The weirdest "cool thing" from your childhood/teen years?

[GrumpyFrog]

Inspired by the Nostalgia megathread.

Now that I officially reached the age of complaining about kids these days, the clothes they wear, their terrible music and whatnot, I can't help but think that I can remember just as many weird and ridiculous trends from the 90s and early 2000s as I see today, if not more. We're all adults here, but we're of different ages and come from different countries. So I wonder - what is the weirdest thing you remember being cool during your childhood and/or teens? A ridiculous fashion trend? Some weird hobby everyone seemed to have? "Advanced technology" that is now outdated and useless in hindsight? A song that played at every middle school dance?

Spoiler: Here are a couple of gems from my middle school dances

I'd love if you'll share your memories with me, and let me know if you ever thought that thing was cool and if it feels more like an embarrassment or a nostalgic guilty pleasure now.
(Yes, I really need a distraction, hope you can use one too).

 

[StolenLife]

There was that one moustache phase while I was in middle school around 2010-2012ish. Moustache necklaces, moustaches on cups, moustaches on everything.
Something like this

Also Fashion Bandz bracelets in 2011-2010 which were in shapes of various things but once you put them on it just looks like you put on normal rubber bands.
Off hand
On hand

I hope these double sleeve shirts from early 2000s don't make a comeback.

 

[makethepainstop]

I loved bell bottoms jeans for dudes! That was cool.

 

[DeadButDreaming]

Degrassi Junior High, X-Files, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles.

Marilyn Manson and Korn were huge. Everyone was wearing shoes called 'Rollers' and 'Doc Martens'. A few years prior everyone was getting Air Jordan's or wanted them.

Remember the bands Hanson and the Presidents of the United States?

 

[whatevs]

Even the bad music was better then eh? Dragostea.

Hmm, putting sticky fluids in your hair was considered cool in the 2000's for men, wasnt't it? Me being a nerd overdid it and went to highschool one day with my head covered in gluey spikes. I mean, not as bad as these chaps from Mindless Self Indulgence...

There was that one moustache phase while I was in middle school around 2010-2012ish. Moustache necklaces, moustaches on cups, moustaches on everything.
Something like this

Also Fashion Bandz bracelets in 2011-2010 which were in shapes of various things but once you put them on it just looks like you put on normal rubber bands.
Off hand
On hand

I hope these double sleeve shirts from early 2000s don't make a comeback.

What!!! I loved the double sleeve shirts, I had several! Please bring this back, Simulation Overlord, Yaldabaoth, Matrix Architect, God of all Things!

 

[Julgran]

Inspired by the Nostalgia megathread.

Now that I officially reached the age of complaining about kids these days, the clothes they wear, their terrible music and whatnot, I can't help but think that I can remember just as many weird and ridiculous trends from the 90s and early 2000s as I see today, if not more. We're all adults here, but we're of different ages and come from different countries. So I wonder - what is the weirdest thing you remember being cool during your childhood and/or teens? A ridiculous fashion trend? Some weird hobby everyone seemed to have? "Advanced technology" that is now outdated and useless in hindsight? A song that played at every middle school dance?

Spoiler: Here are a couple of gems from my middle school dances

I'd love if you'll share your memories with me, and let me know if you ever thought that thing was cool and if it feels more like an embarrassment or a nostalgic guilty pleasure now.
(Yes, I really need a distraction, hope you can use one too).

The Tamagochi!

 

[GrumpyFrog]

There was that one moustache phase while I was in middle school around 2010-2012ish. Moustache necklaces, moustaches on cups, moustaches on everything.

Oh yeah, I remember that. It had something to do with hipsters, or am I wrong?

I hope these double sleeve shirts from early 2000s don't make a comeback.

Hey! I still have one somewhere in the back of my wardrobe. I loved those!

Degrassi Junior High

I don't think that show was weird, it is actually probably the best dramedy show for and about teens I've ever seen.
The sequel/"Next gereation" was bad though.

X-Files

Unique and iconic. I still might have a little bit of a crush on Scully.

Everyone was wearing shoes called 'Rollers' and 'Doc Martens'. A few years prior everyone was getting Air Jordan's or wanted them.

I still wouldn't mind a pair of Doc Martens. Even though I am an overweight 30-year-old teacher lady and will probably look like a total idiot in them.

Remember the bands Hanson and the Presidents of the United States?

Hanson were great for their age.
Also, I heard they never really disbanded?

Hmm, putting sticky fluids in your hair was considered cool in the 2000's for men, wasnt't it? Me being a nerd overdid it and went to highschool one day with my head covered in gluey spikes. I mean, not as bad as these chaps from Mindless Self Indulgence...

How did it go, did anyone notice the alt hair?
Did you otherwise look like a chap from Mindless Self Indulgence, or was it just your everyday shirt-and-slacks and then suddenly the hair?

 

[whatevs]

No, I had a generic hairstyle of the times then, think of the older brother of Malcom in the middle. That day? I think someone mocked me.

I went to Facebook to fish for something but then realized there's not a way to post a edited picture here without getting paranoid. What I found wasn't nothing crazy, in the 2010's me and some of my friends looked a lot like the protagonist of Kingdom Hearts.

I was kinda handsome, now that I look at it, but it never did much for me.

 

[jandek]

I remember scooters being a "cool" craze for a while, like they were the new skateboards, although I never owned one myself. I was never very cool growing up, lol.

 

[GrumpyFrog]

I remember scooters being a "cool" craze for a while, like they were the new skateboards, although I never owned one myself.

Really? I think I missed the whole scooter trend. Or maybe it just never caught up where I live.
Now that I think of it, it surprises me how resilient the concept of a "cool kid with a skateboard" was. On one hand, it feels like a fad, but on the other skateboards became popular in the late 80s and were around everywhere at least until the late 2000s. I can't think of any other hobby that would have such longevity as the "cool kid thing".

 

[jandek]

Really? I think I missed the whole scooter trend. Or maybe it just never caught up where I live.
Now that I think of it, it surprises me how resilient the concept of a "cool kid with a skateboard" was. On one hand, it feels like a fad, but on the other skateboards became popular in the late 80s and were around everywhere at least until the late 2000s. I can't think of any other hobby that would have such longevity as the "cool kid thing".

Oh, that's interesting. I just remember scooters being everywhere for a time. I'd always see kids scooting around the block, and some of the braver ones even tried to do tricks with them. Maybe the appeal was more for younger kids than "cool" teens. I guess that was late 90s/early 2000s.

Wow, I just discovered this amazing video, lol. Very educational.

 

[Angst Filled Fuck Up]

Pogs were probably the weirdest one I can think of. Just these little flat circles. You basically bet someone else a certain amount of pogs on a given toss (they all had different values) and then if it landed face up and the other guy's didn't, you won.



One time I was in this high-stakes pog showdown with this other dude. It was like twenty of my shitty pogs for just a single one of his. But it was the coveted Chester Cheeto guy pog. It was all very Casino Royale. Anyway, I beat him, and I felt like I'd won the lottery at the time. It was all anyone could talk about for like three and a half minutes.

And yes, the school dances were pretty neat. It was the only time you got to touch any of the girls. It was a big thrill putting your hands on whoever's hips and slow dancing to Boyz II Men (yes, I'm that old). It was pretty inappropriate now that I think about it. 14 years old and "I'll make love to you"? Oh well, we weren't having it any other way. The sheer excitement of some physical contact while trying to hide your boner as you awkwardly waddled side to side with some girl was pretty legendary.

 

[GrumpyFrog]

Pogs were probably the weirdest one I can think of. Just these little flat circles. You basically bet someone else a certain amount of pogs on a given toss (they all had different values) and then if it landed face up and the other guy's didn't, you won.

Aaah, these thingies! We had Pokemon-themed pog boom when the first Pokemon anime had it's first TV run. Went nicely with the concept of Pokemon battles and the "collect them all" theme. Also went nicely with the severe economic downturn that was happening at the same time, because these thingies were dirt cheap and if you're good you could buy two and then rob the whole playground and go home with two dozens. So they were toys for everyone, even the kids that couldn't afford real toys.

One time I was in this high-stakes pog showdown with this other dude. It was like twenty of my shitty pogs for just a single one of his. But it was the coveted Chester Cheeto guy pog. It was all very Casino Royale. Anyway, I beat him, and I felt like I'd won the lottery at the time. It was all anyone could talk about for like three and a half minutes.

That sounds glorious!

And yes, the school dances were pretty neat. It was the only time you got to touch any of the girls. It was a big thrill putting your hands on whoever's hips and slow dancing to Boyz II Men (yes, I'm that old). It was pretty inappropriate now that I think about it. 14 years old and "I'll make love to you"? Oh well, we weren't having it any other way. The sheer excitement of some physical contact while trying to hide your boner as you awkwardly waddled side to side with some girl was pretty legendary.

That's kinda cute. As a former weird kid that absolutely no one wanted to put their hands on, unless it was to push me down the stairs, I find it rather endearing. I used to come to the school dances and just vibe alone in a dark corner, or sit it out on a bench and watch others if I didn't feel like I was invisible enough to dance, and I didn't slow dance with anyone until...shit...I still hadn't slow danced with anyone. But I digress. I'm sure the girls found the situation very romantic.
I am a bit younger, so I was kindergarten age when Boys II Men were all the rage, but now I remember that I loved that song. Didn't have a faintest clue what it was about, because English is not my first language. In my defense, it still doesn't sound like a sexy song to me at all if I ignore the lyrics, the guys sound like they are singing about giving their soul to Jesus, and not about sexytimes.
Also, looking at that music video, oh my, the early 90s idea of a man dressed up to look sexy is...something.

 

[Angst Filled Fuck Up]

Aaah, these thingies! We had Pokemon-themed pog boom when the first Pokemon anime had it's first TV run. Went nicely with the concept of Pokemon battles and the "collect them all" theme. Also went nicely with the severe economic downturn that was happening at the same time, because these thingies were dirt cheap and if you're good you could buy two and then rob the whole playground and go home with two dozens. So they were toys for everyone, even the kids that couldn't afford real toys.

That sounds glorious!

That's kinda cute. As a former weird kid that absolutely no one wanted to put their hands on, unless it was to push me down the stairs, I find it rather endearing. I used to come to the school dances and just vibe alone in a dark corner, or sit it out on a bench and watch others if I didn't feel like I was invisible enough to dance, and I didn't slow dance with anyone until...shit...I still hadn't slow danced with anyone. But I digress. I'm sure the girls found the situation very romantic.
I am a bit younger, so I was kindergarten age when Boys II Men were all the rage, but now I remember that I loved that song. Didn't have a faintest clue what it was about, because English is not my first language. In my defense, it still doesn't sound like a sexy song to me at all if I ignore the lyrics, the guys sound like they are singing about giving their soul to Jesus, and not about sexytimes.
Also, looking at that music video, oh my, the early 90s idea of a man dressed up to look sexy is...something.

*touches you innocently and without pushing you down the stairs* I hope it was as good for you as it was for me! Seriously though, I do find that oddly hilarious, like it's so east bloc.

Strangely, I think that music was kind of about giving your soul to Jesus while simultaneously wanting to hook up. They blended the two beautifully I guess lol.

I'm sorry nobody wanted to dance with you! You know you're still invited to my next pizza party, provided @NumbItAll doesn't bail on us again.

 

[GrumpyFrog]

Strangely, I think that music was kind of about giving your soul to Jesus while simultaneously wanting to hook up.

For some reason all I can think of now is some horny teenagers hooking up to this song while Jesus looks on in disapproval

*touches you innocently and without pushing you down the stairs* I hope it was as good for you as it was for me! Seriously though, I do find that oddly hilarious, like it's so east bloc.

I'm sorry nobody wanted to dance with you! You know you're still invited to my next pizza party, provided @NumbItAll doesn't bail on us again.

Aww. Thank you for making my day. You're the bestest.

 

[Pluto]

There was an Australian candy called 'FAGS' which emulated packaging and design of cigarettes, including a red end to resemble a lit tip. It was fun to fool grown-ups by pretending to be smoking.

Turns out these dated back to the '40s when smoking was extremely mainstream, and the concept itself even further. Later in the '90s, it was renamed as FADS and the cigarette connotations were removed.

Looking back, the double-whammy of promoting smoking in children and a highly politically incorrect name (which, granted, was a slang word for cigarettes in those days) definitely seems strange by modern standards.

 

[Julgran]

There was an Australian candy called 'FAGS' which emulated packaging and design of cigarettes, including a red end to resemble a lit tip. It was fun to fool grown-ups by pretending to be smoking.

Turns out these dated back to the '40s when smoking was extremely mainstream, and the concept itself even further. Later in the '90s, it was renamed as FADS and the cigarette connotations were removed.

Looking back, the double-whammy of promoting smoking in children and a highly politically incorrect name (which, granted, was a slang word for cigarettes in those days) definitely seems strange by modern standards.


View attachment 99779

There were similar candy types here in Sweden in the nineties - they were chocolate cigarettes, and they were popular. I wonder, though, how they could ever been approved, given their potential to lead to smoking.

 

[Lostandlooking]

Maybe hairgel… do people still use hairgel? In the nineties the girls at my school had these gelled bangs, or maybe they're called high wave bangs? I'm not sure. I didn't have them because I didn't know how to do that. The hair was just stiff with gel. Then later on in the early 2000s I remember guys with hair that was just glued into place, sometimes in spikes. But also curles. Hair was not supposed to move. The spikes looked like they could hurt someone.

 

[GrumpyFrog]

In the nineties the girls at my school had these gelled bangs, or maybe they're called high wave bangs?

You mean when they tried to get their hair to look like this:

but it came out looking like this?

Maybe hairgel… do people still use hairgel?

Not much, unless it is to slick the hair back. Looks like we exhausted all ideas for unnatural shapes we can give our hair in the last 100 years, and now we're graduating to unnatural colors instead.

 

[actual_fox]

But now I actually understand the lyrics

 

[GrumpyFrog]

But now I actually understand the lyrics

I thought this song came out, like, a couple of years ago. Then I checked wikipedia and yep nope, it's 10 years old. I chalk it up to dementia creeping up on me.
But yeah, Flo Rida is cringe personified, how come he has such a long and lucrative career is beyond me.

 

[Lostandlooking]

You mean when they tried to get their hair to look like this:

but it came out looking like this?

Not much, unless it is to slick the hair back. Looks like we exhausted all ideas for unnatural shapes we can give our hair in the last 100 years, and now we're graduating to unnatural colors instead.

Yes like that! I remember these things had some serious height to them. But that was the fashion at the time.

 

[Callie Arcale]

Seeing Metallica live when I was a teenager.
Having a panic attack at the concert.
Recovering enough from the panic attack to be able to somehow enjoy "Master of puppets". I don't recall what other songs they played. I have a vague recollection of them playing "For whom the bell tolls", but I'm not sure…

What a cool, weird, painful experience that was…

 

[akirat9]

Discovering the term suicide

 

[WhiteRabbit]

Pogs were probably the weirdest one I can think of. Just these little flat circles. You basically bet someone else a certain amount of pogs on a given toss (they all had different values) and then if it landed face up and the other guy's didn't, you won.

View attachment 99771

One time I was in this high-stakes pog showdown with this other dude. It was like twenty of my shitty pogs for just a single one of his. But it was the coveted Chester Cheeto guy pog. It was all very Casino Royale. Anyway, I beat him, and I felt like I'd won the lottery at the time. It was all anyone could talk about for like three and a half minutes.

And yes, the school dances were pretty neat. It was the only time you got to touch any of the girls. It was a big thrill putting your hands on whoever's hips and slow dancing to Boyz II Men (yes, I'm that old). It was pretty inappropriate now that I think about it. 14 years old and "I'll make love to you"? Oh well, we weren't having it any other way. The sheer excitement of some physical contact while trying to hide your boner as you awkwardly waddled side to side with some girl was pretty legendary.

I haven't thought about pogs in a long time. I had an Oreo shaped slammer. The "cookie crusher"

 

[Yakamoz]

Beyblade

 

[Forever Sleep]

Shell suits. Yes, I had one... It was purple, white and turquoise I think...

 

[Left]

I wouldn't consider it cool but I remember dumb shit like the pass out challenge where people would intentionally try to make themselves faint. There was also the kids who would "smoke" the Smarties candy.

I also can't forget Silly Bandz and Webkins.