Wesley's Favorite Things About the 90s

Greetings, Vocal readers! Take a trip down Memory Lane with me and in this story, I'll share some of the many things I love the most about the 1990s, one of my favorite decades ever. I grew up in the 90s: a time when life was simple and exciting. I'm a nostalgic freak, as stated in my bio on here. I feel like every day feels like 1990 something. I'm obsessed with things I grew up with and enjoyed way back when. If you didn't see anything that you enjoyed during this glorious decade on the list I'm about to reveal, please sound off in the comments below. When you get done reading this story, give it a like. Please follow me on my socials. Finally, please send me a one-off tip at the end of this story to support my work as I continue to write and publish more stories. The items on this list is in no specific order, so let's get to it.

Blockbuster Video

Before we had streaming services like Netflix and Hulu, Blockbuster Video was the place where you could rent movies and even video games. Picture this: it's a Friday night in the 90s. You had a fantastic week at school. So, you go to Blockbuster and it felt like heaven once you stepped foot inside this place. Before DVDs existed, VHS tapes ruled the video rental scene. There's one remaining Blockbuster location as of 2025 and that is in Bend, Oregon. The Last Blockbuster was released on Netflix in March 2021. This documentary told the story of the rental service. Blockbuster was founded in 1985, but questionable leadership caused them to file for bankruptcy in 2010. The last of their 300 remaining stores closed four years later.

Discovery Zone

If you've watched the many Discovery Zone commercials on TV in the 90s, they'll sure to be stuck in your head. Discovery Zone was like Chuck E. Cheese, but this place was bigger and better. Honestly, it's WAY better than Chuck E. Cheese. Yes, go ahead and fight me on this. Anyway, I remembered going there as a kid on a field trip when I lived in Texas. The first Discovery Zone opened in 1989 in Kansas City, Missouri. However, as the old saying goes: all things must come to an end. In March 1996, they filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection. By December 2001, the last 205 locations located in 39 states, Canada, and Puerto Rico, were shut down. If it were to make a huge comeback today and opened in my area, I would go there. I would love to slide down a slide and into a ball pit again, just to feel like a kid again.

Fast Food

Fast food is still around, but the quality of it was SO much better back then and tastier. I'm a fast food addict and it's one of the things I can't seem to give up. Sure, it's not the healthiest thing for us, but we like it anyway. My favorite fast food place is McDonald's and I love the Big Mac, which is the item I order the most often. In the 1990s, a Big Mac was $2.45. Now, it costs on average $5.99. Another item of theirs I love is the Chicken McNuggets. A 20-piece Chicken McNuggets was $5.70 back then, but thanks to rising inflation, it now costs an average of $8.99.

Video Games

To start off, I grew up being a Nintendo guy. I loved Sega, too. However, I enjoyed Nintendo games the most and this still holds true about 35 years later. The Nintendo 64 was my favorite console during the 1990s. Among my favorite N64 games were Mario Party 2, Super Smash Bros., the first two Pokémon Stadium games, Mario Kart 64, and GoldenEye 007. I also loved sports games, such as NFL Blitz.

Lunchboxes

Almost every kid in the 1990s had a lunchbox and a Thermos of their favorite characters from a movie or cartoon. Shown above is the exact lunchbox and Thermos I had growing up. Blue is my favorite color, so I was an awesome kid back then carrying these with me at school. You can buy these lunchboxes on sites like eBay or Etsy. Depending on the day, I would have a sandwich or two, maybe some pudding, chips, and some fruit. If I was lucky, some Lunchables.

Action Figures

When Mighty Morphin Power Rangers premiered in 1993, I had at least two of these action figures. Around 2013, I went to my local Toys R Us, which I didn't know there was one at the time, and bought my first Power Rangers action figure as an adult. I bought different ones for the next five years until the Toys R Us closed in 2018. I still love action figures and you're never too old to have them, regardless of what people say.

Saturday Morning Cartoons

Waking up early every Saturday morning with a bowl of cereal was our weekly tradition. From the 1950s to 2014, Saturday morning cartoons were our vices. What happened to them, you ask? The many reasons such as declining audiences and the availability of cable and streaming services spelled the end of what was an amazing time in our lives. The CW was the last station to air Saturday morning cartoons in America, broadcasting the final run of the Vortexx animated lineup on September 27, 2014. I love cartoons and others harshly criticize us for being grown adults liking them. I'm nearing 40 and since when did the things you liked as a kid has an expiration date? Fun doesn't have an expiration date, just because you're an adult.

TV Shows

I could list all of the TV shows I loved in the 90s in this story, but I don't have the time or energy to do that. One of the TV shows I liked the most and still do to this day was The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air. I've probably seen every episode of this show at least over 100 times. Geoffrey threw the best shade and had hilarious comebacks that made me laugh so much. Thanks to streaming services, you can relive your childhood and watch your favorite 90s shows. With shows like Martin, In Living Color, and Beverly Hills 90210, you can't go wrong with watching them endlessly.

Movies

One thing you may not know about me is that I'm a bit of a movie buff. All I watch at home is movies. I don't care how cheesy or awful a 90s movie was, I'll watch it. My genres of movies I watch are some animated, comedy, action, and sports. However, comedy and action movies are my two main vices.