# Kid's fads, past & present **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [June 9, 2010, 1:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kids-fads-past-present/542490 "2010-06-09T01:33:19Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![RandMcnally](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/b782af/32.png) [@RandMcnally](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RandMcnally)\ **Post date:** [June 9, 2010, 11:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kids-fads-past-present/542490/41 "2010-06-09T23:16:18Z")
> [@myskepticsight](#): > > I’m 23 now. I remember us going through in elementary school in early-mid/late 90s: > > slap bracelets > friendship bracelets > WWJD bracelets (not even for religious reasons though?) > pogs > Tamagotchis > yo-yos > toggles on our Adidas jackets > IOU sweatshirts > No Fear > flannel > peace signs/smiley face/yin yang stuff > shoelace hair ties and side ponytails > Umbro > > And I most definitely participated in all of the above except No Fear which boys generally wore. I’m 23 as well and you can add to the list those key holder bands. You’d put your key ring on one said on and other would loop around your neck. ---
**Author:** ![norinew](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/eb9ed0/32.png) [@norinew](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/norinew)\ **Post date:** [June 9, 2010, 11:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kids-fads-past-present/542490/42 "2010-06-09T23:16:20Z")
> [@Omega\_Glory](#): > > Does anyone else remember the sweatshirts the girls were wearing around 93 or 94 that head cartoon heads saying things like “whatever” on the front? It’s unrelated, but a lot of girls were into carrying around pacifiers around that time period, too. Could they have been [http://www.itshappybunnybooks.com/](http://www.itshappybunnybooks.com/) Happy Bunny? My 19YO _loved_ Happy Bunny. > [@](#): > > Canvas sneakers covered in duct tape > hacky sacks - Do kids still play that game? She also did these, including _making_ a wallet, entirely from duct tape! She would ‘disguise’ holes in her Converse sneakers (_had_ to be Converse!) by duct-taping black satin ribbon on them! She had a couple of hackey sack balls a friend gave her, but never really learned the game. Given the time frame you’re talking about, vs the time frame I’m talking about, these things must have been around for a while. ---
**Author:** ![hellpaso](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/ecae2f/32.png) [@hellpaso](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hellpaso)\ **Post date:** [June 10, 2010, 7:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kids-fads-past-present/542490/43 "2010-06-10T19:17:42Z")
It seems like the yoyo thing came around every spring. We also had the troll dolls, but they called them “Wishniks”. Peter Max clothes, yarn ties on your ponytail, Dr. Scholl’s sandals. Damn, I’m old. :smack: ---
**Author:** ![overlyverbose](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/9dc877/32.png) [@overlyverbose](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/overlyverbose)\ **Post date:** [June 10, 2010, 7:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kids-fads-past-present/542490/44 "2010-06-10T19:26:29Z")
> [@Rushgeekgirl](#): > > Swatch watches, jelly shoes or beaded safety pins worn on the tennis shoe laces. And those bead necklaces you wore like ten of all twisted together. I used to wear them as belts. I think those were pre-teen or just into to the teen years. That’s when neon everything hit, and I thought I was Cyndi Lauper for the next four years. > > Child of the eighties, I was. Oh, God - yes! And those Swatches were ungodly expensive, even though they were cheap pieces of crap. I remember wanting one for every outfit I owned. It was sad, sad. Was that before, during or after The Claw? I think it might have been slightly before - right around the time stirrup pants became popular, right? ---
**Author:** ![DivineComedienne](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/c67d28/32.png) [@DivineComedienne](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DivineComedienne)\ **Post date:** [June 10, 2010, 7:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kids-fads-past-present/542490/45 "2010-06-10T19:40:38Z")
Banana clips for hair, two interlocking combs (curved like a banana) that made your hair look like a horse’s mane - I used to manage a Claire’s Boutiques in the mid-80’s, and we had an entire 4’ wall section filled with those damn things. Feather earrings. ---
**Author:** ![SoulFrost](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/f07891/32.png) [@SoulFrost](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SoulFrost)\ **Post date:** [June 10, 2010, 8:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kids-fads-past-present/542490/46 "2010-06-10T20:08:10Z")
Rubik’s _fucking_ Cubes! ---
**Author:** ![Superhal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/b4bc9f/32.png) [@Superhal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Superhal)\ **Post date:** [June 10, 2010, 8:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kids-fads-past-present/542490/47 "2010-06-10T20:08:44Z")
I was in the Michael Jackson/Madonna era. ☹ I automatically feel nauseous when I see a single white glove. When I was a kid though, the fads seemed normal and understandable, and are still popular today: Collecting sports cards Playing trumps Playing video games on school computers Chess Pool Drinking Smoking Yoyo’s Breakdancing ---
**Author:** ![Mahaloth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mahaloth/32/1079_2.png) [@Mahaloth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mahaloth)\ **Post date:** [June 10, 2010, 8:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kids-fads-past-present/542490/48 "2010-06-10T20:58:22Z")
I’m a teacher of 7th grade, so I can fill you in on current fads: Boys - Hair must come down to eyes in front, which is not enough. Boys must comb their hair down in the mirror in the bathroom during breaks and in class if they can. It’s very odd to walk by the bathroom and see boys all combing and primping their hair. Girls - Short shorts are back. ---
**Author:** ![longPath](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/bb73d2/32.png) [@longPath](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/longPath)\ **Post date:** [June 10, 2010, 9:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kids-fads-past-present/542490/49 "2010-06-10T21:14:30Z")
[Wacky Walkers by Marx](http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-3679860019046086812#). I still have my Jiminy Cricket. Then there were those Hockey Coins that came with Jello products… And Duncan Spin-Tops. Yeah… I’m gettin old. ---
**Author:** ![sunstone](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sunstone/32/3372_2.png) [@sunstone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sunstone)\ **Post date:** [June 10, 2010, 9:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kids-fads-past-present/542490/50 "2010-06-10T21:35:36Z")
Let’s see. Marbles. Roller skates that fastened to your shoe sole (better not lose that key!) Davey Crockett racoon skin hats. What years do you think I was in grammar school? ---
**Author:** ![Laalune](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/977dab/32.png) [@Laalune](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Laalune)\ **Post date:** [June 10, 2010, 9:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kids-fads-past-present/542490/51 "2010-06-10T21:40:58Z")
Growing (something like) Kombucha as a good luck charm. You had to receive a baby Kombucha from a friend, put it in tea, and talk to it. After a while it made baby Kombuchas, one baby every week, and you had to give them to a friend. After it had three babies, you had to take the mama Kombucha out of the water, dry it, and keep it as a good luck charm. This was 15-20 years ago. I’m sure I still have it somewhere. ---
**Author:** ![Superhal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/b4bc9f/32.png) [@Superhal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Superhal)\ **Post date:** [June 11, 2010, 1:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kids-fads-past-present/542490/52 "2010-06-11T01:14:26Z")
> [@sunstone](#): > > Let’s see. Marbles. Roller skates that fastened to your shoe sole (better not lose that key!) Davey Crockett racoon skin hats. What years do you think I was in grammar school? I always wondered: were coonskin hats made of real 'coon? ---
**Author:** ![BellRungBookShut-CandleSnuffed](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/bcef8e/32.png) [@BellRungBookShut-CandleSnuffed](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BellRungBookShut-CandleSnuffed)\ **Post date:** [June 11, 2010, 1:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kids-fads-past-present/542490/53 "2010-06-11T01:52:39Z")
You want your nostalgia? I got your [nostalgia](http://epicwinftw.com/page/31/) right here. Some random stuff on there, but lots of old games, toys, and videos. ---
**Author:** ![salinqmind](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/3ec8ea/32.png) [@salinqmind](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/salinqmind)\ **Post date:** [June 11, 2010, 1:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kids-fads-past-present/542490/54 "2010-06-11T01:54:52Z")
Tamagotchis. I just found a ‘dead’ one in a drawer recently. And My Little Pony soft vinyl ponies, pink, blue, purple…my daughter had almost 50 at one time (they came into the house via birthdays/Christmas presents, and were also bought at the thrift store). I started abducting one at a time, to be stored in a hidden cardboard box, to bring down the sheer numbers. Eventually all ended up there. When _I_ was a young 'un we made boondoggles, those long keychain things made from plastic strips. And weaving potholders on little looms, Christmas presents for grandma! ---
**Author:** ![I\_Am\_The\_Lorax](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/e19adc/32.png) [@I\_Am\_The\_Lorax](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/I_Am_The_Lorax)\ **Post date:** [June 11, 2010, 2:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kids-fads-past-present/542490/55 "2010-06-11T02:46:30Z")
I was so cool I kept my sticker collection in my Trapper Keeper. Does anyone remember those plastic snails that came with a key? I think they were called Treasure Keepers. Also Puffalumps and Popples and Care Bears and Wuzzles and Smurfs and Treasure Trolls. And I’d wear two pairs of scrunch socks at once, in Day-Glo colors. Peg-leg Jordache jeans and a hacked up t-shirt stuffed through a ring with a bar in the middle. Blue mascara and sky-high bangs. Fuschia Reeboks with the straps. Shorts overalls with one side undone. Now my kids are way into the Silly Bandz, which is better than the Bakugans from last year because they’re so much cheaper. ---
**Author:** ![DChord568](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/439d5e/32.png) [@DChord568](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DChord568)\ **Post date:** [June 11, 2010, 4:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kids-fads-past-present/542490/56 "2010-06-11T04:27:35Z")
Just thought of the other big fad in elementary school besides yo-yos. (A reminder that we’re talking late 50s/early 60s here.) This was a homemade device that I’m sure has a name, though I don’t recall anyone calling them anything at the time they were big. You took a sheet of paper and made it into an exact square, then folded it according to some magic formula until you ended up with a device that you could stick the thumb and index finger of each hand into and manipulate, sort of north/south and east/west, revealing surfaces inside in an alternating fashion. On the outside flaps were colors, on the inside spaces were numbers. You would manipulate this device a set number of times each round, determined by either spelling out the colors or counting out the number you chose on the interior surface. My memory has dimmed with time, but I think you eventually got to the end of it, and lifted up an interior flap to reveal a fortune or something like that. Amazingly, given my complete lack of artistic or mechanical ability, I learned how to make one of these things myself, so was right in there with everyone else who was doing it. Seems like kind of a girly enterprise in retrospect, but I recall many other guys besides me made them too. I sure hope this description resonates with someone, and they can confirm this thing’s existence (and maybe give it a name). And I just now remembered the third great elementary school fad: cat’s cradle. Very big for a while, and we looked upon those who could make it to advanced levels with awe. ---
**Author:** ![Nefarious\_Chipmunk](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/nefarious_chipmunk/32/1045_2.png) [@Nefarious\_Chipmunk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nefarious_Chipmunk)\ **Post date:** [June 11, 2010, 4:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kids-fads-past-present/542490/57 "2010-06-11T04:32:37Z")
> [@DChord568](#): > > I sure hope this description resonates with someone, and they can confirm this thing’s existence (and maybe give it a name). At my school, we called these “cootie catchers”. ---
**Author:** ![Superhal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/b4bc9f/32.png) [@Superhal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Superhal)\ **Post date:** [June 11, 2010, 4:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kids-fads-past-present/542490/58 "2010-06-11T04:43:00Z")
> [@DChord568](#): > > I sure hope this description resonates with someone, and they can confirm this thing’s existence (and maybe give it a name). I made [one](http://doanie.files.wordpress.com/2009/11/fortuneteller00-main_full.jpg) the other day. Nowadays, they’re called “fortune tellers” or “origami fortune tellers,” but when I was in school, we called it “that stupid game girls play.” ---
**Author:** ![kidneyfailure](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/9f8e36/32.png) [@kidneyfailure](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kidneyfailure)\ **Post date:** [June 11, 2010, 4:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kids-fads-past-present/542490/59 "2010-06-11T04:55:37Z")
I was also going to mention the shirt that you pressed your hand on that would (theoretically) leave a flourescent handprint. My sister had one and, yes, the commercials made it look so cool and easy. In reality, though? You’d have to have your damn hand on that shirt for at least 10 minutes before you’d even get some small, barely noticeable color change at all. I also remember “the pump” shoes. You were NOT cool unless you had pump shoes and, accordingly, I was NOT cool. There were also shoes with lights on the back that would flash when you walked. I did have those, but still got made fun of because they were the cheap kind. ---
**Author:** ![SoulFrost](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/f07891/32.png) [@SoulFrost](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SoulFrost)\ **Post date:** [June 11, 2010, 5:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kids-fads-past-present/542490/60 "2010-06-11T05:02:47Z")
> [@DChord568](#): > > Just thought of the other big fad in elementary school besides yo-yos. (A reminder that we’re talking late 50s/early 60s here.) > > This was a homemade device that I’m sure has a name, though I don’t recall anyone calling them anything at the time they were big. > > You took a sheet of paper and made it into an exact square, then folded it according to some magic formula until you ended up with a device that you could stick the thumb and index finger of each hand into and manipulate, sort of north/south and east/west, revealing surfaces inside in an alternating fashion. > > On the outside flaps were colors, on the inside spaces were numbers. You would manipulate this device a set number of times each round, determined by either spelling out the colors or counting out the number you chose on the interior surface. > > My memory has dimmed with time, but I think you eventually got to the end of it, and lifted up an interior flap to reveal a fortune or something like that. > > Amazingly, given my complete lack of artistic or mechanical ability, I learned how to make one of these things myself, so was right in there with everyone else who was doing it. Seems like kind of a girly enterprise in retrospect, but I recall many other guys besides me made them too. > > I sure hope this description resonates with someone, and they can confirm this thing’s existence (and maybe give it a name). > And I just now remembered the third great elementary school fad: cat’s cradle. Very big for a while, and we looked upon those who could make it to advanced levels with awe. We called them “fortune tellers”. Along the same lines, we used to make “pop guns” out of notebook paper (also folding according to some magic formula.) Eventually, we discovered that you could put a paper football inside one and sail it across the room when you popped the “gun”. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kids-fads-past-present/542490.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kids-fads-past-present/542490.md?page=4)