90s kids’ toys you just HAD to have
Good times!
Last updated 15th Apr 2020
All this weekend (28th/29th March) it's 90s Throwback Weekend, and we have all the best tunes from the 90s which we KNOW you'll love. As it's a 90s Throwback Weekend on Hits Radio it seems the perfect opportunity to reminisce about the 90s toys that we grew up with and just HAD to have!
Make sure you don't miss our Throwback Weekend!
Here's a few of our favourites 90s kids’ toys:
Tamagotchi
It’s harder than it looks to keep a virtual pet happy and alive, but it was all the rage in the 90s.
Connect 4
It was so simple but so addictive. Of course Connect 4 is still a pub favourite these days, but back in the 90s it was the game to play with your mates.
Easy Bake Oven
The Easy Bake Oven was the starting point for many of today’s bakers, move over The Great British Bake Off! The Easy Bake Oven was first manufactured back in the 60s, and continued right up until 2017, but it was back in the 90s that we imagined baking cakes that Prue would be proud of.
Bop It
Originally released in 1996, Bop It has been hugely popular over the years, but with its non-stop beeps and bops, how many of these do you think were ‘accidentally’ broken by parents?
Stretch Armstrong
Action figure Stretch Armstrong was made of latex that allowed kids to stretch him, before he eventually returned to his original size and shape. That was, of course, until someone stretched him too far!
Operation
Testing your hand-eye coordination and motor skills, Operation is an age-old popular game for people of most generations. We can feel the concentration!
Mouse Trap
If you haven't played Mouse Trap some time in the many decades it's been around, where have you been? As the game suggests, Mouse Trap involves playing as a mouse, trying to avoid getting caught.
Tickle Me Elmo
Back in 1996 there was a huge Tickle Me Elmo crazy, and quite rightly! We love Tickle Me Elmo, the fab little toy who reacts when he's squeezed.
Furby
Is it an owl? Is it a bat? Whatever it is it doesn’t stop talking - as every parent knows! Released in the late 90s, Furbies were hugely popular for many years, however in 2018 they stopped production - do you have a vintage furby in your house?
Hands up who's going to be on a mad search for their old toys after reading this?
Now take a look at the original names of some of our favourite TV shows:
Friends
We all know and love it as Friends, but the TV show could have been called something very different...
Six of One
Six Of One just doesn't have the same ring to it! Here are the cast Jennifer Aniston, Matt Le Blanc, Courteney Cox, Matthew Perry, David Schwimmer and Lisa Kudrow. Mega-fans, you can watch Friends daily on Comedy Central (YAY!) or on Friends – The Complete Series 1-10 on Blu-ray and DVD.
NCIS
NCIS finished its 14th season earlier this year - this moment is from the gripping season finale.
NavyNCIS
Starring Duane Henry, Emily Wickersham, and Wilmer Valderrama (above) NCIS was originally going to be called NavyNCIS.
Only Fools and Horses
We know it as Only Fools and Horses with Del Boy's infamous Reliant Regal Supervan.
Readies or Big Brother
But it was originally due to be called Readies or Big Brother. Good job they went with Only Fools and Horses, then!
The Big Bang Theory
The Big Bang Theory could have been called something a lot less catchy...
Lenny, Penny and Kenny
Yep - Sheldon was very nearly called Kenny!
Saturday Night Live
US variety show Saturday Night Live is well known around the world - here's Star Wars actor Adam Driver introducing the show.
NBC's Saturday Night
Not quite the same, is it? Here's Ariana Grande's ex-fiancé Pete Davidson, who works on the show as a comedian.
Hannah Montana
Hannah Montana, was a musical comedy starring Miley Cyrus in the lead role and was named after the main character, but it could have been very different.
Alexis Texas
The lead character was originally going to be called Alexis Texas... Which means that the show would also have been called Alexis Texas!
Lost
The gripping TV show Lost, starring Terry O'Quinn as John Locke (pictured), kept people guessing the ending for years.
Nowhere
Lost could have been called Nowhere!
New Girl
Known as New Girl, the TV show starring Zooey Deschanel as kooky teacher Jess Day could have been called something else entirely.
Chicks and D---s
While New Girl was the name they finally settled on, it had a much ruder working title - and Zooey Deschanel refused to sign onto the project whilst that was the name.
Buffy The Vampire Slayer
Supernatural TV series Buffy The Vampire Slayer was a hit in the late 90s and early 00s. It was named after the lead character Buffy Summers, played by Sarah Michelle Gellar.
Slayers
It was originally going to be called Slayers.
The Good Wife
Known as The Good Wife, the TV series starred Christine Baranski as Diane Lockhart (pictured), as a top litigator and senior partner of a Chicago law firm.
Leave the B-----d
The series, which also starred Sex and the City's Chris Noth (pictured), was originally going to be called Leave the B-----d.
Listen to the 90s Throwback Weekend on Hits Radio.
Turn it up with Hits Radio! Home of Fleur East, Sam Thompson and Gemma Atkinson playing the biggest hits and the biggest throwbacks, alongside the biggest laughs and life-changing competitions. Tune in on FM, DAB, online, ask your Smart Speaker to 'Play Hits Radio' and download the Rayo app.