The Quad Cities Loves The 90’s

Is it me, or does it seem like the 90's are making a come back? 90'S music is huge right now (fyi...I Love the 90's Tour @ the iWireless Center April 15th.). 90's TV is making a comeback (ex...Fuller House on Netflix). 90's video games are huge (still don't have a Nintendo NES Classic). 90's movies are being remade or rebooted. The live action Beauty and the Beast made $170 million last weekend setting box-office records, and this Friday we get a new and improved Power Rangers movie. I had the time of my life in the 90's. I was in high school and collage in the 90's. The music was great, the movies were great, the tv...not so great (bring back Beavis and Butt-head).

Here are some things that were cool in the 90's and need to be resurrected:

1. Dunaroos

These cinnamon graham crackers packaged next to rainbow chip-studded frosting were magical. Every kid wanted to be your friend--at least for the few seconds it took to dunk a tiny cookie. This was the shiznit. You reigned as lunch royalty at your table if you had a pack of these.

2. The Macarena

This song was truly one of the greatest one-hit wonders. Your parents loved it, you loved it, everybody loved it! Everybody and their pet parrot sang along to "Heyyyyy Macarena, ay!" And then would awkwardly mumble the rest of the lyrics because they didn't know the next words. Even today, we're sure you can do THE Macarena dance (arms out, ay!).

3. Fanny Packs

Fanny packs were a notable equalizer in fashion. Everybody looked great in them! Not! And they came in the following colors: Neon, neon, and weird-stuffed-animal-with-zippers-on-their-bellies. What did anyone ever keep in them, anyway? My Walkman for starters!

4. Tamagotchis

Virtual pet simulation games became a lifestyle with these handheld toys. You could take your pet anywhere on a keychain! Brag about which developmental stage your pet was in! You could be there for your Tamagotchi's distinctive life stages. Anywhere. Whenever your pet passed on, admit it, you were sad. Tamagotchis were also a fashion statement, with a ton of fun designs. Yeah, tiger print!

5. AOL

The dial-up sounds you could imitate, your parents saying that they needed the phone now so please get off the computer, chatrooms, funky screen names, internet "dating", and "You've got mail!"--these were some of the most memorable things. You couldn't escape the AOL CDs being mailed to your family but at least they made great coasters. I still use my AOL email address.

6. Discmans

Once upon a time, we primarily used compact discs (CD-ROMs) to store our music. We listened to music on "disc mans" or "walkmans" or "CD players." Or, if you were really cool, "CD playas." Remember how songs would "skip" if you even walked a bit quicker than usual? Carrying music around became even easier with these.

7. Slap Bracelets

How many fashion accessories made a satisfying and distinctive "snap!" when you put them on? A snap bracelet--or five--meant you were trendy. And everybody could see AND hear that.

8. All the cartoons

Saturday morning cartoons with sugary cereal and cozy pajamas were the best. Just a few cartoons we fondly remember are Rugrats, Hey Arnold!, CatDog, Ed, Edd 'n Eddy, Dexter's Laboratory, Dragon Ball Z, The Powerpuff Girls, Sailor Moon, Scooby-Doo, Looney Tunes, and so, so many more!

9. The slang

What's the dillio? Whassup? Talk to the hand ('cause the face ain't listening'!), chat acronyms beginning (LOL, TMI), psyche!, NOT!, let's roll, I will jack you up, shortie, how'd you get so fly?, dude!, and of course, dawg. Many of these phrases may have been around before the nineties, but they were still part of that slammin' decade.

10. The "Rachel" hairstyle

Jennifer Aniston's character, Rachel Green, revolutionized women's hairdos across the nation. Many women requested and flaunted layered, face-framing haircuts inspired by Rachel. Cue affirming laugh track!

I've also saw this new thing on Facebook where people are reliving their childhoods by saying "I'm so Davenport I remember...!" Let me try! I'm so Davenport, I used to play video games at the Carousel Café at Northpark! There, that felt good! Now I'm gonna go get my tip frosted!