Often imitated (looking at you, Nano Pets), Tamagotchis were tops. Kitties! Puppies! Babies! Aliens? Whatever these beings technically were, they taught '90s kids and teens to care for another "living" thing.
The first Game Boy hit the scene in 1989, and was a huge global hit thanks to Tetris. Ten years later came the Game Boy color. The "Atomic" see-through consoles were most coveted.
Talkboy started as a nonworking prop for the film "Home Alone 2: Lost in New York." Hasbro was happily forced to create it due to overwhelming demand. There was even a Talkgirl, because how could a little girl enjoy something called "-boy"? Ahem.
Few parents were prepared for the Tickle Me Elmo takeover of 1996. Some got really, really lucky and managed to buy one. Their giggle-loving kids got lucky too.
Your favorite '90s movie, character or console video game for sure had a Tiger Electronics handheld game, so you could relive the fun after the credits rolled. Or at least until the batteries died.
Later in the '90s, a Talkboy competitor called Yak Bak was introduced. It was a cheaper, pocket-size option for voice recording and playback on the go.
The SNES console was introduced at the beginning of the decade. Original Nintendo game cartridges weren't compatible, so '90s gamers got all new games. Bonus for them, bummer for their parents' wallets.
Pesky little siblings, be damned! This nifty diary could only be opened using a special password that the owner created. The trick turned out to be getting the password function to actually work.
Speaking of Cher from "Clueless," remember that sweet closet system she had on her computer? Well Barbie had the same thing on CD-ROM back in the '90s. The program allowed users to select coordinating outfits from her wardrobe.
Around the same time we started carrying CD Walkmans around, there came Hit Clips (or Kid Clips for the really little ones). You couldn't hear full songs, but you could hear 1 minute of your favorite pop songs. Isn't that just as good? Well, if you're three, yes.
If skipping over a plastic stick was too strenuous, there was always Bop It, the memory testing game that almost always caused you to accidentally whack yourself with the hard plastic toy.
