ADVERTISEMENT

Time is a strange beast. One moment you think it’s still 1999/2004/2012, the next you realize you’re sitting in 2021. Confused, with no idea where the years went, there you are, busily counting how old you are on your fingers. Time doesn’t just fly by: it soars, does loop-de-loops, backtracks and fast-forwards, drips like a leaky faucet, rushes like a raging river, and delights in making you feel old and still young all at once.

Well, our team over here at Bored Panda wants time to be on our side, so we’re about to make you feel old and pine for the '90s and 2000s. Did we say ‘feel old?’ Sorry! We meant ‘feel nostalgic.’ Whoops. You’ll definitely get these memes and jokes if you remember the '90s and 2000s well, so scroll on down for a trip down memory lane, and remember to upvote the pics that you liked the most. We’d also love to hear from you what trends, technologies, and events you liked the most from that era. So be sure to leave us a comment below.

Bored Panda wanted to learn more about our nostalgia for earlier decades, so we reached out to Kemi Omijeh, a child and adolescent therapist who is based in London and is also a member of the British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy (BACP). Read on for her insights, dear Pandas!

#1

The Days Of Poor Graphics And Endless Hours Spent On These Games

The Days Of Poor Graphics And Endless Hours Spent On These Games

reddit.com Report

#2

Anyone Else Get Mesmerized By The Windows 95 Screensavers As A Kid?

Anyone Else Get Mesmerized By The Windows 95 Screensavers As A Kid?

reddit.com Report

According to therapist Omijeh, our memories of the past can contribute to our sense of self and well-being. "The period of time we tend to be nostalgic over are significant moments that stood out. Perhaps it was a time when we felt happiest or safest, or perhaps it’s a period where things changed for us."

She explained that the age we were at during the era doesn't matter as much as what exactly the time period represents to us. "Our memories of the past can change over time depending on how often we revisit and also depending on what is going on for us in the present."

#4

Latchkey Kids Unite!

Latchkey Kids Unite!

reddit.com Report

Add photo comments
POST
l-hilyer avatar
Liz the Wanderer
Community Member
3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Yes, when did this change? I was capable of having a snack and not dying when home alone at age 7.

View More Replies...
View more commentsArrow down menu
ADVERTISEMENT

Omijeh joked that "of course, the '90s was better! But then again, I may be being very biased here." The therapist pointed out that who we were during each decade will influence our impressions of it.

"Generally speaking, the better decade is associated with youth and freedom. Nostalgia also often gives us rose-tinted glasses from which to reflect from. How we reflect on the past decades can play a part in how we engage with the current decade." If you're living in the UK and would like to speak to a therapist, you can find a counseling professional through the BACP right here.

#7

Movie Time In School

Movie Time In School

reddit.com Report

#8

I Member...

I Member...

reddit.com Report

Add photo comments
POST
helenwood avatar
Mrs_ Possum
Community Member
3 years ago (edited) DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I am this old!! When I saw this pic, I literally heard the thunk of the ball hitting the pad, and the rip of taking it off to throw again.. Aah, good times 😄🤣

View More Replies...
View more commentsArrow down menu
ADVERTISEMENT

Bored Panda previously spoke about nostalgia with therapist Omijeh in more depth. "Many psychologists, myself included, believe our childhood is the foundation to who we are as adults. It explains why we frequently revisit our childhood as it influences our present," Omijeh told Bored Panda.

According to Omijeh, the kind of childhoods that we had directly correlates to how we remember our childhood experiences. To put it simply: we’re nostalgic for the times that we felt loved and nurtured.

ADVERTISEMENT

“If we’ve had a difficult childhood, it can be hard to feel nostalgic, instead it will feel like something we need to get over in order to move on," the therapist said.

#11

Gather Round, Children, While I Tell You Of Bath Beads

Gather Round, Children, While I Tell You Of Bath Beads

reddit.com Report

#12

Burning The Sickest Cds In The Neighborhood

Burning The Sickest Cds In The Neighborhood

reddit.com Report

"Nostalgia can also be a good coping strategy for times of low mood and challenges," she detailed. However, she warned that nostalgia is only useful to a certain extent. The moment it starts interfering with our ability to be present in our everyday lives is the moment that we should start to be worried.

“If we end up comparing it to our experiences today and feeling like nothing is as good as it was, then this will inevitably affect our mood and our ability to do what we need to do," Omijeh said. “We can become stuck in our nostalgia; in which case it might be best to seek help from a counseling professional to help you process your past in order to enjoy your present,” the therapist explained. In short, it’s fine if you feel nostalgic for the 90s and 2000s, but remember to enjoy 2021, too!

ADVERTISEMENT
#14

Sure Grandma

Sure Grandma

Report

Add photo comments
POST
wehf100 avatar
Wilf
Community Member
3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

You kids! I used to have one of those fake cassettes with a headphone wire... to play my Sony Discman...

View More Replies...
View more commentsArrow down menu
#15

Fridays At Blockbuster

Fridays At Blockbuster

reddit.com Report

Add photo comments
POST
az_4 avatar
Az
Community Member
3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Remember driving around to all the video shops in town to find the movie you wanted to watch?

View More Replies...
View more commentsArrow down menu

Earlier, Bored Panda also spoke about the changes in technologies and trends over the past few decades with Ramona Pringle, who is the Director of the Creative Innovation Studio and Associate Professor at the RTA School of Media at Ryerson University.

According to her, even if we know what trends occurred in the past, we can’t say for certain what the future will hold. “We don’t know what the future holds, and anyone who says that they do is selling snake oil. But, there are certain things we can count on: we love stories, and we love to be part of something biggest than ourselves. Be it oral storytelling, books, blogs, movies, or video games, we’ve never lost our love of narrative.”

Entertainment and connectivity, then, will continue being a vital part of our history as human beings as we move boldly (or trembling slightly from excitement and anxiety) into the future. “Equally true, even when we can’t go into a concert hall or colosseum, we look for ways to be together, connected, and part of a communal experience. The tech might change, but these will continue to be the drivers of our entertainment experiences,” Pringle said.

ADVERTISEMENT
#17

Lol

Lol

BossyLossy Report

Add photo comments
POST
dariab_1 avatar
Daria B
Community Member
3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Remember when you had to play Final Fantasy in 3 or 4 separate CDs? ♡

View More Replies...
View more commentsArrow down menu
#18

It Really Was

It Really Was

reddit.com Report

Add photo comments
POST
james_fox1984 avatar
Foxxy (The Original)
Community Member
3 years ago (edited) DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

And do you think I can remember how to fold them like that? I used to start all my letters with Hey Chicky or Hey Chicka dee and end with Catch ya round like a fruit loop.

View More Replies...
View more commentsArrow down menu

Pringle explained to Bored Panda that over the next decade, entertainment tech will change and improve, focusing even more on immersion and interactivity. 

“For the last decade, we’ve leaned into virtual reality because of how it enables both of these. We can step inside a world and have influence over it, and the story or experience that unfolds,” she said. “I think one of the things we can expect moving forward is, in a sense, the opposite of virtual reality. Instead, more of an enhanced reality or fictional reality, wherein the entertainment isn’t in a headset, but instead, all around us.”

#20

How Many Of Us 90s Kids Destroyed Our Family Computer With Viruses For Free Music?

How Many Of Us 90s Kids Destroyed Our Family Computer With Viruses For Free Music?

9 days ago Report

Add photo comments
POST
willowquinn avatar
Willow Quinn
Community Member
3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Your youth is showing. Many of us will never forget the original. RIP Napster

View More Replies...
View more commentsArrow down menu
ADVERTISEMENT

The changes to tech have been massive, but we’ve absorbed them so well (some of us, anyway) that we sometimes don’t even notice them anymore.

“A decade ago, we didn’t talk to robots. Today, many of us do,” Pringle detailed. “Siri and Alexa are some of the more common bots, but we already interface with non-human characters regularly. As technology advances, including augmented reality and mixed reality, I think we can expect that entertainment will be something we can engage with off of the screen, but out in the world, with characters and stories we can engage with throughout the day, or throughout our houses.”

#23

Who Remembers These?

Who Remembers These?

reddit.com Report

The rise of e-sports is one clue that the ways that people engage one another change in unexpected and often surprising ways. “Whoever would have thought that people would pay money to watch other people play games? Media that engages us and gives us something to gather around, be it together, or virtually, is something that will always appeal to us.”

#26

The Early 2000s

The Early 2000s

notlaurenbernal Report

Add photo comments
POST
loa-aloha0118 avatar
Loa Mun
Community Member
3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I believe this trend had a big come back last year or so

View more commentsArrow down menu

Pringle made some more predictions about the near future: “I think we can expect to see the ebb and flow of experiences that bring people together offline and then on screen, or online, as well. In the last few years, we’ve seen the rise of interactive and immersive venues like the museum of ice cream or the Dr. Seuss experience,”

#29

TV Guides

TV Guides

reddit.com Report

Add photo comments
POST
james_fox1984 avatar
Foxxy (The Original)
Community Member
3 years ago (edited) DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

My Nanna still gets the TV guide from the Sunday newspaper and goes through it marking all the shows she wants to watch or record.

View More Replies...
View more commentsArrow down menu

She continued: “These are places we can go, with friends and family, and have a shared experience. It feeds back into our online experiences because we can share photos or memories and these environments are designed to foster that. Certainly, as we find ourselves in a time of social distancing, we’re seeing new creative ways of “being together” even when we’re apart. So I think we can expect to see entertainment that helps us connect, be it online or off, and immerses us in an experience, story, or community.”

See Also on Bored Panda
#33

Getting Blisters

Getting Blisters

Report

Add photo comments
POST
khairunisaasyikinnoordin avatar
nanashi
Community Member
3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

glad my mom never bought me these even after several times asking, or I'd too experience the blisters

View More Replies...
View more commentsArrow down menu
#34

The Memories

The Memories

reddit.com Report

Add photo comments
POST
rebeccamcchesney avatar
Randomcthulu
Community Member
3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I really miss this, got more free pizza from Bookit buttons, and their salad/pizza bars were great

tuesdaytalks avatar
Michael Taylor
Community Member
3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

All the green around the salad bar? Kale. No one ate it, it was for visuals only.

moconnell avatar
M O'Connell
Community Member
3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

That persisted into the 2000s. I was in college and met a foreign student who was super confused as to why nobody was eating it (in 2006 or 2007).

Load More Replies...
lesburleson avatar
Leslie Burleson
Community Member
3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Omg , with those like neon red plasticy "bacon bits" from the salad bar

sweetangelce04 avatar
sweetangelce04 avatar
CatWoman312
Community Member
3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Morocco, my husbands country, has Pizza Hut and they’re actually a decent restaurant. They have these pepperoni rolls that’s are absolutely amazing. I don’t know why America had to kill all the taste of things with all their preservatives

Load More Replies...
amandapeterson avatar
PinkWoot08
Community Member
3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Will never forget my free personal pizza from the book club, best.

kaliniemann avatar
Anxiety
Community Member
3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Not even that old but I remember this from a field trip 8 years ago

thomasesthomas avatar
Thomas E S Thomas
Community Member
3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Read five books, wrote a report about each one, got the stickers, free pizza.

d-x-a-gokke avatar
EQXL
Community Member
3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Don't think we had these those. Hell besides a very few scattered McD and BK none of those American food chains. Good times

bren_ren avatar
Bren RenHair
Community Member
3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Regular price, four bucks, four bucks, not for a million bucks, four bucks

cassiewilliams avatar
Cassie
Community Member
3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I worked at Pizza Hut when it looked like that. I was the only one who would do the salad bar properly by cleaning the tubs and not leaving old food in the bottom of them at my store. I'm surprised we never started an outbreak. Also, the Bigfoot Pizza was a stupid disaster.

garretteterrebonne avatar
Garrette Terrebonne
Community Member
3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

My pizza hut looks like this still. It even has 2 pacman arcade machines with galaga and dinkey kong on them too!

averysalberico avatar
Avery S Alberico
Community Member
3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Fuddruckers still has the center thing in it. Mrs. Pac Man is still relevant

y_themptander avatar
YoyoSthlm
Community Member
3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

There was a PH we used to go to with my parents and my friend. They had a jukebox there. Me and the friend played Salt n' Peppas "Let's talk about sex" over and over. Nothing weird about that.

View More Replies...
View more commentsArrow down menu
#35

Putting Bike Beads On Your Bike

Putting Bike Beads On Your Bike

reddit.com Report

#36

A Late 90s Classroom

A Late 90s Classroom

reddit.com Report

Add photo comments
POST
norahoramora avatar
Nora
Community Member
3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

And I'm so ancient over here, we just had pencils and paper. Hey, remember pencil sharpeners? Those were great. Ah.. the good ole days

View More Replies...
View more commentsArrow down menu
#37

Where’s The Remote?

Where’s The Remote?

reddit.com Report

Add photo comments
POST
charlie-leeves avatar
IronEagle
Community Member
3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Never grew out of that - still search the house for AA's for my xbox controller because I'm to old school to get 'play and charge' kits... No TV remote batteries are safe in this house.

View More Replies...
View more commentsArrow down menu
#40

I'm So Glad...

I'm So Glad...

whinecheezits Report

Add photo comments
POST
juliajuhas avatar
JuJu
Community Member
3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I have a big box full of photos and photographic negatives... I was the only one with a really good flash on her camera - I could blackmail them all *evil laughter*

View more commentsArrow down menu
#41

Low Rise Jeans

Low Rise Jeans

ColleenB123 Report

Add photo comments
POST
isabella avatar
Isabella
Community Member
3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I love low and mediul rise jeans and hate the high waisted ones ! I am that old! :))))

View More Replies...
View more commentsArrow down menu
See Also on Bored Panda
#42

This Was The Life

This Was The Life

reddit.com Report

Add photo comments
POST
jameskramer avatar
James016
Community Member
3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Daytime Tv for the win. When I was 13 I got very sick and was off school for half a term, about 2 months. All I could do was watch daytime tv. Thankfully MTV was still good back then

View more commentsArrow down menu
#44

Crackin' Open A New Laser Pointer With All Those Attachments

Crackin' Open A New Laser Pointer With All Those Attachments

reddit.com Report

#47

If You Were Raise In The 90s

If You Were Raise In The 90s

Report

Add photo comments
POST
momincombatboots03 avatar
Madre_Dr4gnZFly
Community Member
3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Dial up internet...every department store had racks full of AOL discs. ("You've got mail!")

View More Replies...
View more commentsArrow down menu
#49

Take Your Vitamins

Take Your Vitamins

Report

#50

Is It Haunted?

Is It Haunted?

OrdinaryAlso Report

Add photo comments
POST
homerchyppa avatar
Chyppa Homer
Community Member
3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I was always wondering, where the hell are the spirits from the recently deceased ? How come, no ghost ever moans :"What's the wi-fi pass ?" :D

View More Replies...
View more commentsArrow down menu

Note: this post originally had 56 images. It’s been shortened to the top 50 images based on user votes.