What do you think of when you think of the ‘90s? Could it be flannel shirts, boy bands or just the excitement of Y2K looming over our heads? This era brought a bunch of quirky inventions that were made to make lives a little easier and more fun. Some of these gadgets were very innovative, and a reflection of the tech optimism of the time, and others have become nostalgic relics we couldn’t believe they existed.
Fast forward to today, and you may be surprised to find a home without sleek smartphones or voice activated assistants. Step into the ‘90s, however, and you’d be presented with a trove of devices that would have left today’s generation scratching their heads in confusion.
Electric Can Opener
Since the days of manual cranks, can openers have come a long way. The electric can opener was the kitchen superstar of the ‘90s. It would whir to life with just the push of a button and opening a can would feel like magic. Picture the day you struggle with a stubborn can of beans and then find out you could have just plugged in your tried and true electric opener. This will probably seem a little extravagant for today’s youth, why not just use a knife? The electric can opener was a hero in culinary adventures for those who grew up with it, but it was an alien thing for everyone else.
Turtle Beach Sound Card
The Turtle Beach sound card was the go to gadget that every computer came with before the sound systems came built in to the computer. It was almost as good as having a live concert at your desk! If you were into gaming, the difference of the incredible sound system of the card was huge, as you could feel the thrill of hearing every explosion and soundtrack at high fidelity. Today’s gamers, used to all in one solutions, would probably raise an eyebrow at needing an additional card to crank up the audio.
Laserdisc Player
Even before DVDs became the undisputed kings of home entertainment, there was the Laserdisc player, a brick like a vinyl record player’s bigger cousin. The giant discs that came with superior video quality than VHS. This device connoted that you liked the finer things in life. Today, streaming services have made owning physical media as good as obsolete, so the idea of having to flip a disc half way through a movie would be lost to anyone who grew up on Netflix.
Sega Genesis
Ah, the Sega Genesis! Here gaming became real, with pixelated heroes appearing in living rooms. Memorable titles that still tug at heart strings paved the way for the console game. Imagine a group of friends fighting it out with controllers in hand while watching the playing Sonic the Hedgehog. For today’s generation who only know a top-graphic experience and online multiplayer, the simplicity of Sega might be antiquated.
Pagers
When smartphones weren’t the lifelines, there were pagers, those little devices that enabled people to send a brief message or alert. Pagers were a big deal, and if you were in the professional world, you would use them to get quick communication from doctors. Imagine getting a “beep” and having to go find a payphone to call back. The idea feels so foreign today: why not just text? For those who were there, however, pagers were the only link to the outside world, a taste of freedom and communications.
Beeper Clocks
Beeper clocks were another gadget from the ‘90s that made its mark. They were small round clocks with bells, which you’d normally keep by your bedside to wake you. Today, we have smartwatches that do all that and much more, but once upon a time we had clocks that buzzed to remind us of our social life.
Tamagotchi
Tamagotchis who could forget the craze of? They were the world’s smallest, most demanding little digital pets. Or they would ‘die’—the horror! It was a living thing, and having one around meant carrying it around with you all the time. Today’s kids wouldn’t be all that impressed with a Tamagotchi, they would probably think it’s weird that they would rather babysit a pixelated creature instead of a real pet.
Beepers With LED Lights
Beepers with LED lights were all the rage before LEDs became the norm in modern tech. Receiving messages wasn’t the only thing these flashy gadgets were good for: they were fashion statements. Beepers with little disco balls would be slapped to the belt for colourful lights flashing. The idea of having a light up accessory just to get a message is now silly today, considering how sleek the modern smartphones are. Back then it was all about how you can stand out.
Personal Handheld Video Games
Handheld gaming consoles were, at their time, a machine that preceded modern mobile gaming. The perfect combination of portability and entertainment, you could game on the go, whether waiting for the bus, stuck in the car on a road trip. For many, those tiny screens brought hours of joy and fierce competition against a friend, but today’s generation might find pixelated graphics a bit primitive.
The Floppy Disk
At one time, the floppy disk was a king of data storage, and could store a “hefty” 1.44 MB. Before cloud storage, it was the go to way to save school projects and share files. Think of someone trying to use a floppy disk today, it’s just so comical! The floppy disk, in a world where all data is accessible a few thumb taps from a screen, feels like vestige of past times.
Popcorn Maker
The popcorn maker, the often unheralded hero of movie nights. Popping kernels into fluffy goodness, these charming machines made living rooms mini theaters. The kernels spun there, exploding the popcorn smell of butter in the air. The original popcorn makers may have been a bit theatrical, but today’s microwave popcorn bags are a lot more convenient. Still, lots of people miss the joy of homemade popcorn.
Bubble Tape
We shouldn’t ignore Bubble Tape, the brand of gum that came in a roll and promised, “six feet of bubblegum.” It was the kind of treat that could whisk you right back to your childhood and you’d share a piece with friends: it was a rite of passage. The idea of sharing a roll of gum probably sounds strange to today’s kids, who are more accustomed to individual packs of the stuff. To people then, it was a flavor fest and a fun farm, with each piece seeming as it were a celebration.
The Clapper
Clapper was one of the first ‘smart’ technologies that would allow you to turn appliances on and off by clapping. A few claps would control it, just plug in a device. Granted, it would sometimes confuse a laugh with a clap and would all of a sudden turn things off, but it was a cool way to show off to the guests.
Film Cameras
When you took photos with a film camera, you had no idea how they’d come out until you got them developed. Each shot required a decision, no do-overs! People used to save their photos to remember special moments, and the thrill of picking up the printed pictures from the store was a big event.
