Greatest 90s Collectibles

Kids of the 90s collected the greatest, albeit weirdest, things. Every generation has its trends. Our parents had the pet rock. Millennials are not unique in the fact that their toys were weird, they are unique in the sheer number of great yet odd trends that appeared and took hold during their childhood. From Beanie Babies to Troll Dolls, we have compiled a list of the greatest 90s collectibles. Nostalgic as these great collectibles may be, decades later it's hard to not see the humor in how devoted we were to these brands.

Pokémon

The greatest thing about Pokémon was that there were so many mediums for collecting them. Cards, Gameboy games, a TV show, and movies kept us catching 'em all for years. It certainly was effective, as a great deal of 90s babies are now continuing to collect these critters with Pokémon Go. Nostalgia and the new take on an old favorite have driven millennials out en masse. Many of them can explain to you just why Pokémon Go is the best thing that ever happened. The cards haven't been quite as resilient as the games, but they're still around, and the older ones are worth a decent amount of money in good condition.

Beanie Babies

The real question about Beanie Babies is: Why were they special? What made them one of the greatest 90s collectibles? Kids of every generation have been collecting stuffed animals since stuffed animals existed. However, these particular stuffed animals were a retail sensation. Constantly sold out in retail stores, and the McDonalds Happy Meal toys versions had the drive throughs clogged at all hours. A select few did, in fact, become worth the thousands our parents swore they would. What made these stuffed animals better than every other stuffed animal? It must have been the beans. They were easier to carry around and keep in a backpack or purse because of their flexibility.

Pogs

Pogs may be the weirdest of the greatest 90s collectibles. They were essentially cardboard disks, and any serious collector had thousands upon thousands of them. A lot of us didn't even know what you were supposed to do with them, but they looked cool and were available in any design you could possibly want. I think a lot of 90s kids were far more interested in having the biggest collection of Pogs than they were with actually playing with them.

Troll Dolls

Troll Dolls are another one of the greatest 90s collectibles that are a little odd. Their neon hair and bright eyes certainly made them unique. It's anyone's guess why these little guys became a sensation, but they did. Maybe it's because they looked weird. They weren't traditional dolls, so they gave slightly older kids a figure to make up stories about that didn't carry the stigma of being for little kids. At any rate, the goal was often to get one in every color, meaning that Troll Dolls spawned huge collections.

Neopets

This one stretches the "of the 90s" a bit, as Neopets didn't launch until 1999, but it took on quickly and is definitely worth including. Much like Pokémon, what makes Neopets one of the greatest 90s collectibles is that they were collected digitally, making the collecting process very interactive. They were also very consuming. Every Neopet player has had that moment where they're halfway through their day, away from a computer, and get struck by the question "Did I feed my Neopet?!"

Tamagotchi

If you've ever had a Tamagotchi, you know that having a collection of them borders on insane. Why would anyone put themselves at the mercy of multiple Tamagotchi? Because the more you had, the cooler you were. Everyone wanted multiples because everyone had multiples. It was the perfect pet, because if you screwed up and killed it, you could just reset.

Polly Pocket

Tiny dolls that are easy to transport, but just as easy to lose. While Polly Pocket was another great way to de-stigmatize dolls and make them suitable for older kids, they were almost too small to play with. However, this didn't stop every 90s girl from having several of them. Many playdates revolved entirely around these minute dolls, and the brand has continued to make several newer iterations of the doll and her friends.

Furbies

Every parent's worst nightmare, every kid's must-have toy, and by far the creepiest of our greatest 90s collectibles. Furbies were another form of virtual pet, though they were just as terribly behaved as many real pets. Furbies were supposed to sleep when put in a dark space. This didn't always stop them from talking in your closet at 2:00 in the morning. They were adorable, in a bizarre kind of way, and I think a great deal of their allure was how badly parents wanted you to get something that didn't talk instead. The fact that they would interact with one another made having multiples essential.

Hit Clips

We didn't have iPods, so the concept of a small, portable music player was revolutionary. You didn't have to deal with the skipping of a Walkman, and they made these little cartridges for just about every pop song worth listening to. Having to change the cartridge after each song got pretty annoying, which is why they went out of style when MP3 players became common, but at the time they were cutting edge.

Crazy Bones

Do I need to explain why these make the list of greatest 90s collectibles? Much like Pogs, a great deal of 90s kids enjoyed collecting these more than playing with them. These little plastic toys came in every shape and color imaginable. Few knew exactly how you were supposed to play with them, which contributed to the lack of actual play. Most games involved flicking the figures at one another, which tended to upset teachers when you played in the lunchroom, but that didn't stop kids from bringing lunch boxes full of them to school each day.