When we were younger, it sort of felt like time went slower and that we had less to worry about. However, we were fragile little things, and we definitely wouldn’t have been able to live without these things!
1. Gel Pens
How would we have managed to get through those boring times when we weren’t in school without these babies? I’m fairly sure I spent most of my childhood drawing out little doodles with these things.
It got to a point in my house where there were more gel pens than actual pens. It would drive my dad mental when all he could find was a gel pen!
2. Goosebumps Books
When you look back now, they seem pretty mild, but that does mean we didn’t adore them at the time. Nothing better than getting to twist ending of one of these while lay in bed, reading by dim lamplight.
Actually, looking back some of these got really messed up. I’d like to go back to them now and see some of the sinister stuff I was ingesting as a child.
3. Arctic Roll
Where to even start when it comes to this stuff? One of the greatest moments of childhood was when you made it to lunchtime at school and found that they had this up for desert. What a happy time!
I’d like to say it’s because we’re easier to please when we’re younger, but to be honest I reckon I would be just as happy now if I got home and found out this was waiting for me.
4. Bop It
Sure, they’ve got loads of different types of Bop It now, but back in the day, we only had the vanilla bop it, the best bop it.
If anybody has a spare Bop It lying around, get me on it. Best party toy ever.
5. Beanie Babies
Sure, this might not be something that everyone felt, but I know for a fact that some of you would’ve struggled to get through your day without your precious beanie baby or similar teddy!
I never really had a teddy but like most kids, I had a blanket that I kept by my side throughout my toddlers years.
6. Silly Putty
It was never really called Silly Putty in this country I don’t think, but I forget what the various name it went by were. That being said, I absolutely loved it when I was younger.
Me having control over something that sticks to everything, bounces and stains whatever it touches was essentially my mum’s worse nightmare.
7. Sony Discman/Walkman
Before we were able to throw our entire musical past into a small rectangle that would follow us everywhere, we had to carry one of these huge things around with us, along with any CD’s we might want to listen to.
Depending on how old you are, you might’ve even had an iPod, you lucky thing!
8. Tamagotchi
I still reckon this was the world’s way of indoctrinating us into enjoying looking after kids. That way we’d continue the human race, or look after our siblings.
I’m probably reading too much into it, but I must admit that I was obsessed with my little tamagotchi when I was younger.
9. Faking Illness To Get Out Of Going To School
Your mum always knew you were faking it, but that didn’t stop you from keeping up the facade so that you could get through life without having to go to the daily hell that was school.
I think one of the cruelest things we do to children is make them go to school, especially at primary school age. So cruel.
10. Furby
Okay, I hated these things, but some people loved them. While their high pitched gibberish used to drive me mental, I know people like my sister found them hilarious for ages.
Speaking of which, I had to give mine up after my sister broke hers! I guess that’s what comes with being the eldest sibling.
11. Nintendo 64
What you’re looking at here is a portal into fun that sat in your living room by the TV. Seriously, whether you had this thing or some other console, you knew you always had a way outside of your real life into somewhere that was actually fun.
To this day, games serve as a reminder that art is great and things can be fun.
12. That One Fave Film
Mine was Jungle Book when I was a kid. Like, wore out the VHS when I was younger. However, I know that Finding Nemo was a big one for a lot of kids.
Whenever you were bored or whenever your parents needed you to be busy for ninety minutes, you could always stick your fave film on and still be entertained no matter how many times you’d seen it.
13. Pick N Mix
Pick N Mix was like someone was allowing you to open up every bag of sweets in the shop and picking bits from all of your favourite ones. I never understood how we got away with Pick N Mix. It genuinely felt like a life cheat.
I got through life with this stuff, although I probably put too much stock in sweets when I was younger. Now I’m more of a savory guy, and sweets wise I’m into chocolate.
14. Pokemon Cards (Or Whatever Fad Was Currently Passing Us)
It should be illegal the way that children are targeted by various marketing campaigns and predatory companies, but then I suppose that’s just way the capitalist system works! Whether it was Pokemon cards, it was some other form of collecting that had come around that month.
You could literally turn anything into a fad as a child. It made no sense! To this day I have Pokemon cards somewhere in my mum and dad’s house, things I haven’t looked at for years.
15. Pogs
Speaking of fads. These only ever entered my life when Walkers crisps started putting pogs, with Pokemon on them I believe, into their packets. Believe it or not, but pogs were all anybody at school cared about then for around a couple of weeks, maybe a month.
Maybe we do it in adulthood but I just don’t see it? I’ll have to have a think about that.
Did you struggle to get by without these when you were a kid? SHARE this and see what your friends struggled to get by without when they kids!
