The 1990s were a period of transformation from analog to digital. New inventions replaced older items that people commonly used. If you’re a ‘90s kid, you might miss many things from your childhood. Here is a list of items that were mainstream in that era but are nearly extinct now.
Check to see how many you remember.
Floppy Disks
Floppy disks were among the most popular external data storage mediums in the ‘90s and early 2000s. At one point, they symbolized the cutting-edge technology of their era. Today, CDs, DVDs, and flash drives are more popular due to their higher data storage capacities. Floppy disks are still available in a few stores, even though they are not produced.
CRT Monitors
Cathode Ray Tube (CRT) monitors were a common occurrence in most offices and homes. You could see them in the form of TV sets and personal computer monitors. Today, we have more sleek and energy-efficient technologies in the form of LCD and LED screens. Due to the bulky nature and low resolution of CRT monitors, they are no longer in use.
Cassette Tapes and Players
Cassette tapes and players allow you to record and play audio and video data. Many people had cassette players to record movies and personal audio messages. With the advent of compact discs and digital music formats, cassette tapes and VCRs died down. Today, you can see VCRs in old homes where they are vintage equipment.
Walkman Players
Before smartphones, Sony’s Walkman was everyone’s go-to for listening to digital music. You could load the device with offline songs and listen to them through your earphones. Today, people use built-in music players on their smartphones. Yet, Sony still manufactures Walkmans as they remain a cult icon for ‘90s music fans.
Pagers
Pagers were a crucial communication tool, especially for professionals requiring immediate notification. People saw pagers as a cool device, and kids often showed them off to their friends. As mobile phones became popular, they replaced pagers through their multipurpose use cases. Today, they serve as a reminder of the transitional phase in communication technology.
Video Rental Stores
Video rental stores like Blockbuster were present throughout US cities and towns. People often went to video stores to rent movies and music CDs to watch at their homes. However, streaming services started providing on-demand content. This made people rent fewer movies and music CDs, ending the video rental era.
Flash Player
Adobe Flash Player is an integral part of the early Internet era. Flash player was the backbone of everything virtual, from useful apps to kids’ games. It enabled multimedia content like animations and videos and was vibrant. Sadly, Adobe discontinued the Flash Player on December 31, 2020, and no longer supports it.
Dial-Up Internet
Dial-up Internet was the only way to get Internet services in the early ‘90s. It had a distinct connection sounds that many millennials remember. Soon, broadband and WiFi started offering faster and more reliable internet connections. Very few places use dial-up internet today, and it is simply not as widespread as it was in the 1990s.
Arcade Games
Arcades games were coin-operated machines that contained fun games. They were a constant presence at malls, allowing people to play by inserting a few coins. Many friend groups treated arcades as social hubs where they often met up. Today, arcades are present in a few places where they are mainly vintage attractions.
Gameboys
Nintendo’s GameBoy is a portable gaming device popular among young adults. The company is famous for bringing gaming technology to the mainstream. Eventually, Nintendo developed more versatile gaming systems, pushing GameBoy to the back. The company eventually discontinued Gameboy and sold the last units in 2003.
Newspaper TV Schedules
Newspaper TV schedules were essential for viewers to plan their television watching. TVs did not provide recording services back in the ‘90s, so watching the show at the right time was crucial. With the introduction of digital guides, people stopped using newspaper TV schedules. Today, almost no newspaper prints them.
Moviefone Hotline
The Moviefone hotline was a popular service to find showtimes via telephone. Today, we have online listings and bookings, making it easier to watch movies when we want. As a result, Moviefone started receiving fewer phone calls. The company discontinued the hotline in 2014.
Telephone Booths
Telephone booths were once a common sight in all U.S. cities. When mobile phones didn’t exist, people used telephone booths to reach out to friends and family. With more people owning smartphones, telephone booths weren’t as useful. Many cities still have open payphones but have removed the booths.
Phonebook Yellowpages
The Yellow Pages was once an indispensable tool for finding business information. Then, people started using their smartphones to save contact information. As fewer people used phonebooks, the physical Yellow Pages also became less relevant. Yellow Pages now have a website for listing local business advertisements online.
VH1 Music Videos
Back when music wasn’t available on-demand, VH1 was a popular medium for listening to songs. The channel regularly broadcasted music videos that were popular among viewers. People could discover new music or catch their favorites by turning on the TV. As on-demand music grew, VH1 and other TV channels stopped broadcasting the videos.
Butterfinger BB’s
Butterfinger BB’s was a popular snack by Nestle. It was a small bite-sized chocolate that had the distinct Butterfinger flavor. Despite their popularity, Nestle discontinued the treats. Many fans remember them today as a popular snack of the ‘90s.
Altavista
Altavista was one of the first search engines, much before Google. However, its popularity declined as Google and Yahoo came into the picture. Eventually, Yahoo acquired Alta Vista in 2003. This marked the end of the pioneer in search engines.