15 Things We '90s Kids Miss

While every decade has unforgettable moments, the '90s were a memorable era for many reasons; some may even argue the most impacting decade to date thanks to Hollywood relationships and splits, breaking news stories like the OJ Simpson trial, and political mishaps including the President / Monica Lewinsky scandal. Besides 'history making news' however, if you grew up in the '90s, there are many things you probably miss. Whether it was distinctive fashion, the endless R&B bands, a wide array of music genres and television shows that allowed us to connect with the characters, there was something that set the '90s apart from many other decades. With the turn of the century at the end of 1999, 'end of the world' threats were abundant but thankfully, the Apocalypse never came and we live on to appreciate other eras which continue to made their mark. Although there are many significant staples from the '90s era, here are 12 that will take you back in time.

15 The 'Cool' Lingo

Slang has been around for as long as verbal language was spoken but the '90s brought it to a higher level, creating a new way to communicate altogether. Phrases like 'That's dope' and 'Say what?' became commonplace and every situation could be brushed off with a simple 'whatever'. So much of what was said, didn't even make any sense but the television shows and music that inspired the 'slanguage' made everything seem cool. Sayings like “Ugh, As If”, “See ya, wouldn't wanna be ya”, “Psyche”, “Aiight”, and “Peace, I'm ghost” were only a handful of hundreds.

14 Boy And Girl Bands (think of the posters)

The '90s were renowned for popular boy and girl bands. Groups like TLC, Destiny's Child, Boys ll Men, and the Spice Girls were all the rage while NSYNC and the Backstreet Boys were flooding the music players in every teenage home. Teen Pop Dance Pop, and Hip Hop continued to flourish while other flavors of music were created, thanks to various music styles collaborating. Neo Soul, G funk and New Jack Swing were just three of the many new music styles introduced. In general, the 1990s were an era of partying, concerts and culture, as each genre could be expressed through distinct ways of speaking and dressing and music became more than just listened to.

13 Hairstyles, Oh The Hairstyles

Every era has its award winning hairstyles and as usual the '90s were inspired by television celebrities and musical artists. Marlo Thomas's do in 'That Girl' became a huge hit at salons nationwide while the Rachel haircut, based on Jennifer Aniston's character in Friends was popular in cut and color as many dark haired women, opted for a lighter hair with blonde highlights. Shorter hair preferences were the pixie and the bob cut was all the rage thanks to Victoria Beckham of the Spice Girls. Longer hairstyles dawned the feathered fringe or bangs as some call it and mini hair buns, side or back ponytails were secured with the ever popular scrunchy. Don't forget about the butterfly clips and the hair diamonds we used to love, there was no such thing as too much.

12 The Sacred T.V. Guide

When was the last time anyone flipped through physical pages to find out what was playing on television? For many households across North America, the T.V. guide was found as a little booklet in the Saturday edition newspaper. Children would rush to find information about the early morning cartoons; adults would be on the lookout for Seinfeld, Full House, and The Fresh Prince of bel air. Since the introduction of digital technology, not many people rely on paper anything: magazines, photographs, telephone books and certainly not the T.V. guide but admittedly, there was something special flipping through those pages to see when Pokémon was playing.

11 The Wild Fashion

After the '80s florescent era, the '90s welcomed a more simplistic, carefree grungy look where black and heather grey became a staple in every woman's wardrobe. Black tights specifically were worn with athletic slouch socks and sneakers, and were a versatile piece of clothing ranging from sporty to chic when paired with the right tops and shoes. The tunic, aka a mini-dress or baby-doll was also considered high fashion for a better part of the '90s and it was also common to see women wearing shorts over leotards. Meanwhile, during the earlier part of the '90s, Hip Hop culture brought out the baseball caps, baggy jeans, bomber jackets and tracksuits.

10 The DVD Player

Back in the 1970s and 80s, it was hard to imagine anything better than the movie playing cassette. That is until the DVD was introduced in the late 1990s. The first players and discs came out in Japan, then the United States, Europe then Australia. People would rush to the stores to purchase the player, and then to the video stores to rent the latest DVD with a crisper, clearer image than that of its video predecessor. The 1990s were a great year for video watching which moved into the new millennium gaining popularity.

9 Slap Bracelets

The slap bracelet was invented by Wisconsin teacher Stuart Anders and it was around for a very long time, until it got banned. Apparently, there were injuries associated with the forearm slapping but while it lasted, it sure was fun to wear. The sound of the wrist slap was unique to the slap bracelet. It was straight as an arrow until you smacked it onto your arm and BOOM it hugged your wrist in a perfect circle. Similar to that of a customized watch strap, there were all kinds of colors and patterns that made this bracelet one of a kind.

8 Sports Drama

The '90s were an extremely memorable decade for sports; and in many cases, not for positive reasons. Who could forget the Tonya Harding and Nancy Kerrigan story? During the 1994 U.S. Championships, Kerrigan's knee was struck by one of Harding's associates, and later we learned that Tonya was involved in the plot causing her to be banned from competing. Then there was the 'ear' biting incident where in the middle of a boxing match, Mike Tyson dug his teeth into Evander Holyfield taking a chunk right out of his earlobe. Magic Johnson, in the early '90s, announced his retirement from the NBA after learning he was HIV positive, but on a more pleasant note, after a fight with testicular cancer and only 50% life expectancy, Lance Armstrong won the first of seven Tour De France titles in 1999… unfortunately, those were all stripped 13 years later after he was found to be doping… but that's another era, another article. Sigh.

7 Dial Up Internet (remember the sound)

You remember that, don't you? Dial-up access that required the whole kit and caboodle: a computer, a landline phone and a modem. Most times, connecting was a long, process and I'm pretty sure you don't miss hearing that crazy sound at start up or having a faulty connection getting bumped on and off; having an internet disconnection when the phone rings or people dial out. What a pain! It surely made one appreciate when Wi-Fi came out in the '90s.

6 The Best TV Shows Of All Time!

Family Matters, Sabrina the Teenage Witch, Seinfeld, The Fresh Prince of Bel air, Are You Afraid of the Dark, and The Simpsons were popular in many households while Friends was one of the highest rated shows to date. The storyline was built on interesting diverse characters that viewers wanted to befriend and in some cases, be like. Whether it was Rachel, Phoebe, Ross, Joey, Monica or Chandler, each was a likeable quirky character and each lifestyle was one that viewers could either relate to or wanted to replicate. Even Rachel's wispy hairstyle became one of the most popular hairstyles to date.

5 The Dance Moves We Will Never Forget

Two words can sum up one of the most popular party songs to date, the Macarena. Hands on the head, hands on the hips, wiggle down and jump. This international hit was one of many that had a cult following. Madonna's 'Vogue' became a huge hit with the un-choreographed face framing dance. Who could forget doing MC Hammer's hammer dance, line dancing to Achey Breaky Heart, dancing the butterfly, doing the Jiggy with Will Smith, and the infamously ridiculous slam dancing where people would leave concerts with cuts and bruises.

4 Super Mario World

Super Nintendo, Nintendo 64, Game Boy, and the original iMac are only 4 of many cool devices enjoyed in the '90s era. We've come a long way since Game Boy and can have a similar game playing experience on our smartphones. When the Super Nintendo was first released (in 1991 in North America), it was the talk of the town and our very favorite game was Super Mario World, we played until we beat the evil boss, Bowser, then we played the game again to beat our last score. Ahh the good old days.

Super Mario 64, Mario Kart 64, and Golden Eye 007 were also very popular, giving this console Time Magazine's "1996 Machine of the Year" award. Nothing dates technology more than aesthetics and when the original iMac was introduced, we could clearly see the wiring in the back of a large colorful hump. It also took up a lot of space on computer desks. They've since managed to size it down to a thin flat screen thank goodness.

3 Pagers

Let's be honest, you had a pager because you were too cool for school not because you were a doctor, a lawyer or had the need to be contacted immediately. Maybe you called them beepers, or buzzers… whatever they were referred as, teenagers and young adults wore them on their pocket and felt so proud with each attention getting vibration. Even though one of the first pagers were developed in the 1950's, when Motorola introduced the ReFlex wireless model, the everyday run of the mill person was carrying it around regardless of profession.

2 The Disney Renaissance Period

We all know this era of popular Disney stories was many years in the making and the '90s merely restored public and critical interest in The Walt Disney Company as a whole and highlighted some of the top animated film classics during the same period from 1988 to 1999. Family favorites were Beauty and the Beast, The Little Mermaid, Tarzan, Aladdin, The Lion King, Pocahontas, Rescuers Down Under, The Hunchback of Notre Dame, Hercules and the list goes on. The Disney Renaissance period went beyond films and books, Broadway plays, and memorabilia appealed to the child in everyone.

1 Goosebumps Books

If you know any of the following books, you're a true diehard Goosebumps fan! Welcome to the Dead House, Say Cheese and Die, Piano Lessons can be Murder, and The Girl Who Cried Monster are only four of more than three hundred books written by R.L Stine and created for the terror loving teenager. These creepy crawly books were designed to give a child goosebumps with their alluring book covers, colorful storylines, detailed descriptions, and surreal illustrations. Eagerly anticipating the next book, it's no surprise that more than 300 million of these children's horror books have been sold over the years.