Reminiscing the 90s! Toys

This week on Going Off Topic we are going back to the greatest decade, the 90s. I reached out to a few friends and family members who grew up during that time to cover a few categories: Music, Movies, TV Shows, Athletes, Toys, Stores, Video Games/Board Games and Crushes from the 90s. I gave them the reins to discuss each topic whether that meant things they remember from each category, things they had or loved, things they didn’t have but wish they did. I enlisted a few returning people but most are making their blogging debut. Each day we will be covering a new category with each person’s opinion on that topic. The fifth category for the Going Off Topic 90s week is Toys so go up in your closet and grab all your Beanie Babies!

Kyle:
I never had a Furby as a kid but a lot of my friends did, it really was a hard time for me. Looking back though those things were creepy as hell. Beanie Babies were awesome and it was a special occasion whenever we got one as kids, they were fairly expensive which is funny to think about. Pokémon cards were great but I actually never even played the card game I just collected them. We had Sock ‘Em Boppers for a short time and I remember going to friends houses that had trampolines and we would box each other, which was probably dangerous but fun nonetheless. I still have my Pogs at my parent’s house and I still don’t know what the point of them was but they were cool to collect. Big Wheel’s were badass, my grandparents had a few of them and my cousins and I would race them around their neighborhood. I hope big wheel’s are still around.

Ellen:

Bop It was so fun! I remember playing that game all the time for like hours at a time. I also had Moon Shoes! They were my sisters and we would jump with those things all the time. I’m amazed I didn’t break a leg or ankle in those things, talk about dangerous! I’ve got a great idea, let’s make these honkin’ plastic platforms bouncy by adding some fucking giant rubber bands to them and then strap them to some kid’s feet! They were so fun though. Sky Dancers, now if you don’t remember these, here’s a little refresher. They were little Barbie Doll like things with wings and they attached to this handle that you pulled a string out of to make them spin and fly in the air. I begged my parents to buy me one and when I say begged I mean I was likely on my knees groveling. They ended up getting me one and I brought it home and took my Sky Dancer outside so she could get some serious air! My first pull of that damn string was cursed. She flew up into the sky and it was glorious but on the way down I realized in horror that her trajectory was taking her over my neighbor’s house. My Sky Dancer fell into my neighbors gutter. I had just begged my parents to get me one so there was not a snowballs chance in hell that I was about to tell them she was currently residing in my neighbor’s gutter. Fuck that noise. I did what any normal and well-adjusted child would do. Yes, I acted like nothing happened and never saw my Sky Dancer again, or so I thought. Flash-forward about 5 years and my dad is being generous and cleaning out our neighbor’s gutters (an elderly person lived there are needed some assistance) and FOUND THE FUCKING THING! We were reunited, she was nasty as fuck, and my dad didn’t even remember her. Moral of the story, kids are weird… or at least I was.

Shannon:

I wasn’t allowed to have Polly Pockets, but I had nearly every Barbie article of clothing imaginable. (Maybe not, she had a lot of clothes.) And when I got the Barbie train and the hotel, it was one of the best Christmases ever! I still have them, for keepsake. I don’t still have by Betty Spaghetti because someone (MOM) got rid of them all! Still mad about that, because she was awesome and I had all the cool ones and even had the Australian one with the green hair and the koala. Betty spaghetti was amazing. 

Becca:

Even though they are still very main stream still today Barbies are thing I remember most about growing up. I had a ton past down from my sisters and I would play with them everyday. Such a simple doll but you could make them anything you wanted to be which I loved. Barbies may have been the toy I remember most but when the Tamagotchi came out I HAD to have one! I never had a pet growing up so it was fun for me to have something to take care of everyday...you know until the next new thing came around, guess now I understand why I was never allowed to have a pet! 

Reminiscing the 90s! Video Games

This week on Going Off Topic we are going back to the greatest decade, the 90s. I reached out to a few friends and family members who grew up during that time to cover a few categories: Music, Movies, TV Shows, Athletes, Toys, Stores, Video Games/Board Games and Crushes from the 90s. I gave them the reins to discuss each topic whether that meant things they remember from each category, things they had or loved, things they didn’t have but wish they did. I enlisted a few returning people but most are making their blogging debut. Each day we will be covering a new category with each person’s opinion on that topic. The fourth category for the Going Off Topic 90s week is video games so blow into your N64 cartridge and play some Mario Kart!

Kyle:
Video games were a huge part of my life as a kid and I still play today. As a kid I had the original Nintendo, Gameboy, Sega, and the PlayStation 1. Unfortunately I never had an N64 but I had a lot of friends that did so whenever I went to their houses we played for hours. 007 Goldeneye, NFL Blitz, NBA Jam, Sonic, Toejam and Earl, Super Mario 64, all the Pokémon games for Gameboy, Mario Kart, among others these were some of the best games of the 90s and you could play for hours with your friends. The 90s were also a great time for PC games: Where in the World is Carmen Sandiego, Putt Putt goes to the Zoo, Sims, Roller Coaster Tycoon are just a few I can think of.  

Ellen:
My brother was (and still is) a huge gamer and I watched/played a ton of Super Mario 64, GoldenEye 007, The Legend of Zelda and Sonic the Hedgehog. I would try to play Zelda, but my little brother would just get so frustrated at how much I sucked and he would take the controller away… I don’t blame him. I suck at video games.

Shannon:

Pokemon. Enough said.

Becca:

I wasn’t a huge video game person growing up. After the regular PlayStation I don’t think we got a new console. I do remember playing Super Nintendo with my brother, we would play Donkey Kong and of course Super Mario Brothers but that’s about it. Once the PlayStation came out we would play Tony Hawk Pro Skater.

Patrick:

Growing up in the 90s one of the coolest game consoles to have was a N64 (Nintendo 64 for you ipad generation bums). The status of pre-puberty sexiness, the N64 was a treasured item if you wanted to essentially buy your friends.

Me: “hey Kevin you wanna come over today after school?”

Kevin: “uh I don’t know I have a lot of..”

Me: “I have an Nintendo 64”

Kevin: “lets do this, tell your mom I want pizza rolls hot and ready for us.”

That’s all it took and I had friends. Well, for those brief hours after school. But you get the point. Anyway….with N64 came some of the GREATEST games ever to hit the screens in the 90’s. One of my all time favorites: NFL Blitz Special Edition 1999.

This game attracted a lot of attention in 99 but also into the 2000’s considering I brought my n64 to college with me (yes still desperate for friends 15 years later) and would break out this game and I would catch passer byers in the halls of the dorms. All shocked that I brought an n64 with me yet all KNEW AND LOVED all the games I had with it. Mind you this game would either spark a friendship or drastically burn a longtime bromance over the tiniest of choices made towards your opponent.

For the few that didn’t know what NFL Blitz was they were soon to NEVER forget it.

NFL BLITZ SPECIAL EDITION

The franchise NFL blitz entered onto the scene in 1997 NFL paid little to no attention to its makers until right before the launch. Upon watching a preview scrimmage the NFL decided it couldn’t associate itself with the brand because of its EXTREME violence and blatant disregard to actual NFL rules. Midway changed it up and re-released it. And it became a major success.

Unlike the NFL pass interference IS allowed (possibly my favorite thing about the game). No matter when the ball is thrown you can absolutely demolish offensive receivers. Even receivers that are NOWHERE near the play!! This comes in handy when you are losing the game forcing your opponent to run. Or just to simply give them no options and frustrate them thus making them lose a lead just by being an jerk.

The game play is very simple. On offense you have 10 plays to pick from. Defense 10 plays. Each set of plays for offense all you have to do as the quarterback is point to the receiver you want and throw.

Defensive players can do whatever they want. You can even knock down every player on the field if you wanted. During and after a play has been done.

The ball is free game after that QB throws, considering there’s basically no rules in this game. There are unreal hurtles you can make, stiff arms that send players into a coma, and trash talk that is simply hilarious.

Achieve consecutive first downs on offense to the same player and you unlock the FIRE cheat code. The cheat essentially makes you invincible and you never run out of turbo speed…as an offensive receiver your guaranteed a catch and about 15 yards after because it takes not 1, not 2, but sometimes up to 3 players to take you down.

If you get consecutive loss of downs/stops while on defense and you achieve the same cheat code. You can blow through any offense and send the QB out on a stretcher.  

You can also try your best in entering “secret codes” before the game starts while its loading. And achieve something hysterical. You know? Something as random as “invisible ball carriers”. You read that correct. There’s a cheat code that turns whoever has the ball INVISIBLE as if the game couldn’t get any more cheap shots in.

With a game this ridiculous it’s hard NOT to love it. No matter how strange you lose a game. Out of the 50 games we had growing up NFL BLITZ special edition is possibly my favorite. Still producing memories today and it was popular enough to be called “the best football game ever made” by Gamespot.com. The game was made in 1997 and continued in and out on different game consoles until 2012. Check it out for yourself with this video. 

Reminiscing on the 90s! TV Shows

This week on Going Off Topic we are going back to the greatest decade, the 90s. I reached out to a few friends and family members who grew up during that time to cover a few categories: Music, Movies, TV Shows, Athletes, Toys, Stores, Video Games/Board Games and Crushes from the 90s. I gave them the reins to discuss each topic whether that meant things they remember from each category, things they had or loved, things they didn’t have but wish they did. I enlisted a few returning people but most are making their blogging debut. Each day we will be covering a new category with each person’s opinion on that topic. The third category for the Going Off Topic 90s week is TV shows so head to Netflix and watch some of your favorites!

Kyle:

There were so many good kids TV shows in the 90s: Animaniacs, Doug, Hey Arnold, Recess, Dexter’s Lab, Arthur, Magic School Bus, The Wild Thornberrys, Powerpuff Girls, CatDog, Biker Mice From Mars and so many more. As a kid we were not allowed to watch Rugrats because my Mom did not like Angelica. I don’t think I could name any shows that kids are watching today; we need to rerun the 90s TV shows as much as possible for kids now. Other shows I remember watching with my parents were Home Improvement, The Wonder Years, The Drew Carey Show, Friends, Frasier, and ER are a few I remember.

Ellen:

So many great TV shows! My dad would let us watch The X-Files with him all the time and then we would get scared shitless and cry in the middle of the night to my mom. She loved it. The X-Files is a classic show and I still randomly watch it on Netflix. “I want to believe”. Boy Meets World was another show that I loved so much! I want to go back and watch it again one day. Dawson’s Creek, now I didn’t watch this until my college roommate introduced it to me and let me tell you, it’s bitchen. So much drama! It’s like One Tree Hill only circa 1999 and I was all about that. Team Pacey forever! I watched a lot of Sabrina the Teenage Witch, Rugrats, Hey Arnold, Clarissa Explains It All, Are You Afraid of the Dark?, Sister Sister. But the best of them all was Animaniacs, All That, and Pinky and the Brain. These shows were so good! “What are you doing?” “Hiding.” “From who?” “From the little puppy children.” Oh my god, I still quote Animaniacs to this day! “Helloooooo nurse!” So inappropriate, but so funny.

Shannon:

It's time for Animaniacs!

And we're zany to the max! 

C’mon, even my dad liked that show because it was amazing and hilarious and just plain awesome. And then there was Pokemon. I don’t even have to say anything about that because that’s a whole lifestyle. The Pinky and the Brain, and then who remembers Gargoyles?? I think I just remember the theme song of it but it was amazing! Then there was Ducktales. Not the new weird one, but original good one, with Huey, Dewey and Louie causing havoc and adventure for everyone involved. Arthur taught us how to spell aardvark, and the Magic School Bus taught us all about everything. Then there were the shows like Ed, Edd and Eddy which only made us laugh, but it was so worth it. Then, one of my favorites was the Wild Thornberry’s, with Nigel?? He’s making a comeback with those memes and gifs, and he needs to! Kids gotta know Nigel!! 

Becca:

I am never more grateful to have grown up in the 90’s then when I think about TV. For real we had the best TV out there. Rugrats, Rocket Power, Doug, Hey Arnold, Sister Sister, Boy Meets World, Clarissa Explains it All, and Full House are just a few of the shows that I remember watching all the time. I always wanted to be a Tanner or a Pickles! So much better than what’s on Disney and Nickelodeon today!