerun?"

So high school.

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The Weekly Hit From The 90's: "Truly Madly Deeply" by Savage Garden

2010-03-31T07:04:00.000-07:00

(Sorry everyone. I could only find a version with Spanish subtitles.)

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Easy-Bake Oven

2010-03-30T16:41:00.000-07:00

My family and friends affectionately referred to me by the nickname of "Kelly Belly" for, at least, the first ten years of my life on account of my "cute," round belly.

I wasn't fat or anything. I just had a little extra "baby fat" (as my mom called it) in my tummy area. My mom said it was normal and that I would "grow" out of it. I say I just had a major sweet tooth...

I mean, I used to trade my whole packed lunch just for my friend's Dunkaroo's or Hostess Ho Hos. If I ever had had the chance, I probably would have eaten frosting by the spoonful...

So, it's a no brainer that I loved when Santa brought me an Easy-Bake Oven when I was in the second grade.

I remember making petitie-sized pans of brownies and mini-cakes with my best friend, Brittney, on more than a few occassions. It was a miracle if there was any frosting left for the actual baked goods by the time we took them out of the oven and let them cool.

So, where is the Easy-Bake Oven today? Apparently, in February 2007, Hasbro had to recall 985,000 Easy-Bake Ovens because it was discovered that children's hands could get caught in the opening of the oven, which meant that little kids hands could get burned by the toy. In fact, there were 249 reports of children getting their hands caught in an Easy-Bake Oven (the reports included 16 second or third degree burns along with finger amputation).

Jeez. Maybe, we should call rename it the Evil-Bake Oven?

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Remember when

2010-03-28T15:00:00.000-07:00

... tattoo choker necklaces were cool!

The above picture depicts several different styles of these tattoo choker necklaces. My friends and I loved these. I think I might even have had a tan line on my neck one summer exactly where my choker was because I wore it EVERY day.

... having more Beanie babies than all your friends was your ultimate goal.

People went nuts over Beanie Babies in the 90's. Apparently, people thought they would be worth money and a "collector's items" someday. This didn't exactly turn out to be true. By the end of the 90's, the popularity of Beanie Babies dropped significantly. I never really had that many Beanie Babies. I think somewhere in my attic there is a bag with a few squished at the bottom.

...butterfly clips were an every day accessory.

God, does anyone else remember feeling the best in some bell bottom jeans, a Limitied Too shirt, and LOTS of butterfly clips all over your head?

... you thought the special effects in "Jurassic Park" were so awesome.

The dinosaurs were so life-like! Not.

I mean, don't get me wrong, "Jurassic Park" does have some cool visuals and the film actually won three Academy Awards for its "groundbreaking visual and sound effects," but what kid, after having seen something like "Avatar" in 3-D, could possibly have any time for something like "Jurassic Park"?

... you couldn't burn CDs off the computer or download songs onto an iPod.

Instead, I had a boom box, on which I would play tapes I made (mixed tapes) and CDs that I bought. I don't know about anyone else, but I used to sit in front of my boom box listening to my favorite radio station (WERZ), just waiting for my favorite songs to play. As soon as I would hear a song I liked, I immediately would hit the record button by the tape player. There would be a blank tape in the tape player, so that the song would record from the radio onto the tape and I would have the song on my very own tape!

I was in ~~the stone ages~~ the 90's then, which shows how far we've come and how fast.

What else do you remember about the 90's???

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Giga Pets

2010-03-26T15:31:00.000-07:00

I was probably in about third or fourth grade when virtual pets became a toy must-have. For those who aren't familiar with Giga Pets, they are handheld virtual animals (example above) that you take care of by feeding it, walking it, and giving it love (virtually petting it) daily. If you DON'T do those thing (as ridiculous as it sounds to "feed" a digital image), then your Giga Pet can DIE. Yes, I remember having a few friends who started bawling upon realizing their "pet" died because they forgot about it for a few days.

I guess that could have taught kids a valuable life lesson, except I'm pretty sure after your pet "died" it could ~~rise from the dead~~ come to life again if you wanted it to.

Maybe it was just East Kingston Elementary school, but I'm pretty sure Giga Pets were another of those pesky 90's toys banned from school (See also: Furbies, Gel Pens, Pogs). I can see how constantly taking care of a digital pet could be extremely distracting in the classroom. Imagine the upset though if a kid realized upon coming home from school and running up to his or her bedroom to check on their Giga Pet and finding out poor little Spot had passed on.

Tragic.

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The Weekly Hit from the 90's: "Sunny Came Home" by Shawn Colvin

2010-03-21T12:34:00.000-07:00

JNCO Jeans

2010-03-19T19:05:00.000-07:00

"Since 1991, JNCO has delivered the hippest denim jeans and phat styles to satisfy the demands of even the most hardcore hip-hop, skater, Nu Metal, Rap Metal and other music oriented sub-cultures."

The above quote was taken from the JNCO jeans website, pronounced "jenco." This Los Angeles based boy's/men's jeans company is best known for their wide-legged pants. Some pants had up to 50 inch leg openings. Other brands adopted this look as well. One such brand was called Kikwear and, frankly, they look just as ridiculous.

To the right is an example of Kikwear jeans from the 90's. You know I thought Zubaz pants and overalls were bad, but these take the cake for sure.

These type of pants remind me of one particular childhood memory: my next door neighbor "Damien." Now, Damien wasn't really his name. Damien was just what my dad called him after the character Damien from the 1976 horror movie The Omen. If you aren't familiar with the movie, then let me just say that basically this means my dad was calling my neighbor the devil by calling him Damien. I won't reveal his real name for confidentiality purposes, but Damien works just as well for me because I'm not even sure I remember his real name. Anyways, why do JNCO jeans remind me of Damien?

Picture these: JNCO jeans, chain from the wallet in his pocket dangling halfway down his leg, and a bowl cut. That's the style Damien rocked in the 90's (along with thousands of other angsty teenage boys). For clarity's sake, I will show a picture of what I remember Damien's 90's bowl cut looking like.

Hot. Hopefully now you have a solid image of him in your mind.

For whatever reason, Damien kind of scared me. Maybe it was because the bass in his yellow sportscar's stereo system woke me up almost every night around 2 AM, not just because it was so loud, but because I swear it literally shook my twin bed it was so powerful. I can't even say what type of music he was blaring. All I could hear (and feel) was "BOOM da BOOM da BOOM BOOM." Maybe he scared me because he was always hanging out in his driveway (loudly) with about 10 friends that looked just like him. (I'm pretty sure his parents just wouldn't let them in the house. By the looks of them, I know my parents wouldn't have.) Or, maybe he scared me because EVERY day he would cut through my yard as a shorter way to the school bus.

Now, that doesn't sound scary really, I know. But twice a day, to and from school, Damien would ignore my family completely as he walked down our long driveway. I mean, he walked the whole way without even looking up, saying hi, waving, or even nodding at us. My dad or mom could be in the yard raking and Damien would just put on his discman and keep his eyes to the ground.

I'm sorry, but that's just weird.

Anyways, as soon I saw a picture of JNCO jeans, I thought of my neighbor. I can only wonder where Damien is today...

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Toy's in the 90's: Polly Pockets!

2010-03-15T11:16:00.000-07:00

Polly Pocket was quite the rage in the 1990's.

In the early 1990's, Polly began to be distributed by Mattel through a company known as Bluebird Toys. Finally, in 1998 Mattel (forcibly) took over Polly Pockets altogether and purchased the toy.

Polly was never the same after that.

Mattel redesigned the toy in 1999.

Above is an example of the new Polly and her house. Wtf, Mattel?!

Does Polly look like she could fit into a little girl's pocket? No! That Polly has literally almost nothing in common with the original Polly Pockets.

Okay, okay, I guess little Polly and big Polly both have blonde hair. But that's where the similarities end! It really isn't the same toy at all.

All my 90's girls, what do you of the redesigned Polly?

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The Weekly Hit From The 90's: "Every Morning" by Sugar Ray

2010-03-07T07:38:00.000-08:00

***I've decided to post a song from the 90's once a week: "The Weekly Hit From the 90's." I'm not going to write anything in these posts, but just give everyone a song that has been long forgotten by most people by now and might bring back a few memories. I'll probably post about other songs and write about them, but this is just meant to be a quick ticket to the past.

Technology in the 90's

2010-03-06T19:49:00.000-08:00

How do I get on facebook from this thing????

I used to carry a CD with me, now I think its insufficient that my iPod can only carry 1,000 songs.

Wait, why aren't these controllers wireless? And where do I plug in my ethernet cable?!?

Macbook?

Napster arrived in 1999.

Before digital cameras were popular, there was the Polaroid i-Zone!

Intel pentium processor ad:

Original America Online homepage (AOL):

Windows 95 has these things called electronic mail and Internet explorer.

Before there were jump drives and CD-ROM drives...there were floppy disks!

Beepers. "Beep me anytime, day or night."

90's Movies: Clueless

2010-03-06T17:18:00.000-08:00

As if!

I loved Clueless instantly...although, I'm not sure I could fully appreciate all the jokes the first time I saw it. Some must have been way over my head.

I remember on my third or fourth time of watching "Clueless" finally understanding what Cher, the main character, meant when she says, "It is one thing to spark up a doobie and get laced at parties, but it is quite another to be fried all day."

And I still remember when it hit me that Tai, the new girl at Beverly Hills High, does not mean Coca-cola when she says, "No shit. You guys got Coke here?"

Yes, each time I watched "Clueless" for awhile things made more and more sense to me. But even when I only understood the most basic premises of the movie (superficial, rich, popular girl going through the ups and downs of high school), the movie was an instant favorite.

"Clueless" trailer:

If you haven't seen the movie, I think this trailer provides a little insight into what the movie is like and hopefully, inspires you to watch it, because you can't be a kid of the 90's and not have seen "Clueless."

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"And I think it's fly when girls stop by for the summer, for the summer..."

2010-03-04T14:58:00.000-08:00

I don't think I'm wrong in thinking that this song "Summer Girls" by LFO has some of the worst lyrics of all time. The things they talk about are pretty random and stupid.

The following is the lyrics from the beginning of the song:

Yeah...I like it when the girls stop by.. In the summer

Do you remember, Do you remember?
...when we met..That summer??

New Kids On The block,had a bunch of hits
Chinese food makes me sick.
And I think it's fly when girls stop by for the summer, for the summer
I like girls that wear Abercrombie and Fitch,
I'd take her if I had one wish,
But she's been gone since that summer..
Since that summer.
So, I take that LFO met some girls one summer and wrote this song about them. I'm just confused by the randomness of the lyrics. For example, "Chinese food makes me sick"? Wtf, LFO? Why would you talk about chinese food making you sick in an ode to girl? That just makes me think of some guy throwing up bad chinese food.

Here's some more of the song for you:

Now I can't forget you and it makes me mad,

Left one day and never came back
Stayed all summer then went back home,
Macauly Culkin wasn't Home Alone
Fell deep in love,but now we ain't speakin
Michael J Fox was Alex P Keaton
When I met you I said my name was Rich
You look like a girl from Abercrombie and Fitch

Here you see how the song gets even more random. First, he's talking about being sad over a girl who went away and then throws in a line about Macauly Culkin. What does Macauly Culkin have to do with unrequited love?

Also, I just have to point this out, "You look like a girl from Abercrombie and Fitch" has to be the worst pick-up line I've ever heard. I can't imagine what I would say if some guy came up to me and was like "Hey! My name's Rich. I just wanted to tell you...you look like a girl from Abercrombie and Fitch." Woooooow. I think that's what I would say. I mean, I assume he's trying to say that the girl was as attractive as an Abercrombie model and that's nice and all, but also pretty cheesy/lame.

Seriously, how could someone write this ~~masterpiece~~ junk? Here's a final line I will show from the part of the song in which one of band members attempts to "rap":

When you take a sip you buzz like a hornet
Billy Shakespere wrote a whole bunch of sonnets
Call me Willy Whistle cause I can't speak baby
Sumthin in your eyes went and drove me crazy

Eek. Boy bands and rap should not mix.

I might be able to cut LFO some slack though, because I did a little research (a.k.a. I wikipedia-ed "Summer girls") and, as it turns out, LFO says that there are a lot of "inside jokes" in this song. I'm not sure what those inside jokes are. Maybe, for example, the line "chinese food makes me sick" is some sort of reference to something that no one is really supposed to understand except LFO and their "Summer girls."

Apparently, the band "never anticipated [the song's] success" and it was originally only supposed to be a demo, but the song got leaked onto the radio. So, it's possible that everything I'm making fun of in the song wasn't really meant to be taken seriously in the first place. Knowing this newfound information makes me take LFO a little bit more seriously. I always assumed that this song was what the band considered "good" music, but it sounds more like it was recorded without the intention of it ever going public.

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Skills that all the cool 90's kids had...

2010-02-28T15:53:00.000-08:00

1) Being nasty at yo-yo tricks.

I didn't know any tricks, nor did I have a yo-yo. I might have tried a weak "walk the dog" trick with some yo-yo of someone's, but I never had true passion for it. On the other hand, it was a real craze for a lot of other kids. If I remember correctly, some of yo-yos could light up. Awesome.

2) Knowing how to do Cat's Cradle.

The company Klutz came out with this book in the 90's that taught you how to do the string game "Cat's Cradle." Suddenly, all my friends and I prided ourselves on being the most skilled at the complicated patterns. Does the Cat's Crade trick called "The Witch's Broomstick" ring any bells? I couldn't for the life of me remember how to do it now.

Thank you Klutz for teaching me this valuable skill, even if it was only temporary.

3) Being able to do "Fingerboard" tricks.

I thought these mini-skateboards were so dumb. What was their purpose, I wondered. But, then again, I was a huge girly-girly and didn't know the difference between a 360 and an ollie. (Still don't, actually.)

The pre-pubescent boys who surrounded me got it though and would simulate skateboard tricks on their desks whenever our teacher wasn't looking. Look, a boy would whisper to his buddy next to me, I just did kick-flip off my math book, dude! I would roll my eyes (and secretly think it was kiiinda cool...all the cute boys were into skateboarding).

4) Skip-It

Skip-it was pretty fun. I was never very good at it, but it was fun. Skip-it had a ticker on it that would tick off how many times you could "skip-it" before messing up. I used to watch my friends with envy as they beat their already amazing skip-it records.

Spice World: My World

2010-02-28T14:04:00.000-08:00

"Spice World" was a movie that came out in 1997 that I absolutely loved. It is ALSO how I would describe the years of my life between '97 and '99. The Spice Girls, Geri (Ginger), Emma (Baby), Melanie B. (Scary), Melanie C. (Sporty), and Victoria (Posh), were my world back then. Spice World.

I liked everything that the Spice Girls were about: Girl Power!, peppy lyrics, platform shoes, mini skirts, posing in pictures with your fingers in the peace sign. One of my favorite gifts I ever got was a photo album that had a huge picture of them on the front. Inside, I put any picture I could find of the Spice Girls. Below is a picture of the front of it. (Yes, I do still have it!)

My obsession went beyond collecting pictures of them though. For example, my fourth grade birthday party was, of course, Spice Girls themed. Only four girls were invited (four girls + me = five....just like the Spice Girls) and each one of us had to dress, and act, like one of the Spice Girls.

This was not something we did only for my birthday party though. We dressed up "like Spice Girls" ALL the time. I always had to be Sporty Spice....and I wasn't happy about. Baby Spice was soo much cuter, and Posh Spice was undeniably way sexier. Even my nine-year-old eyes could see that!
I still have pictures of my friends and I at my birthday party in our Spice Girls get-up, blue mascara and all. The photos are carefully stored in that Spice Girls photo album. Even when I saw our pictures side by side with picture of the Spice Girls, I still was nieve enough to think we were the spitting image of them.

I don't think the this Spice Girls obsession was particularly unique to my childhood. In fact, my freshman year at Fordham I went to one of the Spice Girls' reunion tour concerts with a bunch of girls from my dorm. We were ALL ecstatic. So much so, that we decided we decided we would dress up like the Spice Girls for the concert. Each one of us would be a different Spice girl, but this time I decided I would be Ginger.

Here's us in our costumes:

From left to right: Me (Ginger), Baby Spice, Posh Spice, Posh Spice again, Sporty Spice, and Scary Spice.

Some Inspiration:

From left to right: Sporty, Ginger, Posh, Scary, and Baby

I might have gone a little overboard with my costume. In fact, if you didn't notice, it was a wee bit risqué. But it looked so much like Ginger's outfit that I couldn't resist. If I wanted to show my love for the Spice Girls, I had to go all the way. Anyways, I figured, everyone would be dressing up for the concert. It was the natural thing to do with your friends, we thought. Our outfits would be totally appropriate because we would be just one group of giggly overdressed girls out of hundreds, right?

Wrong. Turns out most people just were wearing normal street clothes. How did we not get that memo?

There were actually a lot of people who truly appreciated our effort and our outfits though. Some people took pictures with us. Some people complimented us.

And some people stared. Laughed. A few little girls seeming to be as young eight (I didn't understand why they were at the concert in the first place because they could not remember the Spice Girls like us) pointed us out to their moms as we walked by in the concert venue. "Mom, look! That girl isn't wearing pants and two aren't wearing shirts!"

We all felt like we had shown up at someone's party mistakenly believing it was going to be a costume party. I felt like the worst role model for young girls ever. I also kind of felt like a hooker.

Yet, we walked on trying to keep our heads up and locate our seats, feeling like maybe we were just the most dedicated fans. No, no, that we were the only dedicated fans. I mean...we did kind of sacrifice our dignity in the name of the Spice Girls.

And the Spice Girls did not fail to deliver on their end. They did all my favorite songs: 2 become 1, Spice Up Your Life, Say You'll Be There, Move Over, Never Give Up on the Good Times. I'm ashamed to say that I cried when they sang their song "Mama."

It was Epic.

The Spice Girls were a huge part of my childhood and I'm glad I got my chance to see them all together for one last time. I thought I would never get the chance. Especially, when, abruptly, Geri Halliwell left the group in 1998. I was depressed and they were never the same after that.

I'll end on this note:

In the words of the Spice Girls themselves, never give up on the good times everyone and don't forget 90's kids that the Spice Girls live on forever in our memories. Girl Power!! ;)

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Songs that everyone knew the lyrics to and/or a choreographed dance:

2010-02-26T17:36:00.000-08:00

1) "The Macarena," by Los del Rio (did anyone else never know the artist of this song til now?), Bayside Boys Remix version

This song was ridiculously overplayed (most popular between 1995 and 1996, although, I liked it well into the 21st century), but hearing it now really kind of makes me want to get my groove on. Hell, after a few glasses of champange, I'm DEFINITELY dancing to this at my wedding. Hopefully, not solo.

2) "The Cotton Eye Joe," Rednex version

This version of "Cotton eye Joe"came out in late 1994 and it didn't take too long for it to annoy me. I hated being made to do the stupid dance in gym class when the gym teachers didn't feel like actually having to do anything.

Surprisingly, Rednex, the band who redid this song are a "Swedish Eurodance band." Weird.

3) "Barbie Girl" by Aqua

This song was done by a "Danish dance-pop group," which is almost as random as a "Swedish Eurodance band." (see above)

Anyways, this song was great because I LOVED knowing all the words to "Barbie's" part. I hated when lip-synching to it around my room with my friends, I got stuck with "Ken's" part while my friend got to be "Barbie" (all Ken really says is "Come on Barbie, let's go party" over and over).

One thing I never knew about this song was that Mattel actually sued Aqua for the song. They claim that Aqua makes Barbie sound like a "blonde bimbo."

Here's some examples of lyrics:

" you can brush my hair, undress me everywhere"
"I'm a blond bimbo girl, in the fantasy world/Dress me up, make it tight, I'm your dolly"
"kiss me here, touch me there, hanky panky..."

Maybe Mattel had a point. Barbie does come off like a HUGE slut in this song. Mattel lost their lawsuit though. Oh well. I always hated Barbie anyways. I think at a young age I realized how unrealistic and annoying she was. I got grounded for a month in 4th grade for cutting all of my Barbies' hair and some of her other uuhh... bodily parts off. It was a dark year, I guess.

This song is just one of those songs that, when I hear it, I immediately think of the 90's and still know every word.

4) "The Cha-cha Slide" by DJ Casper

This song brings back some fond memories. In seventh grade, I spent at least three hours in my best friend Brittney's upstairs computer room learning all the moves to the Cha-Cha slide. It was summer and I had just come back from a summer camp where I had experienced my first boy-girl dance. My first dance taught me two things: 1) I learned that people do some kind of dancing called "grinding" (usually, at that time, to a rap song like Sisquo's "Thong song"). It seemed very dirty to my innocent eyes, and 2) I learned the Cha-Cha slide.

Anyways, Brittney's upstairs computer room had no windows, no AC, and no fan. It was a sweatbox and between the months of June -August, I swear we were the only souls in her house dedicated to the computer enough to sit up there for more than ten minutes. So, no one bothered us as we hopped and slid around on her carpet to a music video that taught us the moves.

The dance is pretty self-explanatory when you listen to the lyrics. (You hear "Sliiiideee to the left!" and you slide to the left.) It came out in 1996 for, get this, BALLY TOTAL FITNESS. Members, apparently, loved it and it was all history from there.

The coolest thing since Lisa Frank...GEL PENS!

2010-02-25T12:59:00.000-08:00

I don't remember the gel pen craze gaining momentum. I just feel like one day I showed up at East Kingston Elementary School and gel pens were a national preteen phenomenon. I do remember eyeing a girl who sat next to me in Mr. McMahon's homeroom class with jealousy when she pulled out her brand new complete set of "Gelly Roll" pens. I mean, she had every color. There were, like, ten times more pens in her set than in the picture above.

Then, my heart practically stopped when I saw her pull out a brand new notebook of black paper, open it to a clean page, and start drawing in metallic shades of pinks, purples, and blues. I had seen gel pens before, but I had never been shown what truly makes them superior to all other pens: they could write on black paper.

I wanted to ask this girl if I could borrow a gel pen or two AND a piece of black paper, but I had just made fun of her the day before on the bus. I had told her that her hair was looking greasy (I was heartless in 1999), so I decided to ease into it.

"Hey _____, I forgot my pencil case at home today," I sighed, "Do you think I could borrow a pen?"

I was always harrassing this girl for something, although, it was usually for her to trade her Dunkaroos at snacktime (my mom never bought them and I LOVED the frosting) for my fruit roll-up or something.

In answer to my request, she handed me a metallic shade of maroon. Score. My very own gel pen to use for the day.

Eventually, I got a few of my own gel pens and soon learned of other things they were cool for (aside from their ability to write on black paper). For instance, they were great for writing on skin. Girls would sit around drawing all over each others arms, legs, and hands with gel pens at recess. I would come home with shiny smudges of "Ashley is da bomb!" in bubble letters on my hands or designs of hearts and flowers all over my forearms.

The coveted marbled (multi-colored) gel pen:

The set of gel pens I used to wish I had:

Eventually, like many other childhood crazes in the 90's (pogs, Pokemon cards, Furbies, Tamagotchis), gel pens got banned from school. At least, they got banned from being used in school classrooms. One by one, teachers got sick of reading kids' shiny handwriting (that was hard enough to read anyways) on tests and homework. No more book reports beautifully written in silver and gold penmanship (yea, bookreports could be handwritten back then because most people didn't have a computer), no more getting to choose the perfect shade of pink for my math homework.

Gel pens were limited to recess and home. After that, I don't remember them being as popular anymore.

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SNICK (IE: Saturday Night Nickelodeon)

2010-02-22T16:10:00.000-08:00

I might be a little biased, but when I think about it...Nickelodeon sucks nowadays. In fact, I'm willing to go as far as to say that Nickelodeon started sucking when SNICK, as I knew it, ended circa 2004.

SNICK had a good run. It aired every Saturday night from 8 PM-10 PM E.T. for over ten years. The show started in 1992. As soon as I was old enough to be allowed to stay up until 10'oclock and was able to understand the story lines/jokes (at least partially), SNICK was the highlight of my weekend. It was something to do, to talk about. Hey, did you see 3LW's performance on SNICK Saturday night on the Amanda Show?

Now SNICK has been replaced with its lesser little sister--TEENick.

One of TEENick's latest line-ups of programming:

-Zoey 101 (sucks, plot is ridiculous)
-iCarly (sucks more, Miranda Crosgrove is annoying)
-Drake and Josh (suuuuucks, no comment)

One of SNICK's line-ups of programming: (one I found from 1999)

-Rugrats (Fun facts: Steven Spielberg called it "the Peanuts of our time," and is longest lasting Nickelodeon TV show to date)
-All That (theme song performed by TLC, need I say more?)
-Are you afraid of the dark? (This show was terrifying back in the day! Which in my book, makes it awesome)

Clearly, the latter line up is superior. SNICK had some amazing programing in the 90's, versus some of the truly sub-par programming available for kids today. To me, SNICK represents the quality of what Nickelodeon used to be.

Some truly memorable shows passed through SNICK's line-up.

Some examples:

Clarissa Explains It All

Ren & Stimpy

The Secret World of Alex Mack

KaBlam!

I had ALMOST forgotten about some of those shows! I hope you all agree that SNICK had some great shows (especially in comparison to where Nickelodeon is at now).

In the end, I can't dwell. Children's programming has gone down the tubes (and not just in my opinion), but so what? I don't really care. Looking at the situation selfishly, at least I got to experience Nick in its glory days.

For now, I'll just have to watch the one of the two VHS tapes I still own that Nickelodeon was selling in the early 90's of SNICK in an attempt to "recreate" the SNICK viewing experience. Jealous?

Buy it yourself on Amazon for $20. It's worth it for a laugh.

Born in the 90's: Dial-up Internet

2010-02-18T09:09:00.000-08:00

Do not continue reading this post unless you listen to the entire video below.

I had dial-up internet for a ridiculously long time when I was growing up. In fact, my family went straight from dial-up to wireless. I think I had dial-up until around my sophomore year in high school (2004?). All I know is that ALL my friends got rid of their dial-up at least 4 years before my family.

Dial-up internet really affected my life. Well, not really, but at the time I thought my life would be much better if we didn't have it.

Here's all the things I can think of that made dial-up irritating:

It made really annoying noises EVERY time you wanted to get onto the internet
It tied up the phone line at my house. So, I was only allowed to go online for short periods of time in case someone was trying to call our house phone.
I had to go offline every time I left the computer (the phone line was tied up), and therefore, I could not leave up away messages on AIM. That was probably the biggest deal to me because I was ADDICTED to AIM.
If I tried to go online late at night, I had to risk my parents hearing the horrible dial-up noise and waking up. Then, there was a chance they would yell at me and tell me to get to bed. (You couldn't even turn off the sound on your computer to make the noise go away. You could hear it no matter what.)
The internet was so slow.

It's so hard to remember what life was like when computers and the internet were just becoming mainstream. Dial-up is one of the only things about the internet in the 90's that I can really remember, probably just because it was so annoying.

Moral of the story: when your computer screen freezes for five seconds while loading a website, chill out. Just remember that you had to wait 29 painful seconds for your computer to get online back in the day.

"I get knocked down, but I get up again, you're never gonna keep me down."

2010-02-18T08:44:00.000-08:00

This song is by the British band, Chumbawumba. Classic, one hit wonder band, in my opinion. Now, I don't know about everybody else, but this song really brings me right back to my childhood. I feel like it reminds me of a song we had to run to in 5th grade gym class. Was this on Jock Jams?

I just checked and the answer is yes. Jock Jams Volume 4. No wonder this song reminds me of gym class. All we ran to was Jock Jams. (Other songs on the CD include: Gettin' jiggy wit it, Space Jam, Everybody by Backstreet Boys, and Push it by Salt n Peppa. So great.)

Anyways, this song was definitely no musical or lyrical masterpiece. Anyone ever heard of the drinking game where you listen to a song like "Roxanne" by the Police (because it repeats Roxanne so much) and everyone drinks every time the word Roxanne is said. Well, "Tubthumping" is another song that could be good for that game (would get you really drunk though), because "I get knocked down" is repeated over and over in this song. 28 times to be exact. I didn't care though back in the day. I really liked this song.

I remember debating with friends about whether or not in the song the girl says "pissing the night away" or "kissing the night away." When this song came out, I didn't have the luxery that kids have today in which you can just google any song's lyrics and within five seconds read all the words to a song. Instead, I had to listen really carefully with my best friend, Britt. Ears to my black boom box, we would strain to try to hear whether it was "pissing" or "kissing." To us, it was a huge deal which word it was. For some reason, I seriously considered "pissing" a swear word. So, it would have been bad if while singing along I said PISS and not KISS. God forbid. And anyways, what the hell does "pissing the night away" mean? It sounded really dirty to us.

In the end, it is "pissing" and in fact, not "kissing." Either way, this song really brings back that nostalgic feeling. Does anyone else remember liking this song?

90's Fashion: Rock your Docs

2010-02-15T12:36:00.000-08:00

Hmm..Doc Martens. The Ugg boots of the 90's? I think not. Doc's were much, much too cool for the kind of lame pre-teen Abercrombie-wearing girls who wear Uggs.

Personally, I never wore Doc Martens , but I definitely remember them. For example, I remember thinking they were hideous when my mom tried to get me to wear my sister's old hand me down Docs. Doc's missed my age group and definitely were not cool by the time my sister was ready to pass them on. My mom was always trying to pass on my sisters' out-dated 90's clothing that might have been cool five years prior (think: body suits, high-waisted mini skirts, and tapered jeans which were "out" by the time I was in 4th grade). It was one of the only unfortunate aspects of being the youngest girl of three.

Anyways, I don't really have a solid grasp on the "coolness" that Docs once attained circa maybe ... 1995. For this post, I decided to ask someone who I thought might have a little more insight on the subject matter: my oldest sister, Colleen. My sisters were teenagers in the 90's, while I was just a child. For me, they were who I looked to in order to figure out what was cool (confession: they still are). If it weren't for them, who else would I have stolen mix tapes and thongs from? So, when it comes to 90's fashion like Doc Martens, I figure Colleen is the perfect person to ask.

When my Doc guru, Colleen, thinks of the boots, she thinks of "steel toes, black shoe polish, and rainbow stitching." To spice up your Docs you could have rainbow stitching. I think it might also have been popular to put in rainbow laces. If that wasn't what you were looking for though, you could always just go with the classic yellow stitching and laces.

For an overall 90's look my sis says, "It was essential to be hardcore by pairing an a-line mini and thigh highs with Doc Martens, so after you got the guy of your dreams to check you out, you could kick him in the balls if he actually tried to talk to you."

Ouch. I don't know if I ever would have been hardcore enough for that.

Now, we can't forget the guys here. Doc Martens were definitely a unisex thing. I picture a classic guy in the 90's wearing a pair of Doc's with faded Levi's (rolled up on the bottom so you can see the boot's full effect), with a rock t-shirt, and an unbuttoned, plaid flannel. Sexy.

Here's some Doc rockers.

Soooo 90's.

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90's Fashion: "Jellies"

2010-02-15T11:18:00.000-08:00

"Jellies," as they were commonly known as, were my favorite and my mom's least favorite shoes of mine from the 90's. I'm not sure why they were my favorite shoes at one time, but probably because mine were pink like the ones above and the plastic had glitter in it. Anything pink and glittery was likely to be something I liked.

"Jellies" were a huge trend in the 90's. Here's an example of a pair with glitter:

Those really bring back some memories.

I still remember trudging home in the summer evenings, my "Jellies" sqeaking beneath my feet. One of the problems with "Jellies" was that as soon as my feet sweat in the slightest, they would start sliding all around in my "Jellies." I'm sure these sandals also gave me blisters. At the end of a long summer day, I was always tired and a little dirty from running and biking around my neighborhood all day. When I got home and took off the sandals, my feet would be patterned with brown where there were open slats in the shoe. It's no wonder that "Jellies" were my mom's least favorite shoe of mine.

Aside from the way these sandals made your feet sweat, gave you blisters, and allowed your feet to get dirty easily, the plastic of the sandals also made your feet stink. Worse, the plastic became dirty and brown-colored easily. All it took was one day running through the woods and ponds of my small home town, East Kingston, to get these suckers a nice pinkish-brown. They also broke very easily. With them being plastic, when "Jellies" broke, they were unfixable.

Not going to lie though, I could still go for a pair of jellies. Take a look: 21st century jellies.

Don't forget to follow @iwasa90skid on Twitter!

Zubaz pants

2010-02-08T17:31:00.000-08:00

As a 90's child, I never knew what these hideous pants were called. I didn't even know there was a name for them. When I looked back on the 90's in the past, I've just thought...remember those ugly multi-colored pants that guys wore? For lack of a better term I just thought of them as MC Hammer pants, which, in fact, they are not.

These are MC Hammer pants:

These are Zubaz pants:

I'm glad I've cleared this up, because apparently they are NOT the same thing.

Zubaz pants became popular in the early 90's after they were created by two bodybuilders in 1988. They were created in order to give bodybuilders comfortable, functional pants for the sport. If only the pants had been confined to being worn by JUST bodybuilders and, furthermore, JUST in the gym. Instead, Zubaz pants became insanely popular in the U.S. and the company that produced them made $100 million dollars in just 1991.

The basic style of the pant is this: an elastic waistband for comfort and flexibility, a leg that is tapered at the ankle but billowy at the top, and, originally, Zebra print for fabric. Eventually, the pants could be found in practically any pattern imaginable, but all appear to be horrifyingly bad.

Here's an especially sexy pair for you:

Picture your boyfriend or dad wearing those. I'll leave you all with that image in your mind.

90's Fashion: Overalls

2010-02-08T16:57:00.000-08:00

Look at that stud above in his classic 90's outfit. I can't remember the last time I saw someone, young or old, wearing overalls. Probably not since the 90's.

In the 90's, overalls weren't just acceptable for people under the age of five and farmers, like they are now, they were actually a fashion statement. Overalls were universal: anyone could rock them without the fashion police being called.

Nobody ever really looked good in overalls though. I mean, some people look good in anything, but that's only if you're, like, one of the Sweet Valley High twins or something (remember that book series?). Seriously, unless you are a cute, young girl, you probably can't pull off overalls.

Some people tried to look cute in overalls. I know I tried to look cute. In the sixth grade, I was confident I looked as good as it gets in my Old Navy faded jean overalls with the slightly flared bottom, paired with my polar fleece pink vest.

Other people tried to make overalls look cool. Some people thought overalls look cooler on them if they wore them with only one of the suspenders snapped in and the other left hanging loose down the back. I specifically remember my best friend Brittney trying out this fashion statement. I kept trying to tell her that it was not a good look. I didn't think our teachers or her parents would like it either. I think she knew this, too, so, she only modeled this look when she was in front of me in one of our room's.

Except, one day. Being only in fourth grade at the time, we didn't get many oppurtunities to be without some sort of adult supervision. One day though, for whatever reason, we happened to be alone. Strangest of all, I think we were alone while ice skating. I guess there must have been adults around, but neither of our parents. Brittney decided then, with one of her only viable chances alone in public and while wobbling around the rink on skates that were slightly too big for her (everything was too big for her), that she would try out the one suspender overall look. I took one look a her, told her she looked ridiculous, and hoped nobody would recognize us.

I knew our little town wasn't ready for the fashion statement, especially not from a nine-year-old.

Here's some ladies modeling the look:

Some people might forget this (I have not), but it was actually okay in the 90's for men to wear overalls, too. Not just boys in my elementary school, but of basically any age. I searched "Men AND overalls" on Google and an article from Askmen.com came up. Here's what the article has to say on men and overalls in the 90's:

"For reasons that still elude us, men once thought it would be a good idea to dress up like poor share croppers. The result was the return of overalls. During the 1990s, teens typically wore their overalls either with a belt, letting the front and back flaps hang down, or with only one strap hooked, leaving the opposite side open. Regardless of the technique, this brand of farmer fashion still made the wearer look as though they should be birthing hogs and chasing after their sisters."

I'm sorry but, WHAT WERE WE THINKING in the 90's?! Overalls are so ugly. They do nothing to flatter anyone's body. If you are skinny, then wear something formfitting that doesn't make it look like your butt is at your knees. And if you are fat...you are not fooling anyone by donning a baggy jumpsuit.

I wouldn't wear overalls now, but, back in the day, overalls were kind of my go-to attire for a few years. I had at least five different overalls in the fifth grade. Three distinct different overalls that I had come to mind: a velvet black kind, blue corduroy overalls, and jean overalls that were actually shorts and had Winnie the Pooh embroidered on the front pocket. Yikes.

Don't forget to follow @iwasa90skid on Twitter!

Furbies

2010-02-05T09:32:00.000-08:00

I HATED Furbies. They creeped me out a lot.

Furbies were the must have toy for a while in the 90's. At one point, I think they even cost a couple hundred dollars because they were in such high demand. Of course, I wasn't eto have one. My parents thought they were a stupid, expensive (and weird) trend...which was basically true.

I don't remember this, probably because I didn't have one, but every Furby spoke its own language (Furbish) when you first bought it. Gradually, a Furby would learn to speak English (but no other languages).

That's what creeped me out: you could teach them English words and I remember thinking that that must mean they had minds of their own. I was convinced a Furby could just start talking to me, like, "Hey Kelly, I know you lied to your mom about..." One girl in my fourth grade class used to brag that she taught her Furby to say "fuck." I'm sorry...but I still think the whole idea of it is kinda fucking creepy.

Another thing that was scary was how much they looked like "gremlins" from that Steven Speilberg movie.

Yup. Furbies still give me the creeps.

Glitter

2010-02-05T09:04:00.000-08:00

It's hard for me to know what is quintessentially 90's and what is just something I did in the 90's, but when it comes to wearing gel glitter, I hope I wasn't the only one who took it to the level that I did. I was obsessed with glitter.

I applied so much glitter that I must have literally SHINED at school dances. My best friends loved it, too. In fact, on our bus rides to elementary, and then middle school, we used to apply that gunk all over our faces. Just picture: it's 7:00 am and four 10-year-old girls are sitting in the back of a school bus passing around and putting on Bath & Body Works roll-on glitter like it's our job.

Why did we put it on on the bus? Maybe, because our parents objected to us looking like IDIOTS. None of us would have been allowed out the front door of our house in the amount of glitter we applied.

Did we really need to lather on glitter to go to our small town grade school? Absolutely not, but we didn't want to save glitter just for special occasions like dances, mall trips, or the movies (yes, those were BIG events). We liked it for the every day. We only saved our roll-on BODY glitter, which we rolled everywhere, for those "special" occasions. All our other glitter was to be put on every day.

I actually brought every type of glitter I owned to school every day in fifth grade. I carried it around in my black "Mudd" messenger bag, along with my blue and purple eye shadow and 25 lipglosses. Then, each day my friends and I would gather on the bus and apply our "make-up."

I can hear myself now: "Hey Katie, can you pass me that blue tube of glitter? Yea, the kind that smells like rasberries. I think it will look really good with this blue eyeshadow I just put on ..."
We would reapply at snacktime, lunchtime, recess, bathroom breaks...any time we could. Our parents probably never knew the difference and our teachers must have thought our parents were strange to allow us to leave the house looking like we did.

I wish I had a picture to remember what it actually looked like on. All I know is that my favorite places to apply it on my face were on my eyelids all the way up to my eyebrows and all over my cheeks. Eek.

I think I might have taken wearing glitter to an extreme level, but I know it was definitely popular with a lot of girls in my age group back then. Just now I tried to find glitter make-up online at Bath & Body Works (which was my fave store to buy it at). Glitter appears to be a rarity these days, though. The closest things I could find on the Bath & Body Works website to the products I had in the 90's were glittery body lotion and glittery body spray. Those don't cut it.

I wonder who I was trying to imitate:

As you can see, that is Britney Spears and that is glitter all over her stomach. I didn't go around baring a glittered midriff like that, but my arms, chest area, and face sure did look just like her glittery tummy! Anyone else have any embarrassing make-up habits they can remember having in the 90's?

Pogs

2010-02-04T18:22:00.000-08:00

It's been a while since I've been in grade school, so I don't know the answer to this question, but do they still ban a lot games from being allowed in school? I ask because it seems to me that I can think of a few games off the top of my head that were banned from my school in 1990's. Take Pokemon, for example (which I'm sure I'll touch more upon in another post).

More importantly than Pokemon, Pogs were banned from school, too, in the 1990's. Apparently, many schools considered it a form of gambling because kids got to keep the Pogs they won during a game.

Here's an excerpt from wikipedia.com that helps explain what the game of Pogs was:

Pogs is a game that was popular during the 1990s.^[1]^[2]^[3] The word "pog" also refers to the discs used to play the game. The name originates from POG, a brand of juice made frompassionfruit, orange and guava; the use of the POG bottle caps to play the game pre-dated the game's commercialization.^[3] The game of pogs possibly originated in Hawaii in the 1920s or 1930s,^[1]^[2] or possibly with origins in a game from much earlier: Menko, a Japanese card game very similar to pogs, has been in existence since the 17th century.^[4] Pogs returned to popularity when the World POG Federation and the Canada Games Company reintroduced them to the public in the 1990s. The pog fad soared in the 1990s before rapidly fading out.^[

Pogs: A true fad of the 1990's.

Playing Pogs is a vague memory for me. Honestly, I'm not sure I ever fully understood how to play the game, I probably just liked to collect them. They had all sorts of Pogs. As you can see from the picture, Pogs had different pictures on them. I think the goal for many kids was to collect as many Pogs with different pictures on them as possible. Here's some various designed "Pog sets" there were in the 1990s': Anti-smoking Pogs, Black History month Pogs, Sailor moon Pogs, Animaniac Pogs (remember that show!?!), etc.

I don't think we'll be seeing Pogs again anytime soon and I don't think anyone really even cares, do they?

Stretch Armstrong: Stretches to 4 times actual size!

2010-02-04T09:34:00.000-08:00

Remember Stretch Armstrong? I do. Okay, it wasn't my favorite toy. In fact, I never had one, but I still remember seeing commercials of this wonder toy and thinking "Coooool, I wish my American Girl doll could do that!" Why did kids want a doll that can stretch like that? I say...why not?

Apparently, the first Stretch Armstrong doll came out in the 70's, but it was re-issued in the 1990's. It is basically just an action figure that it filled with gell so it can stretch. Looks pretty entertaining to me.

In the 1990's they also came out with Stretch's new sidekick: Fetch Armstrong, a glorified wienie dog.

I guess he's probably so stretchy that he can "Fetch" things without even moving his hind legs. Cool

They also came out with Stretch's evil brother: Wretch Armstrong. Wretch has x-ray vision and looks kind of like an creepy clown.

All in all, I think I like Fetch Armstrong the best. I wonder if anyone I know has saved any of these action figures from their youth?

90's Fads: Lisa Frank

2010-02-01T16:05:00.000-08:00

Lisa Frank was an artiste who knew what little girls of the 80's and 90's wanted. She took pictures of the things that most little girls already love like flowers, rainbows, horses, puppies, kittens, unicorns, etc. Then, she put these pictures into bright colors (no black, hardly any brown). Finally, she plastered her graphics all over things that every girl embarking on her education in elementary school needs: pencils, erasers, pens, stickers, trapper keepers (do people still use those?), folders, etc. And viola! The product is seen in the picture to the right. Who doesn't love having a notebook with a rainbow spotted, cute baby cheetah on it?

Pure brilliance on her part.

How could she go wrong? Obviously, millions of preteen girls went apeshit over her products. You might be wondering (like I did) why we don't see girls today still worshipping her (like I did)? Don't elementary-aged girls still like rainbow colors and furry animals...together?!!

Okay, maybe I just don't spend enough time around girls under the age of twelve. It is possible that Lisa Frank still has a following that I just don't notice like I used to. I mean, really, when was the last time I saw a nine-year-old girl's notebook or sticker collection?

It's also possible that Lisa Frank just isn't as popular as she used to be. That's probably the truth. I guess children of the 21st century might not be that interested in what their school supplies look like. How could they have time to worry about that when they are busy worrying about having the latest iPod, laptop, cell phone, digital camera, and gaming systems?

Another possibility: Lisa's designs have been replaced by other graphics on school supplies.

For example:

Then

Now

So, maybe young girls today still do like the same things I did, because, as you can see, the two backpacks do have some similarities (ie: the bright colors).

I guess all dynasties come to a close. Lisa Frank has been replaced most likely by the likes of Dora and Miley, and someday they too will be replaced. I think it's safe to say that the Lisa Frank "dynasty" that was in existence before the 21st century is in its decline.

Oh well. Check out this Lisa Frank commercial. This girl knows whats up:

If you watched the commercial above, then I think you can agree with me that it perfectly demonstrates what Lisa Frank was all about.

Don't forget to follow @iwasa90skid on Twitter!

Warheads Candy

2010-01-27T13:23:00.000-08:00

I don't know about you guys but Warheads candy were all the rage in my elementary school. I now know why. I have now learned that they were first invented in Taiwan in the 1970s, but were first imported to America in 1993. They became very popular with children in the United States. My parents could never understand why kids liked those things. They almost hurt your tongue they are so sour. They make your face squinch up and your eyes squeeze shut as the sour flavor rushes from the candy. After the sour sensation is over you are left with a sweet, tangy hard candy.

Nowadays, I wouldn't say warheads are my favorite, but someday I'll probably give them to my kids just to see their faces react the exact same way mine did when I ate them.

Lunchables

2010-01-27T13:16:00.000-08:00

So, apparently "Lunchables" started being marketed in the U.S. in 1988, but I am just going to round up and consider them a product of the 90's. As most of you probably know, Lunchables are prepackaged children's meal combinations like a kind that has various deli meats and crackers or the kind that has mini hotdogs.

Lunchables were a life saver for a kid like me. I hated packed lunches (the sandwiches got soggy, the cold cuts got warm, the fruit got squished, etc) so my mom gave me Lunchables. Looking back they seem kind of disgusting now, but when I was in elementary school they were basically my diet. I loved the kind that had a mini crunch bar and nachos with salsa and cheese. Okay, okay, I was no health guru as a child. Actually, maybe I should attribute that "baby fat" I still had in 5th grade to Lunchables. I don't know what my mom was thinking, but I'm happy to say that I got to experience the wonder of Lunchables. I feel like parents are too into being healthly and eating organic nowadays to ever let this type of meal touch their child's taste buds.

Soo unfortunate.

In retrospect, even the thought of enjoying a Lunchable grosses me out. Kind of like microwavable chicken nuggets and Elios frozen pizza, Lunchables seems to be a food that is only palatable to people under the age of 12.

I almost had forgotten this one

2010-01-27T13:07:00.000-08:00

Okay, who remembers the show "Ghostwriter"!!?!?! Here's a summary of what the show was about from wikipedia:

Ghostwriter is a television series co-produced by the Children's Television Workshop (now known as Sesame Workshop) and the BBC, originally aired on PBS in the United States from October 1992 to February 1995. The series features a group of New York City teenagers who solve mysteries with the help of an invisible ghost, who can communicate with the kids only by manipulating whatever text and letters he can find and using them to form words and sentences. The series was shot in Brooklyn.
I swear if kids today watched that show they would be like "uhh WTF!" I mean, remember that computer they used?

You can see it on the desk in the picture above. If I'm not mistaken it had a black screen and when you typed the writing was green and looked like a type-writer. Basically, it was a very primitive computer in comparison to what we use now. If a kid today saw that thing they would be like "Ew, I'm not touching that. Where can I plug in my iTouch on this thing?"

Anyways, this show was kind of short-lived but nonetheless A-MAZING because I love any show that involves a ghost and a mystery.

Pop-Up Video

2010-01-27T12:55:00.000-08:00

Personally, I have never really liked watching music videos. I never could understand how people are entertained by watching MTV or VH1 when just music videos are being played one after another. Like on TRL... I hate that show! It's so boring. I like to listen to music, not watch it... that is unless its a Pop-Up Video!! For those who don't know, Pop-Up Video was a VH1 show that aired in 1996. The show played music videos in which little bubbles that contained trivia and funny comments "popped up" throughout every 10-20 seconds or so.

Below is an example.

For me, Pop-Up Video gave music videos an interesting element for the first time. Unfortunately, Pop-Up Video was ended on August 8th, 2002.

Here's a link to the all time greatest Pop-Up Videos!

Platform Shoes

2010-01-25T17:20:00.000-08:00

Okay, maybe platform shoes aren't just something of the 90's. I'm pretty sure they were also popular in the disco era and I think there are people today who for some reason still think they are fashionable, but, let's be serious, they were a total hit in the 90's. Yes, I did wear a pair of white slide-on 3 inch platform sandals to my 5th grade graduation. (With my Limited, Too butterfly print dress, DUH!) I think I even had a pair of platform sneakers that had cherries on them in 7th grade. If I'm not mistaken, they had velcro straps, too.
Although I can't find the exact sneakers I wore, here is perfect example:

Saaweeet.

I was definitely not the only one to embrace this fashion trend in the 90's though. The Spice Girls rocked platforms ALL the time.

Check out Scary Spice's kicks. If you don't know which one is Scary Spice, she's the one farthest to the right. I don't know about you, but I think those shoes are pretty damn scary. Fitting for her, I suppose. Her shoes are a perfect example of a 90's platform shoe. They actually kind of remind me of my aforementioned platform velcro sneaks. Ginger and Baby Spice's shoes are also a kind of platform shoe.
Maybe it was The Spice Girls who inspired millions of adolescent girls to strap on shoes that should only be meant for strippers?

All I know is that although I miss the 90's, I don't particularly miss platform shoes.