When Beanie Babies and Other Memorable '90s Moments Were a Thing (2024)

Iconic shows such as Rugrats (1991), Doug (1991), Hey Arnold! (1996) and Rocket Power (1999) premiered and are still worthy of a binge watch. Tommy, Chuckie and friends even made it to the big screen in 1998 with The Rugrats Movie.

The All-New Mickey Mouse Club kicked off it’s sixth season in 1993 with Britney Spears, Justin Timberlake, Christina Aguilera and Ryan Gosling. The audience then had no idea what was to come for these four household names.

Released in 1998 by Tiger Electronics, this fantastical and hamster-like creature was on the top of everyone’s Christmas List that holiday season.

Giving the people what they want...in 1992, McDonald’s released their famous super size fries and drink. The upside option stayed on the menu until 2004, as the fast-food chain strived for healthier food choices.

Peaking at 130 stores nationwide, The Warner Bros. Studio Store was every kid's dream filled with clothes and housewares covered in our favorite characters like Bugs Bunny. In 1991, all 130 stores closed as a result of the merger that created AOL Time Warner.

A true leader, Bill Gates announced days before Apple would have filed for bankruptcy that Microsoft would supply a $150 million investment. Jobs told the crowd, “We have to let go of the notion that for Apple to win, Microsoft has to lose.”

Did you feed your Tamagotchi? These digital pets took America by storm in 1997. Playing off of childhood nostalgia, you can still get your hands on one today.

I’ll be there for you -- it’s hard to imagine a world without our Friends. With a lovable cast taking on New York City as 20-somethings, who would've expected the show to be just as popular two decades later.

Disney created some of their biggest hits with Beauty and the Beast (1991), Aladdin (1992) and Lion King (1994). The role of the Genie in Aladdin was written specifically for Robin Williams, who recorded sixteen additional hours of improved lines.

The world gained entry to the Wizarding World of Harry Potter in 1997 with the book release of Harry Potter And The Sorcerer’s Stone. J.K. Rowling, who was living in her car while writing this epic tale, defines what it’s like to chase your dreams no matter where you come from.

What started as a hat company based out of Queens, New York by Daymond John in 1992 became a streetwear staple of the ‘90s. FUBU, which stands for “For Us By Us”, was rebranded as FB Legacy in 2010. It was relaunched in the United States but soon returned to its original name.

Whatever you do, do not cut the tags. The era of Beanie Babies started in 1993 with these nine originals: Legs the Frog, Squealer the Pig, Spot the Dog, Flash the Orca, Splash the Whale, Chocolate the Moose, Patti the Platypus, Brownie the Bear (later renamed “Cubbie”), and Pinchers the Lobster.

In retrospect, a CD with radio hits released in 1998 paved the way for mixtapes and playlists alike. Now with over 100 albums, the first song from the original disc was “Together Again” by Janet Jackson.

Taking over every club, prom, sweet sixteen and wedding, the 1995 Spanish pop-dance hit quickly became a pop culture phenomenon.

Launching in 1998 by Larry Page and Sergey Brin, Google was originally the search engine for Stanford’s website (with the domain google.stanford.edu). This now mega company was started in the founders’ friend Susan Wojcicki’s garage in Menlo Park, California.