The 1990s was a memorable decade. The world was progressing at a rapid rate, and everyone wanted to do better than before. However, this era consisted of many moments that are iconic to this day. The 90s are remembered with nostalgia as much of the media released during this decade is iconic to this day.
Many iconic shows and movies released during this decade had people in a chokehold. Everyone loved shows such as Friends, Seinfield, etc., and could not get enough of them. There were also many iconic movies ranging from Disney classics to Japanese anime movies.
Here are the 20 most iconic pop culture moments and crazy fads of the 1990s that only the 90s kids will remember.
Y2K
Y2K also refers to the Year 2000 problem that occurred in the years before the start of the 21st century. This was also known as the YZK problem, the Y2K scare, Millennium Bug, or Y2K glitch. Y2K refers to the potential computer errors that would occur after the year 2000.
Computers in the 90s were programmed to store dates and recognize them only by the last two digits since the first two remained the same. Therefore, it was predicted that the formatting and storage of calendar data would become difficult. Furthermore, as the computers used the last two digits for identification, 2000 would be indistinguishable from 1900.
This issue was so prevalent that it threatened to bring down worldwide structures, including banking, travel, industries, and more. The Y2K bug was made known by David Eddy, a Massachusetts programmer who sent an email on 12 June 1995, where he used the acronym Y2K.
Tamagotchi
The Tamagotchi is a handheld digital pet created by Akihiro Yokoi in Japan. This small device was released by Bandai in Japan, but it soon came to the US on May 1, 1997. Since its arrival, it became one of the most popular toys in the US.
The name Tamagotchi is derived from two Japanese words, including Tamago, meaning egg, and uotchi, meaning watch. The device is fashioned to look like a small egg, and within the egg, there is a small screen that shows your digital pet.
The interface contains three buttons, including a shutter on the top, which activates the camera. This feature was specifically included in the Tamagotchi Pix.
Tamagotchis are considered to be small aliens whose eggs got deposited on Earth. The player has to raise the egg until it becomes grown up. As the alien grows up, it goes through various stages and develops differently based on how the player takes care of it.
As of 2021, there are more than 83 million units of Tamagotchi that were sold worldwide. In today’s era, Tamagotchi is still popular among kids and teens. For more information about Tamagotchi and other popular 80s toys, check out the Top Pop Culture Toys of the 90s.
You may also want to read The Nostalgic Origins of Tamagotchi if you want to know more about the release of the first Tamagotchi toy and how it became popular in the United States and Japan.
Destiny’s Child
The 90s was a big year for girl groups, and Destiny’s Child was one of the most popular American girl groups of the decade. The final line-up of this group included Beyonce Knowles, Michelle Williams, and Kelly Rowland.
In the beginning, their group was known as Girl’s Tyme and was formed in 1990 in Houston. Texas. After a few years, in 1997, they signed to Columbia Records under the name; Destiny Child. This group became famous after the launch of their hit song No, No, No and the release of their best-selling second album known as The Writings on the Wall.
Their album was a huge hit in 1999, as it consisted of number-one singles including Say My Name, and Bills, Bills, Bills.
Backstreet Boys
One of the most iconic moments of the 1990s would be when Backstreet Boys was formed in 1993 in Orlando, Florida. Backstreet Boys was an American 90s boy band that included Nick Carter, AJ McLean, Brian Littrell, Howie Dorough, and Kevin Richardson.
Upon their debut, this group made a name for themselves and became famous internationally. One of the reasons for their success was their album Backstreet Boys, released in 1996. They went on to release many more albums in the 90s that revolved around the genres of pop, dance-pop, R&B, adult contemporary, and teen pop.
Friends
One thing that the 90s got right was television sitcoms. One of the most famous sitcoms ever released on American television was Friends. The first episode of Friends aired on September 22, 1994, after which it became a global sensation. The release date is an iconic moment of the 90s, and diehard Friends fans celebrate it to this day.
Friends was created by David Crane and Marta Kauffman, and it aired on NBC starting in 1994. The cast of Friends included popular actresses including Jennifer Aniston. Mathew Perry. Courtney Cox, Lisa Kudrow, David Schwimmer, and Matt LeBlanc. The main plot of the show revolves around six friends who are in their 20s and 30s and live in Manhattan, New York City.
The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air
Among the many famous 90s show, the Fresh Prince of Bel-Air was one of the most popular ones. Since its release in 1990, it has been an icon on 90s television. This American sitcom was created by Andy and Susan Borowitz, who loosely based it on the life of Benny Medina.
Originally, The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air aired on NBC and starred Will Smith, who played a fictionalized version of himself. He was a street-smart teenager, who was born and raised in West Philadelphia. However, he was sent to his wealthy aunt and uncle, who lived in their Bel-Air mansion.
The show was a top hit for the channel and had six seasons containing 148 episodes. The show came to a close on May 20, 1996, and is still remembered as one of the best shows of the 90s.
Seinfeld
Seinfeld is yet another American sitcom that aired in the 90s. It was created by Larry David and Jerry Seinfeld and aired on NBC in July 1989. Despite being released in the 80s, the real popularity of this show grew in the 90s.
The show depicts a fictionalized version of Jerry Seinfeld himself, and the story revolves around the relationship between him and his best friends. The setting of the show is mostly an apartment building on Manhattan’s Upper West Side in New York City.
Furbies Craze
A Furby is an American electronic toy released by Tiger Electronics in 1998. The Furby was an owl-like creature, that also resembled a hamster/ Despite its odd appearance, it was a toy that everyone wanted.
The furbies were popular because they appeared to be intelligent to an extent. Thus intelligence was apparent through their ability to develop language skills. Furthermore, furbies could also communicate with one another through an infrared port. This port was located between their eyes.
A new Furby always spoke Furbish, a language utilizing short and simple sounding words. However, they were programmed to speak less Furbish and more English as they grew.
Disney Classic Movies
The 90s was a time when Disney classic movies were at their peak. Some of the most well-loved Disney Classics were released in the 90s. In 1997, Disney released Hercules, which was a depiction of Greek mythology and introduced the two Greek gods Zeus and Hades.
In 1992, Aladdin was released. This movie was a tribute to the Middle East and Middle Eastern heritage as it is set in Arabia. This movie was extremely popular and starred Robin Williams, one of the best and most well-known actors of the time.
Other movies include Mulan, released in 1998, Beauty and the Beast, released in 1991, Lion King in 1994, etc.
The Parent Trap
The Parent Trap is an extremely popular 1998 American romantic comedy film that captured the hearts of many as soon as it was released. This film was written by Nancy Meyers, produced, and co-written by Charles Shyer.
The Parent Trap that you probably know and love is actually a remake of a 1961 film of the same name. Both movies are an adaptation of a German novel known as Lisa and Lottie written by Erich Kastner in 1949.
The movie follows two twin sisters, Hallie Parker and Annie James, both played by Lindsay Lohan, as they are separated at birth and reunite at a camp. The movie was extremely successful and established Lindsay Lohan, for whom it was her debut role, as an actress.
Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone
Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone is the debut novel of the Harry Potter series by JK Rowling. It is a fantasy novel that follows Harry Potter, a young wizard who discovers he is a wizard on his eleventh birthday.
The story follows Harry as he goes to a wizarding school called Hogwarts and makes friends, and faces the comeback of an evil wizard called Voldemort.
When the book was released, most people liked the concept, praised Rowling’s writing, and commented that it was imaginative and humorous. She was also direct in her descriptions, which made the book easy to read.
Beanie Babies
Beanie Babies were all the rage in the 90s upon their release. They are a line of toys created by H. Ty Warner, who is an American businessman and owner of Ty Inc. The beanie babies are soft toys that are stuffed with plastic pellets instead of soft stuffing, which was the norm.
These toys came in many different forms, and they were mostly animals. Upon their release in 1993, it became a major 90s fad to collect them. Due to their collectible nature, beanie babies were seen as a financial investment, since they could be resold for a much higher price. Certain beanie babies had a high resale price due to their rarity.
Beanie Babies were discontinued for a short time in December 1999, and the discontinuation led to the resale value of many Beanie Babies toys to soar. Fortunately, due to public demand, Ty Inc. brought back the Beanie Babies toy line, and the first stuffed toy that was released during the revival was named “The Beginning.” For more information on Beanie Babies and other iconic stuffed toys, you can check out The Most Popular Retro Stuffed Toys.
Google is an American multinational technology company founded by Larry Page and Sergey Brin on September 4, 1998. The company focuses on artificial intelligence, computer software, e-commerce, search engine technology, etc
Google has been an extremely powerful company since its advent, as it has established itself in the technological sphere very quickly. Google is also one of the most valuable brands in technology as they have huge market dominance. Furthermore, they also have technological advantages in the artificial intelligence sphere.
Google is considered one of the big five technological American companies, which is a big feat because it was started by two Ph.D. students.
The Goosebumps Franchise
Goosebumps is a series of horror fiction novels aimed at children and written by R. L. Stine, who published his books through Scholastic Publishing. The stories that R. L. Stine wrote followed children who would often find themselves in scary situations that they had to get out of. The villains in his book were usually monsters and other supernatural characters.
There were sixty-two original books, which were published between 1992 and 1997 under the umbrella title of Goosebumps. Later on, there were many spinoffs, and Goosebumps became an entire franchise.
Pixar’s Toy Story
Toy Story is a computer-animated comedy film produced in 1995 by Pixar Animation Studios and released by Walt Disney Pictures. Toy Story was the first film to be fully computer-animated and be as long as a normal feature-length film. Furthermore, it was Pixar’s first feature film.
The movie was directed by John Lasseter and written by John Whedon, Andrew Stanton, Joel Cohen, and Alec Sokolow. The story takes place in a world where toys come to life when their owners are not looking. The main plot of the story is the friendship between two toys, an old-fashioned cowboy toy named Woody, and a new astronaut action figure, Buzz Lightyear.
One of the characters in the movie, “Mr. Potato Head,” is actually based on the toy line of the same name that is produced by Playskool, a subsidiary of a popular toy company called Hasbro. To know more about Playskool and Mr. Potato Head, head over to our article titled “Learn About Playskool the Pop Culture Toy Icon.”
Cloning of Dolly, the Sheep
Dolly the Sheep was the first mammal cloned from an adult somatic cell. She was also the first female Finnish Dorset sheep. Dolly was cloned by one of the associates of the Roslin Institutes in Scotland, who used a cell from her mammary glands and performed a process of nuclear transfer from it.
Dolly was born on 5th July 1996 and lived at the Roslin Institute for her entire life. She also produced several lambs but had to be euthanized when she was 6 years old.
James Cameron’s Titanic
In 1997, based on the tragedy of the Titanic, a film with the same name was written, produced, directed, and co-edited by James Cameron. He included historical details and used fictionalized accounts of others to depict the sinking of the Titanic during its maiden voyage.
The main characters were played by Leonardo DiCaprio and Kate Winslet, who played two members from different social classes, who happened to fall in love on the Titanic. The inspiration for this film came to Cameron from his fascination with shipwrecks, and he managed to weave in a love story and human loss to make the film more appealing to people.
Upon its release, Titanic was a commercial and critical success, and it was also nominated for several awards, including 14 Academy Awards.
Super Nintendo
Super Nintendo is a game console developed by Nintendo and released first in Japan and South Korea in 1990. Due to its popularity, in 1991 it was released in North America and Europe in the following years.
This new console offered improved and advanced graphics that made playing games a lot more immersive. The sound capabilities were also compared with other systems of the time.
The OJ Simpson Trial
In 1995, there was a criminal trial in Los Angeles County Superior Court, where former NFL player, actor, and broadcaster OJ Simpson was tried for the murder of his ex-wife Nicole Brown Simpson and her friend Ronald Goldman. He was acquitted of this crime.
On the night of 12th July 1994, Nicole Brown and Ronald Goldman were stabbed to death in the Bentwood neighborhood in Los Angeles, right outside Brown’s condominium. The trial took place over eleven months, and on October 3, 1995, he was acquitted of both counts of murder.
This trial is often considered the trial of the century because people all around the world were interested, and it, therefore, had a lot of publicity. People also describe it as one of the most publicized criminal trials in history.
Princess Diana’s Death
On 31 August 1997, the Princess of Wales met a tragic end. In the early hours of the day, she was in a car with Dodi Fayed, her partner, and Henri Paul, the driver traveling in Paris, when her car crashed in the Pont de I’Alma tunnel in Paris.
Lady Diana sustained many injuries from the crash, and she was rushed to the nearest hospital, where she passed away at 36 years of age. Her death caused great grief in the United Kingdom and all around the world.
Conclusion
The 90s was the last decade in the 20th century, and it was filled with technological advancements. Furthermore, many iconic moments greatly shaped the generation as they carried their interests into the next century.
The 90s is remembered as a time full of great movies, tv shows, and incredible trends that are remembered and missed to this day.