Can You Name These Famous Toys From the 1990s?

Lauren Lubas

This game tricked kids into exercising. What is it?

If you were looking for something more fun than a jump rope, but less fun than a Nintendo, you got yourself a Skip-It ... well, your parent's got it for you, but still. In the 1990s, Skip-Its came with counters, so you could challenge your friends.

You could do their hair, and they didn't have to wear clothes. What were they?

These days, trolls are something very different than they were in the 1990s. These toys had fun hair that came in bright colors. Some of them wore clothes, but most of them didn't. These dolls boomed in the early 1990s.

The 1990s stepped up the squirt gun game. Do you know what this one is called?

Claiming that you could shoot water up to 100 feet, a Super Soaker was the best way to have fun on your block. The original Super Soaker water guns are worth a lot of money these days.

Which '90s toy prepared children for cell phone neck?

The Nintendo Gameboy was initially released in Japan in 1989, but it made its way across the ocean in 1990. It was an instant hit that took a lot of batteries and weighed around 30 pounds (that's an exaggeration).

These soft toys were collector's items in the 1990s. What are they?

Consumers were obsessed with Beanie Babies in the 1990s. People had thousands of these tiny creatures in their collections. When couples divorced, they divided up the Beanie Babies among their assets.

Do you recognize these small toys that kids loved to collect?

Pogs were all the rage in the early and mid-1990s. They were basically just discs of paper that you'd stack up and smash. If you had a good slammer, you could win Pogs from your friends, but most people didn't play for keeps.

What were these tiny toys called?

Polly Pocket was a great toy for little girls who had a lot of sleepovers. They traveled well, as long as you didn't lose some of the tiny pieces that came along with them — and you always did.

Can you name this electronic toy?

Tamagotchi toys were basically little electronic video games. You had a tiny creature that you had to feed, put to sleep and exercise. Most kids were given these in place of real pets, as it didn't matter if they died or not.

This take on Simon was a great way to learn coordination. What is it?

Bop It toys had different devices on them that made noise. The toy would give commands on which part you were supposed to twist, pull or bop. It got faster and faster as you progressed, and made for an exciting game with friends.

Which toy came out in the 1960s, but grew in popularity in the 1990s?

If you wanted to make your little sister's skin crawl in the 1990s, you definitely had one of these machines. They were the Easy-Bake Ovens that all boys dreamed of, because they made bugs and snakes.

Do you recognize this '90s toy that had a little AI to it?

Furbies were all the rage when they first came out. They were stuffed animals that would have conversations with you. If you put it in a dark place for a while, it would mention that it was alone and scared. Talk about creepy.

"Home Alone" (1990) made this toy popular. What is it?

Every kid wanted one of these after Kevin McAllister had one in the movie "Home Alone" (1990). It could record, change your voice and playback all at once. It wasn't the best quality, but it was fun to work with.

Can you name this word game that was popular in the 1990s?

Boggle was an excellent word game to have around. It had several six-sided dice that had different letters on them. You'd shake the board and change the dice, then try to create as many words as possible.

Do you remember this fun "drawing" pad?

Etch A Sketch was an entertaining way to draw when your parents didn't allow markets in the house. Everyone who owned one of these did their best to cover the screen in etch completely. However, it was always shaken and erased before we could.

These giant balls were a fun way to get around and get your exercise. What are they?

Hippity hots were mostly seen on television, and very rarely around the neighborhood. That's probably because they weren't as well made as some people might think. If they were blown up to big, they'd pop, and if you hit a rock at the wrong angle, the same thing would happen.

What is the name of this toy that you could see in hippie circles?

Hacky sack was a very popular game in the 1990s. You could see it played on college campuses across the country. The object of the game is to get the sack to the next person in the most creative way possible. No hands!

You could draw whatever you wanted on this. Do you know the name of it?

Magna Doodles were an excellent little toy to help those who couldn't control the knobs on an Etch A Sketch. You could draw whatever you wanted on it, and with the slide of a switch, it would disappear.

Do you remember this anxiety-causing game?

Being good at puzzles wasn't enough to win at this game. You had to have coordination and you had to be fast. Otherwise, you got a little yellow piece of plastic shot directly at your face.

Can you identify this Barbie with super long hair?

The Totally Hair Barbie doll was one of the most popular Barbie dolls of all time. She had a skin-tight dress on and hair down to her ankles. It sold well, because most parents didn't understand what happens to plastic hair when it gets brushed.

What are these small flying dolls called?

Wind it up, pull the string and release ... this little doll would spin and fly at your command. Sure, it looked like a Barbie, but it could fly, and that's what little girls were looking for in the 1990s.

Do you recognize this Nintendo system with an odd controller?

Gaming changed for everyone in the 1990s, and the Nintendo 64 gave us something interesting to hold in our hands. These controllers looked like they required a third set of fingers to use, and for some games, they did.

Can you name these famous dolls?

The Spice Girls took over the planet in the late 1990s. They had a movie come out as well as a laundry list of products (including dolls). The dolls are now collectible, but not as collectible as the New Kids on the Block dolls.

Do you remember this board game that was all about destroying the competition?

The object of the game Crossfire was to shoot tiny BBs at discs to get them to land in your opponent's safe zone. Just when you think you're going to win, you have to reload. It was an intense game.

This popular TV character received his own doll. What is it called?

When puppets on television have great taglines, people love to make toys out of them. If you want your doll to say "Not the mama!" and five other things, you had to have a Talking Baby Sinclair doll.

If your parents weren't worried about safety, you probably had these. What are they?

The 1990s were the time of basketball players who seemed to defy gravity. Therefore, everyone wanted to do the same. What better way to do so than to wrap rubber bands around flip-flops and make moon shoes?

What was the name of Sega's portable game?

Sega's game gear was their response to Nintendo's game boy. The buttons for controlling were on the sides to simulate an actual gaming controller. It was popular among all kids because it had a color screen.

These dolls came with their own books. Do you know what they are?

What happens when you have high-class dolls with expensive clothes and rich (pun intended) storylines? American Girl dolls happen. These dolls were all the rage in the 1990s, and little girls who had them felt far superior to those who did not.

Do you recognize this playset from the 1990s?

While it may not have been the most popular toy of the 1990s, it did give kids hours of fun and play. The little figurines without eyes made for some great stories for kids to make up. You can buy one of these on eBay for around $300 these days.

This toy vibrated, and everyone loved it. What is it?

The Tickle Me Elmo doll had parents running to stores the day of its release. For some reason, people paid outlandish amounts of money for their four-year-olds to have this when they were sold out of stores. Looking back, we can't figure out why.

Before people made slime in their homes, parents bought this. What is it?

Gak was slime that was made by Nickelodeon. Children of the 1990s loved watching people get slimed on various shows that aired on the network, so it only made sense for them to create a product that could help kids recreate these scenes.

What are these mutant fighters called?

Mutants were all the rage back in the 1990s. Transformers were out, various monsters were in, and that's how Street Sharks got so much notoriety. They were cool looking, and fun to fight with.

These action figures were for boys and girls. What are they called?

In the 1990s, we were introduced to the Power Rangers, a group of teens who fought evil space aliens and monsters. It was a fantastic experiment in film editing, and children loved the show, the characters and the toys.

It was pretty close to a smart phone. What was it?

If you had snooping siblings, you probably begged your parents to get you one of these. They were electronic diaries that were password-protected, and as long as your siblings didn't figure out the password, you were good to go.

What is the name of this dog that gave you something extra?

If you were lucky enough to get a Puppy Surprise for Christmas or your birthday, you probably only received three or four puppies with it. However, the toy could have up to five puppies stuffed inside of its mother.

Do you remember this doll that turned into a cupcake?

When you think Transformers for girls, you probably don't think about ladies that turn into cupcakes. However, one toy company did, and that is how we ended up with Cupcake dolls.

This was a stuffed animal your parents wanted you to draw on. What is it called?

People wanted Doodle Bears for various reasons. They would often ask their friends to sign the bear at birthday parties or elementary school graduations. They were essentially stuffed animal yearbooks.

This authentic doll made waves. What is it?

If you were looking for an authentic doll that wet itself, you probably wanted a Baby Born doll. These dolls were on every toy store shelf across the country, and pretty much the only one you could find that wasn't from the Cabbage Patch.

Do you think you can name this doll that tried to go up against Barbie?

What's Her Face dolls were dolls that gave you the ability to design them. While Barbie tended to put all other doll companies out of business, these dolls held up for a little while in the 1990s. Of course, she came without eyes, but once you put them on, you were good.

This toy was for little kids. Can you name it?

When a bucket runs around your living room spitting out balls, what are you to do? Get a plastic fork and put those balls back, of course! Truthfully, though, Mr. Bucket was a great game for children to learn colors and counting.

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Image: Retro Dodo via Youtube

About This Quiz

The 1990s gave us pretty much everything we needed to live: a presidential scandal, thin eyebrows, pop music icons, baggy pants and tight shirts. If you grew up in the '90s, you probably celebrated Earth Day and made the tough transition from the four food groups to the food pyramid (let's all say a quick prayer for the carbs at the base of that wonderful little pyramid). Despite the leftover cheese factor that spilled over from the 1980s, the 1990s were a pretty awesome decade. We were trying to discover who we were as a culture, borrowing from the '70s (bell bottoms and crop tops) and various other decades. However, what we probably remember the most from the 1990s was the intricate and creative toys that made their way into our lives. From the Spice Girls dolls to Furbies, every '90s kid knows that we had something special in our toys and playsets.

If you were a '90s kid who had all the toys (or coveted them from afar during Nickelodeon binges), you'll probably recognize some of these bad boys. But do you think you can name all 40? Take this quiz to see what your true '90s toy IQ is.

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