- 5/24/2025
Get ready for a blast from the past! Join us as we reminisce about the things that made growing up in the 90s special. From browsing video store aisles to playing Nintendo 64 with friends, we're looking at the objects and experiences that defined a generation. What nostalgic memories do you miss the most?
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00:00Millions of kids already know what they want for Christmas, a new video game system called Nintendo 64.
00:06Welcome to Ms. Mojo, and today we're counting down our picks for the things that make us nostalgic for growing up in the 90s.
00:12We're keeping things limited to actual cultural objects, so big concepts like not having to pay bills or work will not be included on this list.
00:19So look for the new sign, Chuck E. Cheese's, where a kid can be a kid.
00:26Number 10, the original iMac.
00:28Get connected.
00:30Step 3.
00:33There's no Step 3.
00:35There's no Step 3.
00:36We were still two years away from the iPod at the end of the 90s.
00:40The iPhone wouldn't come around until 2007, but the iMac G3 announced Apple's coming dominance in the tech industry.
00:47Given that it came out in 1998, there was a chance it was the first personal computer a household owned.
00:52We put stereo speakers in front, infrared right up here, CD-ROM drive in the middle.
00:58Dual stereo headphone jacks.
01:01And all the connectors are inside one beautiful little door here.
01:05Ethernet, USB.
01:07Even though this is a full-blooded Macintosh, we're targeting it for the number one use the consumers tell us they want a computer for, which is...
01:14Let's hold it, please. Hold it.
01:17The answer was the internet.
01:18Reviews for the machine were not incredible at first.
01:21That didn't stop it from becoming a huge bestseller.
01:24Whether it was the thrill of the new technology or just how cool and trendy candy-colored translucent electronics were,
01:29the original iMac desktop made an impact.
01:32If you didn't have one, you wanted one.
01:34Wait till you meet the new iMac.
01:36Number 9.
01:37AIM.
01:38AOL Instant Messenger launched in 1997, soon becoming a go-to communication method for anyone who was in middle or high school in the late 90s and 2000s.
01:47I get instant messages from John.
01:50This precursor to texting lived on the desktop.
01:53If you wanted to talk to your friends, you both had to be at the desktop computer.
01:57AIM and its quirky sound effects feel like a distant memory in an era where everyone has constant access to you.
02:03I wish...
02:05I had a gut feeling you would be online now.
02:08It's easy to miss how a conversation used to be a special event instead of just a proxy for real-life interaction.
02:14How can you ask me that?
02:16Don't you know me at all?
02:17Oh, wait. I get it.
02:20Your friends are telling you the reason we haven't met is that I'm married. Am I right?
02:24Number 8.
02:25Animated Screensavers.
02:26Millions of computer buffs swarmed into stores to buy the software package that's described as the dawn of a new era in personal computing.
02:35Initially, these programs were a safety measure.
02:37Pre-LCD computer monitors that sat idle risked having images burned into them.
02:41Moving screensaver programs were the solution.
02:44From that fix came an entire aesthetic of early home computing.
02:47If a computer was on and not being used, this is what you would see on it.
02:51Windows series of 3D and maze animations are especially nostalgic for 90s kids.
02:55There's never been any sale like it, ever.
02:58These blocky, colorful, and surprisingly intricate animated screensavers were mesmerizing.
03:03Watching these morphing, seemingly endless images could have you sitting there for a while,
03:07trying to catch where the clips loop and start over.
03:09Sometimes, it's the simple things.
03:11I had to get it.
03:12Number 7.
03:13Discman.
03:13Sure, there's a utility in having all your music on your phone.
03:17Having an AI DJ decide what the vibe is might be worthwhile to some people.
03:21Because the Sony Discman plugs in pretty well anywhere.
03:24Your car stereo, your home stereo, in fact, any hi-fi system.
03:28For the rest of us, having to pick up the CD you wanted to listen to in the brand new Discman you got for Christmas required us to curate the mood ourselves.
03:37Celebrating 10 years of the compact disc.
03:39You could only carry so many CDs with you.
03:44But walking into school with your portable CD player made you feel so rich and so cool.
03:49Whether you call it the Discman or the Walkman, this was the height of portable tech in the 1990s and 2000s.
03:54So, why compromise?
03:57Number 6.
03:58Toys R Us.
03:58Looking back, it's kind of crazy this place even existed.
04:01The wonder, awe, and panic Toys R Us elicited is almost unmatched.
04:06Laying the groundwork for what would become Toys R Us.
04:09Echoing childlike script, Lazarus reversed the R and the store became a sensation.
04:14For kids of the 90s, this was Fort Knox.
04:17Instead of gold, you had Hot Wheels sets, Barbie Dream Houses, and enough Legos for the whole family to step on for years to come.
04:24You couldn't have everything in the store, but there was something about seeing all the best toys in one place that was magical.
04:30Toys R Us ramped up its store footprint, bringing shelves and shelves of toys to children nationwide.
04:35Even the commercials are iconic.
04:37You don't want to grow up.
04:38Same, bestie.
04:39The nostalgia pangs only got worse when the store announced closures in 2017.
04:43So what if most of us hadn't set foot in one in years?
04:46That's not the point.
04:47A lot of people do, which is kind of sad.
04:49I've known it since I was a kid, and so it's been, it's fascinating to see all these huge stores closing.
04:56Number 5. Chuck E. Cheese.
04:58Five nights at Freddy's may have ruined it for everyone, but the high of having birthday parties here can't be beat.
05:03This place was Vegas and Disneyland all in one.
05:06By the mid-1990s, Chuck E. and the gang were in their absolute prime producing full-fledged music videos, educational content, and sketch shows to be played in stores.
05:14You're telling us we can traverse cavernous plastic tunnels, gorge on pizza and breadsticks, and experience the thrill of gambling all in one place?
05:22Can we go right now?
05:23What do you get when you take a showbiz pizza place?
05:30And change the name to Chuck E. Cheese's?
05:33The thing about Chuck E. Cheese is that it was the peak of 90s arcade and restaurant aesthetics.
05:37In the same way that liminal space content can be nostalgia, peak Chuck E. Cheese is like a dream space half-remembered, only existing in memory and in grainy home videos.
05:46And it's frankly astonishing that the perfect presentation of it is through these wildly wholesome animatronic characters.
05:52Number 4. Cartoon Channels.
05:54Awesome, Bubbles, and Buttercup have dedicated their lives to fighting crime and the forces of evil.
06:01Whereas past generations had to wait until Saturday to see their cartoons, 90s kids and beyond were among the first to enjoy cartoons on demand.
06:09With specialized channels like Nickelodeon, Cartoon Network, and Disney Channel, 90s kids were included in networks' full-time programming schedules.
06:17Hi, Boris. Hi, Minka.
06:18Great, everyone's here.
06:20Let's open the hover, er, let's open the presents.
06:22On the same day, you could see Rugrats, the Powerpuff Girls, and Gargoyles on three different channels.
06:28There was no algorithm to direct you towards something you liked.
06:30You had to either stumble upon it, consult the slow-crawling TV Guide channel, or collect what you could on VHS Collections.
06:37Hello to Dexter the Lens.
06:42Number 3. Nintendo 64.
06:44Well, we took the system to a Nintendo expert.
06:47My son.
06:48It was his first time.
06:50I knew immediately I'd lost him.
06:52While the Nintendo Switch 2 is going for nearly 500 bucks, in 1996,
06:56the company's brand-spanking new console, the N64, wasn't that much cheaper.
07:01Notable for its 3D graphics and distinctive design,
07:04the 64 made bad days better, and turned every sleepover into an absolute bloodbath.
07:09Just look what happened in Japan.
07:10The day N64 hit the market, customers lined up for hours waiting to get one.
07:16Nintendo sold 300,000 machines that first day.
07:19This machine was an investment, from its colorful, translucent controllers to its impeccable catalog of games.
07:25Sure, video games look more realistic now,
07:27but they just don't compare to the simple pleasures of Mario, Pokemon, Zelda, and Goldeneye.
07:32Motion and characters showcase the game's amazing realism,
07:35and different weapons allow you to accomplish your task covertly, or not.
07:39Play solo, or against a friend or foe, with a two-character split screen.
07:43Good luck, Bob!
07:44And let's settle this right now.
07:46The games did work better if you blew into them first.
07:49The difference between this game and all the rest is in the name.
07:52Nintendo 64.
07:54It has 64 bits of memory, twice the power of other games on the market.
07:58Number 2.
07:58Being nostalgic about classic Nickelodeon.
08:01I'll have one good burger and one purple infection.
08:07One good burger and one purple infection?
08:10That'll be eight bucks.
08:12I have eight fingers.
08:14Throughout the 90s and early 2000s,
08:16millennials enjoyed a feast of sketch comedy and sitcoms made exclusively for us.
08:20All that and The Amanda Show introduced us to comedy greats who went on to have great careers.
08:25Now that you think you can teach me how to put a human brain into a robot?
08:29Sure, I gotta teach this guy how to do brain surgery.
08:32See ya!
08:34Looking back on this appointment television made us remember our childhoods fondly.
08:38Over the past few years, though,
08:40we've learned a lot about what was going on behind the scenes
08:42that makes it hard to keep the rose-colored glasses on.
08:45At the time, that experience was really disillusioning.
08:51It left a lasting impact on me in terms of how the world works.
08:56Documentaries like Quiet On Set, The Dark Side of Kids TV tore back the curtain on the humiliating,
09:01toxic, and often dangerous work conditions these young performers endured.
09:05It's supposed to be a safe space, you know?
09:06It's supposed to be a safe place for kids.
09:08And like, to hear all about that is just like, how dare you?
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09:28Number 1. Video Stores
09:30Between Netflix, Prime, and every TV network's own unique streaming service,
09:45we're spoiled for choice as to what to watch.
09:47Get it all from the comfort of our own couch.
09:49Video Stores may have had a more limited selection, but it was an event.
09:53You got to browse and read the backs of VHS or DVD covers,
09:57earmarking titles for the next visit.
09:58This is my lucky day. They never have this in.
10:01In the absence of an algorithm, the employees would have staff picks.
10:05Whether it was a Blockbuster or a mom-and-pop store,
10:07the place just smelled like movies.
10:09For this to work, it's got to feel like we just invited our neighbors over
10:13for a casual neighborhood barbecue.
10:15He took a chance on a movie.
10:17If it wasn't great, you could always go back next week and discover something new.
10:20Brings back a lot of memories.
10:21Yeah, it does.
10:21Kind of grew up going to Blockbuster.
10:23Longtime customers say nothing beats walking into the store,
10:26browsing and picking up their movie in person.
10:29Did this list give you pangs of nostalgia?
10:32Let us know in the comments.
10:41Do you agree with our picks?
10:42Check out this other recent clip from Ms. Mojo.
10:45And be sure to subscribe and ring the bell to be notified about our latest videos.
10:48We'll see you next time.
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