Before cellphones, iPads and, for some people, drones came into the picture, there were certain toys that I am sure many people around my age can identify as tokens or reminders of their childhood. These are games that people who were kids in the late '90s and early '00s grew up with, became obsessed with, and can probably conjure up the most nostalgic of memories over.
And with that said, here are five items that defined my childhood:
1. Tamagotchi
Wow, oh wow. If you knew me back in second grade, you would have constantly seen me with one of these gadgets in my hand. A Tamagotchi is an egg-shaped device whose interface has three simple buttons and a small square screen. If I can remember correctly, there is a sort of creature housed in each device that I fed and played with. These virtual "pets" actually required considerable maintenance since their behavior, happiness and health were tracked, so even a few hours of leaving them alone could be crippling. Now that I think of it, they were quite needy.
RIP to the pet I haven't fed in 12 years.
2. Webkinz
Recalling how much I loved my Webkinz stuffed animals (and their online counterparts), I consider them practically a staple throughout my elementary school years. In addition to playing outside with my neighbors until dusk, logging in to "Webkinz World" daily and checking in on my rabbit Lola or my dog Charlie described my playtime as a child.
Webkinz World was an entire world of its own where I could take my pets to school, play with other Webkinz users, and have their check-ups at Dr. Quack's Clinic. Don't even get me started on the Wish Factory. I built a virtual home for my ever-growing collection of Webkinz, playing the multitude of games to earn "Kinzcash" to buy furniture, tools to construct a garden, or decor from the W-Shop. Let's just say that my Webkinz were like the pets I never had.
3. Scoubidou Bracelets
I had no idea that these bracelets had an actual name, let alone a name that resembles that of the cartoon "Scooby Doo"; I simply referred to them as bracelets made of gimp, a type of plastic thread. But boy do these evoke some good memories.
At a summer day camp I used to attend, one of the counselors would teach several girls and I how to make these bracelets. I loved selecting the gimp in a few of my favorite colors and knotting them in a fixed pattern for hours until my grandpa showed up and said it was time to go home. As a child, I was definitely more shy than outgoing and loved to create and build things, so making these bracelets and keychains were straight up my alley.
4. Push Pops
"Don't have more than one a day and brush your teeth properly or else you'll get cavities." I can still hear my mom's warning faintly in my mind. These are in no way, shape or form toys, but Push Pops were my all-time favorite candy as a child. I can recall popping off the plastic lid and peeling away the wrapper to reveal a shiny, cylindrical lollipop. If you saw me with one of these in my mouth, you could sure as hell bet I was one happy girl. My favorite flavor was blueberry despite - to my parents' utter discontent - the blue teeth and lips that resulted.
5. Sticker Books
I can sound ridiculous and say that stickers and sticker books brought me the utmost joy as a child, but that statement probably holds true. Growing up in Toronto, my parents would take my sister and I to this sticker warehouse every so often. Yes, you read that correctly, a sticker warehouse where you can find aisles upon aisles of stickers. Whatever you liked, they had stickers for it. Spoiled and fascinated by these seemingly pointless objects, I had sheets of stickers which I would peel off and arrange in a sticker book in no organized fashion.
My old sticker album continues to rest in the top drawer of my side table, the cover of which has my name spelled out with alphabet stickers of course. As I flip through the pages, I am reminded of all the things I used to like: dolphins, High School Musical, kittens and The Cheetah Girls.
Did you have any favorite toys or candies as a child that upon memory, bring back much joy and happiness? If so, comment them below!
