How Well do You Know Your '90s Trends and Fads?

By: John Miller
Estimated Completion Time
3 min
How Well do You Know Your '90s Trends and Fads?
Image: YouTube

About This Quiz

Do you still remember the most prevalent fads and trends of the 1990s? "No duh," you say? Then prove it. Go ahead and take our '90s fads and trends quiz now!
What was unique about Reebok Pump sneakers?
They were equipped with flashing LEDs
They had springs in the bottom that made you jump higher
They had a built-in air pump
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

The Reebok Pump had a tiny air pump in the tongue. Wearers pressed it repeatedly, supposedly to increase the high-top shoe's stability, but in reality, it didn't do much.

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What did many girls do to their hair in the '90s?
Crimped
Shaved off everything but the ponytail
Shaved it all off
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Many girls took to "crimping" their hair with a special iron, which made crinkly waves. Like so many hair trends, this one could actually damage the hair.

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What was name of the little beanbag toys that took the '90s by storm?
Bean Bags
Beanie Barbies
Beanie Babies
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

In 1993, Ty Warner Inc. unleashed a plague of bean bag animals called Beanie Babies. The small toys began selling for huge fortunes on the secondary market.

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Which product did famous boxer George Foreman endorse in the '90s?
A bass-fishing boat
A punching bag
An indoor grill
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Foreman began doing infomercials for a type of electric indoor grill. Unlike many fads, this one actually started a trend that's still going strong today.

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What was NOT a name of one of the original nine Beanie Babies?
Flash the Dolphin
Legs the Frog
Bob the Bacteria
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

OK, so Bob the Bacteria wasn't one of the original nine Beanie Babies, which included classics such as Spot the Dog, Chocolate the Moose and Patti the Platypus.

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Why did some Beanie Babies become exorbitantly valuable?
They included lottery tickets
The company manipulated supply
A few contained gold nuggets
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

The manufacturer was clever -- it limited supply of some of the Beanie Babies, and demand for those creatures skyrocketed. People paid hundreds or even thousands of dollars for one little toy.

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What was special about Generra Hypercolor clothing?
It changed color
It was like a cloaking device
It was goth black
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Generra Hypercolor were T-shirts that changed color when exposed to heat. One flaw? The reaction was easy to damage if you didn't carefully wash the fabrics.

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What did one do with "scrunchies"?
Cram them down your throat
Put them in your hair
Feed them to your gerbil
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Scrunchies were elastic hair ties. Girls went wild for them, in part due to their imaginative color schemes.

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This rubbery ball had stringy filaments that sprouted all over. What was it called?
Plop ball
Koosh ball
Poo ball
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

The Koosh ball was a rubbery ball with rubbery hairs, and kids went crazy for it. Sometimes you would just sit there and...feel it.

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In the '90s, which hair trend made waves?
Rainbow-colored hair
Black dye
Frosted tips
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Bleach, whether throughout the hair or just on the tips, discolored many a "do" in the '90s. Some people opted for bleach right out of the bottle. Word to the wise -- bleach isn't really very good for your hair.

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What was the name of the owl-ish robotic toy that spoke weird gibberish?
Floozy
Furby
Flabby
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

In the late '90s, Furby was all the rage. The little toy looked a bit like Gizmo from "Gremlins" and cooed and babbled his way into millions of hearts.

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Which dance fad took over dance floors in the '90s?
Chicken Dance
Macarena
Waltz
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

To the horror of wedding DJs everywhere, the Macarena arrived....and then never went away. It was the only song of note by one-hit wonder Los Del Rio.

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The _____ bracelet was a major hit in the '90s.
Punch
Kick
Slap
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Slap bracelets are back, and they were big in the '90s, too. Just take the flat piece of thin metal and "slap" it on your wrist -- ta-da! Now you're fashionable.

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What was the Tamagotchi?
A virtual pet
A hair weave
A skateboard
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Tamagotchi was a virtual digital pet. These small, handheld devices had tiny screens that represented a pet that you had to feed and clean up after. Neglect your responsibilities and the poor thing died.

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In the '90s, T-shirts from one company featured this phrase: "No _____."
Greasers
Fear
Hair
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

It became a rallying cry for rednecks and skateboarders across the land: "No Fear." Legend has it that in some parts of America, you'll still find tattered "No Fear" stickers peeling from old pickup trucks.

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What did you do with "Lisa Frank" products in the '90s?
You tattooed your hand with them
You ate them
You put them in your school backpack
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

The Lisa Frank line of school products, from pencils to folders, were splashed with artsy designs that appealed mostly to girls. And for years, every girl had to have them.

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What did you do with "Doc Martens"?
You smoked them
You put them on your feet
You smelled them
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

In the '90s, Doc Marten shoes and boots became outrageously popular. They often stood out thanks to their oversized soles.

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Which recreational activity became exceedingly popular in the '90s?
Rollerblading
Rollerskating
Rollerbutchering
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

If you were a klutz and had a hard time even with rollerskates, the '90s were a difficult era for you...because rollerblades got very popular, and they were tough for many people to master.

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Which "Sesame Street" character became a major superstar in the '90s?
Elmo
Big Bird
Charlie Brown
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Elmo, the baby-talking, crimson demon spawn of all things evil, shot to fame thanks to the Tickle Me Elmo doll. The doll sometimes wouldn't stop laughing, even in your nightmares.

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For women, it was one of the most popular hair styles of the '90s. It was ____.
"The Smitty"
"The Rachel"
"The Slop"
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Jennifer Aniston's hair in the sitcom "Friends" made the rounds in the '90s, and it was named after her character Rachel. For a time, every woman seemingly wanted "The Rachel."

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Which '90s communications technology was a must-have item?
Tablet
Pager
Smartphone
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Maybe you're asking, "what's a pager?" And we envy you, because it means you probably don't have gray hair just yet.

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What sort of pack became ultra-popular during the '90s?
Fanny pack
Granny pack
Manny pack
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Fanny packs were virtually inescapable in the '90s. Everyone from toddlers to businessmen wore fanny packs around town as if no one had ever before carried a "bag" in the history of human civilization.

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What was "Surge"?
A type of soda
A clothing brand
An illicit drug
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

It probably should have been labeled as an illicit drug, but Surge was a Mountain Dew copycat that tasted a bit like battery acid but somehow didn't kill you.

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What did a "Discman" do?
Washed the dishes
Threw frisbees for your dog
Played music
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

The Sony Discman was a popular compact disc player, and everyone wanted one. "Have you seen these compact disc things, man? They're amazing!"

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What iconic words did America Online (sometimes) utter when you logged on?
"Did you lock the front door?"
"You've got mail!"
"I'm in your closet!"
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

In the early days of a thing called "email," people would log onto America Online. If one of their pen pals had sent them a message, America Online would triumphantly shout, "You've got mail!"

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What was the purpose of the Thighmaster?
To look ridiculous
To exercise your legs
To detoxify your liver
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

The Thighmaster was a spring-loaded exercise contraption that you squeezed with your thighs. The commercials were, shall we say, borderline sleazy.

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Which music trend was big in the '90s?
Bee bop
Grunge
Garage rock
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

The Seattle music scene exploded in the '90s thanks to grunge. The guitar-saturated sounds of Nirvana, Soundgarden, Pearl Jam and other bands seized music fans in a way that no "scene" has managed since.

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What was the purpose of Napster?
To share files (often illegally)
To help you take naps
To cook dinner
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Napster was a peer-to-peer file sharing program that gained notoriety, in part because it could be used to distribute copyrighted programs and music. Many musicians, sensing lost profits, spoke out against the technology.

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What sort of Pepsi was a big deal in the '90s?
Crystal Pepsi
Diamond Pepsi
Bloody Pepsi
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

In the '90s, Pepsi removed color from a bland cola and it became a strangely popular product. So popular, in fact, that high demand convinced Pepsi to bring it back decades later.

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Who made the "Gameboy"?
Nikon
Coca-Cola
Nintendo
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Capitalizing on the success of its TV-connected gaming console, Nintendo released the Gameboy, a handheld gaming device. It accepted cartridges so that players could swap out the games at will.

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