Many of us have been on the receiving end of the phrase “back in the old days,” which usually comes from our parents and grandparents. Most teenagers do not realize their childhood obsessions may no longer be commonplace.
Robert Croak did not know that his invention would blow up and be a collector’s item that many 2000’s kids treasured. What can the amazing childhood accessory be? Silly Bandz. According to an interview with INC Magazine, Croak went on to explain that the making of the bands we all loved, took over 20 years to create. As they became more and more popular, Croak mentions that at their peak in 2009, he sold more than a million packs a week. The bands had been made into different shapes and sizes; some shaped like animals, people, and objects. Although Silly Bandz don’t give as much excitement to kids nowadays, teens can always go down memory lane and pick up a pack at places like Walmart and Amazon.
“Launched in 2005, Webkinz was one of the first children’s toys to bridge the physical and digital world,” The Verge writes in one of their articles. Ganz, a Canadian company founded in 1950, created a series of adorable stuffed animals that had a code on their tag, leading the buyer to a website where they can play as the animal they just purchased. The player can adopt new animals who they can feed, love, and nurture. The animals range from kittens to dogs to frogs, which can all be bought at Walmart.
These days the popular choice for gamers would be Nintendo Switch, but back in the 2000s, players favored the Nintendo 3DS. Of course, Nintendo evolved through the years, but some teens still reminisce about how it used to be. Many used the chat room instead of texting, and used the small stylus to cover the whole screen in black, and held the consoles up together so they connected faster. But now new features like creating avatars and having multiple accounts on one device currently appear on the newer editions. Games like Cooking Mama, Mario Kart, Pokémon, Shrek, and Madagascar had all been available on the 3DS.
“Mighty Beanz, organically called Jumpin’ Beanz, are fun toys for an age group roughly 5-15,” Fandom writes. They resemble beans, hence their names, and have a height of one inch. Since the product's release in Australia during 2002, it launched a year later in the United States. The beans have people and animated characters on them. For example, some look like superheroes, the Simpsons, Pokémon, and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. The beans’ popularity rose during the 2000s but it slowly had its downfall and does not hold the same relevance and excitement it once had.
Everyone needs a good pillow, so why not a pillow pet? Pillow pets had been created in 2003 by Jennifer Telfer and her husband Clint. Both a pillow and stuffed animal, Pillow Pets became a household name when commercials aired on television, advertising the snuggly toy to kids all over the world. It came in the form of dogs, cats, unicorns, and cows, along with dozens of other animals. They can be bought online or at stores like Target.
Lastly, Heelys. Most people had put on skates or rollerblades at least once in their lives, but in the 2000s, skates had only been used if no one had access to Heelys. “In 1999, Roger Adams came up with the idea of putting a wheel in the sole of a shoe,” Heelys website says. “Today, Heelys are patented products that feature a removable wheel located in the heel, transforming the shoes into stealth skates and giving users the freedom to seamlessly transition from walking or running to skating by shifting their weight to their heel.” Heelys do not hold the same excitement as they had back then, now taking the backseat and making way for rollerblades.
While the days of elastic bracelets and animal pillows might be a distant memory for many teens, these memorable items can still bring a warm, childish feeling. All products above can still be bought at stores if anyone wants a nostalgic experience.
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