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I was born in 1994, so I'm technically a '90s kid. I wasn't into Nirvana, Pearl Jam, or wearing flannel shirts – I was simply too young. But I remember thinking Space Jam was the coolest movie ever and that wearing wide-leg jeans was the epitome of fashion. Now, after my generation grew up, we're remembering things with rosy nostalgia glasses. 

Technology that's obsolete now seems like cool gadgets to own, and movies that we once denounced as "childish" have become comfort watches. There are lots of things from the '90s and the early 2000s that people wish would make a comeback. So, when one person online recently asked, "What do you miss the most from the 90s/2000s?", thousands of folks had an answer ready.

#1

30 Timeless Treasures From The ‘90s That People Wish Were Still Around There was a general sense of optimism in society at large. We all genuinely believed we would graduate from school and work hard and be rewarded with a fulfilling life, free from financial worries.

IDK, maybe it was youthful ignorance, but it really did feel like the world was our oyster. Now, everyone is just SO. ANGRY.

Nstant_Klassik , Chu Chup Hinh Report

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Fabian Bernard
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1 month ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I remember my friends having parents being low bank employees and moms working part time able to own their home, going to vacations and some of them having country/ sea houses. Going to restaurant for saturday evening was nearly standard. Some didn't have that, but lived with dignity without having to struggle. Also employment stability.

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#2

30 Timeless Treasures From The ‘90s That People Wish Were Still Around Live music ticket prices. I saw Beastie Boys and Rage against the Machine for like $20 in 1993.

Cronemus , Wolfgang Report

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Carl Roberts
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1 month ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

This. I saw Slayer, Anthrax, Megadeth and Alice in Chains in San Francisco in 1991...tickets were $15. I went to Metallica's Summer Sanitarium Tour w/Korn, Kid Rock, System of Down & Powerman 5000 at Candlestick Park in SF back in 2000. $25 a ticket. Both of those shows would costs hundreds of dollars today (thanks to all the b.s. Ticketmaster fees)

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#3

30 Timeless Treasures From The ‘90s That People Wish Were Still Around Looking back, the amount of insects. I remember there being insects all over the place when you get outside. I feel like in my country (netherlands) about 75% of them have died. And this can't be good for nature or us.

PresidentHurg , Luana Bento Report

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Susie Elle
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1 month ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I agree with you, seems like the Veluwe (national park) has less and less bugs, it saddens me

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#6

30 Timeless Treasures From The ‘90s That People Wish Were Still Around Common sense and respect from strangers. Society is so damn stupid and judgemental these days, especially in our younger generations. Technology is actually destroying a humans basic functions...

crazycowlady953 , Cameron Casey Report

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#7

30 Timeless Treasures From The ‘90s That People Wish Were Still Around I really liked the huge malls with every store imaginable. All closed now.

NeutralTarget , Wendy Wei Report

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Disgruntled Pelican
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1 month ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I greatly enjoy being able to walk into a store and physically see/try on the item I am purchasing rather than waiting days only for it to not be what I expected/not fit and have to return it and start the process again.

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#8

Not worrying about someone recording me in public to ruin me or for their own clout.

DerriereSniffer Report

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"Disembodied voice"
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1 month ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I especially hate the augurments that "oh you're in public, it'll happen", it's one thing to be a random person in a background and to have someone specifically trying to record you.

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#9

30 Timeless Treasures From The ‘90s That People Wish Were Still Around Blockbuster and Pizza Hut on a Friday night.

ScottScanlon , Ron Lach Report

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ADJ
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1 month ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Renting videos was so much more rewarding than just selecting a movie on streaming service. Sometimes entire family sat down to watch and it felt very good.

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#10

30 Timeless Treasures From The ‘90s That People Wish Were Still Around Mix tapes. I rocked a Walkman for years. Our friend group would exchange tapes and try to outdo each other. A mix tape could even have been a romantic gesture if you did it right.

SprinklesConstant966 , cottonbro studio Report

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Madeline
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1 month ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

If you got a mixed tape from a guy, it was a sure sign he liked you!

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#11

30 Timeless Treasures From The ‘90s That People Wish Were Still Around Being disconnected.

km8907 , cottonbro studio Report

#12

30 Timeless Treasures From The ‘90s That People Wish Were Still Around Finding cool stuff at garage sales, flea markets, pawn shops, antique stores, that was not automatically marked up to whatever the item recently sold for on eBay!

echocomplex , Ricky Esquivel Report

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Javelina Poppers
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1 month ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Walking into a Goodwill lately and seeing their prices. Are they now an offshoot of Christies auction house?

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#13

30 Timeless Treasures From The ‘90s That People Wish Were Still Around 90s cartoons were top notch compared to cartoons today.

xBunnie_xoxo , Vika Glitter Report

#14

Feeling relatively safe. Yeah s**t went down. But riding my bike literal miles away from my home at age 9 and coming home when the street lights came on.

No influencers, no social media, no constant communication via cell phones, feeling unreachable, easily getting lost in the wilderness on trails (in a good way i.e. not running into a bunch of people), conversations with strangers, and really life being affordable.

lurkingpandaescaped Report

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Biytemii
Community Member
1 month ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I remember we lived in an apartment in small town area with little stores around and stuff. I was about 8ish believe and my parents would let me walk/ride my bike the 2-3 blocks to go to the penny candy store or the 711. ( I am only 35 the penny candy store was crazy to still have around I loved it so much)

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#15

Getting a job without having to create a profile, copy/paste all the s**t from your resume into the bubbles, write an essay, do a test and do 7 interviews for a minimum wage job.

I miss turn in the resume and filled out form, done.

Jammyturtles Report

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Kelly Scott
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1 month ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Back in 2012, I was looking for a job. I'd spend hours on the computer, filling out online applications, tweaking my resume, and taking those stupid personality tests. My mom constantly asked me why I didn't just go and get a paper application in person or just hand them my resume. One day I got tired of explaining and when we were driving, I just innocently asked her if she'd like to go with me to apply at a couple businesses. She did and I was told at the three businesses I walked into that it was online application only. At the third business, my mom irritably asked why I couldn't just hand my resume over to be given to the manager. The clerk answered that they wanted all resumes submitted online and if I gave them my paper one, it would probably just be thrown away. That finally shut my mother up.

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#16

30 Timeless Treasures From The ‘90s That People Wish Were Still Around Video games you just plugged in, threw a disc in, and played. Now it's a fifty step account user process with endless updates and other nonsense. I still play modern games but it's just annoying sometimes.

ZackValenta , Antoni Shkraba Report

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Me. Just Me.
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1 month ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Games back then were designed with the knowledge that they had to full, complete, and working, because the console couldn't connect to to internet to download 5,000 updates made after the sale because of the half-a$$ attempt at completion to get them out the door. That's honestly what makes retro gaming so awesome today, because the same, complete game just works, as well today as back then. No internet required.

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#17

Privacy and a sense of optimism about the future.

WeirdcoolWilson Report

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Disgruntled Pelican
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1 month ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Today is my birthday and while I never thought I would make it to this age, I can't help but wonder how many more birthdays I have left. From wondering how much longer the Earth can handle our BS to wondering which idiot will be first to hit the big red button, it's all just too overwhelming.

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#18

30 Timeless Treasures From The ‘90s That People Wish Were Still Around You knew where everyone was by finding the house with all the bikes in the front yard. No texts needed.

chungusXL316 , Vitali Adutskevich Report

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Dianellian
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1 month ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Or in my son’s case, because they knew there was food. I also quickly learnt pasta with tomato sauce and butter was cheaper than a couple loaves of bread. 20 - 25 years later those kids, when I see them, still thank me. (We lived in a middle class suburb but most mums worked or didn’t want kids over.)

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#19

30 Timeless Treasures From The ‘90s That People Wish Were Still Around How holidays felt (Christmas, Thanksgiving, etc.).

JennieRae68 , Nicole Michalou Report

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ADJ
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1 month ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Holidays felt different because it was your parents and.or grandparents doing all (or almost all) the preparations. Nowadays when you have to do all the stuff yourself it is quite different. Not worse, but so much different. We also used to have white christmas, with world covered in snow, but now it is mostly covered in mud during christmas. This also make them feel different.

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#20

30 Timeless Treasures From The ‘90s That People Wish Were Still Around The ability to disappear. There was such a sense of freedom in just leaving the house, where you'd become uncontactable.

AlterEdward , Oleksandr P Report

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Andy Demma
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1 month ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I tell this to all the kids I work with all the time! They lose their mind thinking about not having a phone on them all the time

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#21

Affordable rent.

m_nieto Report

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Freya the Wanderer
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1 month ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Affordable ANYTHING. The real reason there are so many homeless people is they can't afford rent. I feel fortunate that I can rent a room in a large house. Too many people have jobs but are literally sleeping in their cars. Do NOT get me started on how the minimum wage has not increased in 15 years - or on this country's war on homelessness--

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#22

The simplicity of the internet. No obnoxious ads everywhere, no influencers, etc.

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Ray Ceeya (RayCeeYa)
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1 month ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

This was either written by someone who was not on the web in the early 2000s or has somehow forgotten what it was like back then. That's when ad-blockers were INVENTED because invasive advertising was so thick. Hell, AOL was spamming your real mail with all those free CDs.

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#23

30 Timeless Treasures From The ‘90s That People Wish Were Still Around Music for sure. The late 90s early 2000‘s were the last times that I really enjoyed a lot of newer music. These days it’s very hard for me to find some thing I enjoy from any genre..

Natural_Kittyxx , Kampus Production Report

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Ray Ceeya (RayCeeYa)
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1 month ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I find new music I love all the time. It just happens to be modern synthwave that sounds a lot like 80s and 90s electronic music. Gunship and The Midnight are two of my current favorites.

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#24

30 Timeless Treasures From The ‘90s That People Wish Were Still Around Pop culture being ubiquitous through TV, movies and music instead of the endless content on streaming where no one watches the same things.

Amazing_Turnover8897 , Ron Lach Report

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Ray Ceeya (RayCeeYa)
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1 month ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Yeah. I remember big blockbusters like Ghostbusters ot Titanic absolutely dominating everything everywhere for months.

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#25

30 Timeless Treasures From The ‘90s That People Wish Were Still Around I liked that “Internet” and “gaming” was just one thing you do at home amongst other things. It was just one small part of a whole day.

ReclaimingMine , Viktorya Sergeeva Report

#26

30 Timeless Treasures From The ‘90s That People Wish Were Still Around From the 90s? US perspective, the feeling of hope and moving into a new collaborative global world. It wasn't all unicorns and rainbows, but it felt like we were getting closer to a global kumbaya situation. I really miss the optimism and "togetherness". We were progressing as a global society. 2000s was the reality check decade, and 2010s just built on that fear and division. I think that's why Obama had a great initial campaign, he was running on that 90s sentiment.

japanuslove , McDonaldland cookies Report

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Ray Ceeya (RayCeeYa)
Community Member
1 month ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Thank Bill Clinton. When he went on Lenno and played the saxophone with the house band that was PEAK 90s. The President of the USA was playing with a band on live TV.

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#27

30 Timeless Treasures From The ‘90s That People Wish Were Still Around Not feeling like everything is a commodity for someone else's profit.

TedTyro , Thirdman Report

#28

30 Timeless Treasures From The ‘90s That People Wish Were Still Around Passing letters/notes between class with your crush in high school. Kids today will never know there was an actual art to folding your letters. There was nothing more satisfyingly than sitting down in class and reading a long letter from your crush.

redman9000 , chinos88 Report

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Biytemii
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1 month ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I still have a little box with old ones from like 7th grade lol

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#29

30 Timeless Treasures From The ‘90s That People Wish Were Still Around Coming home from school on a crisp fall day, riding my bike until it got dark, logging into AIM to talk to my friends, watching TV Land until I fell asleep, and never knowing what it felt like to have a cell phone near by.

_brittleskittle , Denniz Futalan Report

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Ray Ceeya (RayCeeYa)
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1 month ago (edited) DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I'm 43yo and I still do literally do that. Did you know you can find big blocks of old video recorded onto VHS that has been digitized and uploaded to YouTube? I like it when they leave the commercials in. Makes me feel like a time traveler. I'm watching an episode of Siskel and Ebert from 1988 right now. OH memories. EDIT: Minus the AIM of course. Never had that.

#30

30 Timeless Treasures From The ‘90s That People Wish Were Still Around Everything felt relaxed. Time was slow. I remember feeling ALIVE! Yes I was a kid, but things were cheaper to do and easier to afford a simple happy life. Now its about being or getting filthy rich to enjoy a leisurely life like that again….

-kayochan- , Ron Lach Report

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egggratin
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1 month ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

or lower your standards (not your comfort) and don't let yourself be led by false values. i've been living in a truckhouse for ten years now and live a happy life without having to spend a lot of money on it

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