40 Things Literally Every Millennial Will Remember About Growing Up In The '90s

1.Chuck E. Cheese's colorful ball pits that always smelled like feet and were probably way more gross than you even realize:

Indoor play area filled with multicolored plastic balls, commonly known as a ball pit
HeCs8585 / Via reddit.com

2.And Chuck E. Cheese's "Where a kid can be a kid" commercial that they played a lot during Saturday morning cartoons:

Cartoon mouse character with a hat in a circle, surrounded by stylized text: "A kid can be a kid!"
CEC Entertainment, LLC / Via youtube.com

3.Brightly colored cartoon-themed sheets that made you feel like you were sleeping in designer sheets — even if they were a little rough feeling:

Cartoon Dalmatian puppies from "101 Dalmatians" on a patterned fabric with spots and colorful squares

4.The rainbow-colored bags that Toys "R" Us used to have:

A plastic Toys "R" Us shopping bag with the store's logo and promise of low prices, hanging on a door handle
/SunnyBunchy / Via reddit.com

5.And the Mickey Mouse gift boxes the Disney Store used to have:

Vintage Mickey Mouse-themed cardboard reel with various playful cartoon graphics of Mickey and his glove
Vintage Mickey Mouse-themed cardboard reel with various playful cartoon graphics of Mickey and his glove
Two Disney-themed envelopes featuring Mickey Mouse's face and glove, with a filmstrip border design. Envelopes are unfolded and placed on a surface
Two Disney-themed envelopes featuring Mickey Mouse's face and glove, with a filmstrip border design. Envelopes are unfolded and placed on a surface

jimsgems2012 / Via ebay.com, VinterestTreasures / Via etsy.com

6.No Fear T-shirts, which you thought were badass:

Back of a T-shirt showing large red lettering "No Fear" and smaller text: "If it were just about attitude, everyone would have it."
/downadarkallie / Via reddit.com

7.All the extra labels that came with blank VHS tapes that no one would ever use:

RCA T-120 VHS tape label with video playback settings, icons, and alphanumeric codes for organizing recordings
radcatmom / Via reddit.com

8.Having to put the TV on channel three anytime you wanted to watch a VHS movie or play Nintendo:

A TV screen displays static noise with "CH 03" in the corner, suggesting a channel without signal
cucuzza / Via reddit.com

9.The green volume bar that would display across the bottom quarter of your TV whenever you raised or lowered the volume:

Volume level with bars increasing from low to high, followed by dots
Skinnerlikesdogfood / Via reddit.com

10.The lowkey irrational fear you felt that your head would turn into a fruit anytime you ate a Fruit Gushers because of the terrifying commercial for it:

Advertisement for Marvin's Magic featuring colorful artwork, a deal including "Amazing Pens," and the phone number 1-800-972-6644
Betty Crocker / Via youtube.com

11.The Free Money guy that was always dressed like the Riddler in his commercials:

Man in a suit with question marks holds a microphone. Text reads: "Matthew Lesko, New York Times Bestselling Author." People hold money bags
Lesko/TheClassicSports / Via youtube.com

12.These weird squishy tubes that felt more than a bit creepy when you'd squeeze them:

Three gummy candies resembling fish in clear jelly, each encased in a green, yellow, or blue wrapper
noconnostalgia / Via reddit.com

13.Stencil rulers that didn't really make great stencils:

Person holding a stencil ruler with alphabet letters, numbers, and various symbol cutouts like a star, heart, and tree
ragincasian1 / Via reddit.com

14.These Golden Sound Story books that you probably never fully read just played with the sounds:

Vintage Disney "Golden Sound Story" books: "Snow White" and "Peter Pan" with interactive sound buttons on side, featuring classic story cover art

15.These elementary school chairs that were always staticky and sometimes had cracks in them:

Stacks of plastic chairs in a classroom, arranged by color
u/beatbox32 / Via reddit.com

16.The nervousness you got any time you needed to write something on an overhead projector in front of the classroom:

Vintage overhead projector against wood-paneled wall, evoking nostalgic classroom setting
Thinkstock / Getty Images

17.The elementary school square pizza that was a must-have on Fridays and tasted soooo good:

Children in a cafeteria line receive food trays from a server, including milk cartons and bread
Star Tribune Via Getty Images / Star Tribune via Getty Images

18.Furbies, which would wake you up in the middle of the night as they talked in their gibberish to themselves. And if you didn't on one, you definitely heard about this happening:

A vintage Furby toy with large eyes, pink ears, and orange feet, known for its interactive features and popularity in the late 1990s
Getty Images

19.Sky Dancer Dolls, which you had to run away from after launching to make sure you didn't get caught in the crossfire when it came back down:

Barbie doll with wing-like accessories stands on a colorful ocean-themed base with a seashell and seahorse design
Mario Ruiz / Getty Images

20.The wicker paper plate holders, which had an 80% chance of pricking you under your nails whenever you used one at a BBQ:

Close-up of white disposable paper plates stacked on woven chargers, set on a checkered tablecloth
Erikamitchell / Getty Images/iStockphoto

21.The Good Seasons dressing bottle that every family seemed to own. And which made you feel like a gourmet chef if your parents asked you to make the dressing — even if it was just pouring the seasoning packet in with oil and vinegar:

Glass pitcher with a white lid, featuring a faceted design and a narrow neck, stands against a dark background

22.These Barney slippers that your younger siblings or cousins had and stunk like sweaty feet:

Plush dinosaur slippers designed to resemble a smiling cartoon character, likely used as cozy indoor footwear

23.These clackers that you would get in gift bags at birthday parties and would drive your parents nuts when you played with them on the ride back to the house:

Four brightly colored click-clack toys with handles and two balls attached by strings. Popular retro toy from the 1970s-1990s

24.The creepy hide-and-seek/time-out dolls that usually your "arts and crafty" neighbor made and that they would place in the corner of rooms or near staircases:

two backsides of the dolls as they lean on a wall

25.The Uncle John's Bathroom Reader books that your "arts and crafty" neighbor would have in their bathroom:

"Uncle John's Bathroom Reader" book cover featuring stacked books and tissue box, published by the Bathroom Readers' Institute

26.Cordless phones that came with the round shiny buttons that felt like you were pushing down on M&M's:

A cordless phone
Hemera Technologies / Getty Images

27.Disney's Disneyland Fun Sing Along Songs VHS tape, which made you believe Mickey Mouse and the gang were the ones who cleaned and prepped the park every morning before opening:

Disney's Sing-Along Songs: Disneyland Fun VHS cover featuring Mickey, Minnie, Goofy, Donald, and Pluto in front of Sleeping Beauty Castle

28.The red stick that came with Handi-Snacks that would slice your tongue if you weren't careful while licking it:

Handi-Snacks pack with cheese dip, crackers, and a red plastic spreader on a white surface
r/nostalgia / Via reddit.com

29.The Campbell's Kids soup mugs that were perfect for not just soup, but also hot cocoa with marshmallows:

four different mugs

30.These plastic Looney Tunes cups that always smelled a little mildewy because they were so hard to clean inside:

bugs bunny and the coyote mugs

31.And these Kellogg's "The Best To You Each Morning" cereal bowls that every family seemed to own:

Kellogg's cereal bowl featuring Tony the Tiger in a red scarf with the slogan "The Best to You Each Morning" along the rim

32.Glade PlugIns when they used gel packets that would get all gooey and covered in dust:

different plug ins
u/pizza_for_nunchucks / Via reddit.com

33.And Glade Potpourri Spray that smelled like chemicals and dusty flowers:

Glade potpourri spray can labeled "Country Garden," with floral design on the can
XR3TroBeanieX / Via reddit.com

34.The classic Tiffany-style lamps dine-in Pizza Huts had that were always so reassuring to see:

Stained glass lamps with "Pizza Hut" design hanging in a retro-style restaurant interior
Houston Chronicle / Houston Chronicle via Getty Images

35.The character chairs and stools that you would always try to sit on any time you went you went to McDonald's:

McDonald's character benches featuring Burger, Fries, Fry Kid, and Grimace on black stands. Retro collectible design

36.The awesome Animaniacs Happy Meal toys that were so fun to play with:

Various small, colorful toy figures of cartoon characters on wheeled vehicles are arranged on a white surface

37.And the Happy Meal Beanie Babies that everyone lost their minds over. Like, you could probably get a Birkin easier than some of these:

Several Beanie Babies, including a dog, elephant, monkey, and lobster, are arranged on a white surface with tags visible

38.Viennetta, which you thought was the fanciest and most indulgent dessert you could have:

Boxes of Viennetta ice cream cakes with the slogan, "One slice is never enough," displayed below
Beyers / Via youtube.com

39.Always sitting very close to the TV because most TVs were relatively small with bad resolution:

two kids sitting in front of a tv
Tim Boyle / Getty Images

40.Finally, using this torture device for the yearly flexibility test that was part of the Presidential Physical Fitness Test:

Boxy blue device with a chart and instructions on the side, likely a tool or gauge, used for measuring or aligning specific objects