Since I haven't had the luck to be born and to grow up in The United States of America, or any other Western country, but rather an occupation-torn post-Soviet state that has just regained its freedom, I've never actually seen or touched half of the things on this list. And, yet, looking at all these Poo-chi dogs, Polly Pockets, and things like phone charms, I feel a massive wave of 2000s nostalgia!
That's probably because we, as kids, were glued to our screens whenever they showed something like Dawson's Creek or even Hannah Montana, absorbing not only how the characters looked and talked but also the things they had. It was almost like having them yourself! Though speaking of the nostalgic series we used to get during the early 2000s, we'd more often get something as old as The Little House On The Prairie or Doctor Quinn rather than the newest episode of, say, Phineas & Ferb.
Nevertheless, I can definitely feel the importance and the impact of the decade on our lives and the early 2000s nostalgia we all collectively feel. Things were changing ever so quickly. Straight from oblivion, we went to the Western civilization and its pop culture with half-naked ladies, boy bands, electronic toys, TV series, and even portable phones (those definitely came out of some witch's brew)! Also, the sense of liberation - both literal freedom regained by my homeland and the one given to us by the ever-expanding World Wide Web - was just overwhelming. So many new cultural experiences and opportunities were never present. Starting, of course, with 2000s nostalgia toys and ending with poking someone on Facebook, this decade was moving into the future at a breakneck pace.
But, without any more of my essayistic babble, let's dive a few decades back and reminisce on the things that we all loved dearly when growing up. From Tamagotchis to pencils with cartridges, and from the old Cartoon Network to flare jeans, you'll find many things that'll remind you of your careless youth. So, share these things from your childhood early 2000s nostalgia list with someone susceptible to the same kind of feelings that you are, and tell us which of these items, pop stars, or games you miss the most!
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Remember Watching The Pipes Screensaver?
Screensavers are for entertainment, like the kaleidoscope watchface, change my mind
Burning The Sickest CDs In The Neighborhood
Τapes were even better! Especially when we recorded the songs from the radio!
Flipping Through These As A Kid Trying To Find Your Favourite Bands Poster
Before there were the 2000s, the '90s Paved the Way for Iconic Toys
To find out more about where this 2000s nostalgia is all coming from and what games from our early days we have long forgotten, we reached out to Qudsia Shakeel, the content manager at Moonpig, who recently found out the most iconic gifts of the last 50 years.
It turns out that just before the early 2000s, it was the golden age for toys we consider iconic today. “The '90s were an especially iconic time for toys. Technological advancements presented new opportunities for toys to be much more interactive, making for a truly exciting time for the toy industry,” Qudsia told us. Moreover, she added that “there is a great sense of nostalgia brought back by these toys, the Gameboy and Furbies are seen to be true icons of the decade.”
"The 2000s saw no slowing down in the momentum of great toy production. Those who grew up in the naughties would remember some of the true gems of the era, including the Teksta Robotic Puppy and Beyblades. Not to mention the infamous Tamagochi, which saw children across the world cherishing their very own virtual pet," Qudsia commented. According to her, a combination of new technology and quirky crazes made the early 2000s a standout time for toys.
The Magic That Was The Scholastic Book Fair
When I Was 9 Years Old My Dad Was Deployed To Baghdad, Iraq. I Gave Him These Yu-Gi-Oh Cards To Keep Him Safe. They've Been In His Wallet For 12 Years
The Smell Of Opening A Brand New Can Of Play Doh
Why are the 2000s so Nostalgic?
Early 2000s was the time of our childhoods, and if you were to ask anybody how they feel about their childhoods, the answer would always be the same - nostalgic! Yes, it's as simple as that. Now, Moonpig, a brand that specializes in gifts, has seen a huge surge in interest in 2000s nostalgia aesthetic and nostalgic gifts lately. “We are unsurprised to see a number of Gameboy cards and retro gifts being purchased today,” Qudsia said. And that’s mostly because we, Millennials, are exactly the age of starting to feel nostalgic about the good ole days and want something to remember the times by.
These TV Carts Always Meant Class Was Going To Be Fun When The Teacher Rolled One In
I Found An Old Pic Of Me Playing Computer Games. As It Turns Out I Haven't Changed Very Much
Pencils With Cartridges
What were the most Wanted Toys in the 2000s?
So, which 2000s nostalgia toys are we talking about, exactly? Well, you probably remember Furby, a chatty furry ball that became a must-have for children all over the world. In 1998, Furby released its first model consisting of 48 colors and 22 special editions. The same year, a whopping 1.8 million Furbies were sold, and the toy was translated into 24 different languages.
Furby paved the way for other robotic toys of the 2000s that became incredibly popular. Like, the famous Teksta the Robotic Puppy. This little doggo started a huge craze in the early 2000s when kids realized they could literally fulfill their dream of having a pet, minus all the hassle. Parents were also excited with the idea, so over 7 million robotic puppies were sold in the first year. As a result, the Robotic Puppy became one of the most popular birthday gifts of the new century.
Tamagotchi, a virtual pet, is basically a symbol of the 2000s nostalgia. After its launch in 2005, children would carry it everywhere they went, attaching it to their belts and backpacks, in order to be always ready to take care of their pet whenever it needed them. Feeding, training, and playing were part of the journey of raising a Tamagotchi, but in turn, it would grow and… not much else! Yet, many millennials still remember it with great nostalgia.
If you want to delve on the past for a little while longer, check out further submissions on our list. Besides serving well for a walk down memory lane, all of these items are a great inspiration for a nostalgia 2000s-themed party if you were planning on staging one!
Only Fidget Spinner I Ever Owned
These Are The Streets I Grew Up On
The Ge Alarm Clock That Everyone Seemed To Have
The Old Cartoon Network
Remember When You Didn’t Have To Enter Your Personal Info Online To Win A Soda?
When I was in high school I got Sprit free all summer because I realized if you flip the bottle over you could read the cap inside and it wound either say win free Sprite or Play Again. Not the best choice of promotion on a clear soda. 😊
Can We Please Bring Back The Holes To Put Phone Charms On Our Phones?
Wooden Playgrounds
Windows Pinball
Found An Old Polly Pocket While Cleaning My Mom’s Basement
Who Remembers This Ice Cream From School?
When You Wore Flare Jeans And It Rained
Starving Your Calculator To Death
The Family Computer
Surreal Moment Today. I Went To Oaks, PA Too Many Video Games Expo. Found My Gameboy From Early 2000’s
LimeWire
I Know I'm 31 And All, But I Still Get Excited About Scholastic Book Club Order Forms
Today A 70th Years Old Ma'am Gave Me Her Nokia 3310 To Change The Battery. I Couldn't Resist
Msn Messenger! Playing With Emojis Over A Decade Before It Was Cool
Friendship Bracelets - I Used To Love Making These
Linkin Park
Did Anyone Else Have A Stage In The Cafeteria Of Their School?
Jelly Shoes
The Sims
Motorola Razr V3xx
My 20 Year Old Toy Phone And My Daughters Brand New One! Both Fisher Price
Knee-Length Rainbow Toe Socks
My Girlfriend Got Me The Evangelion Tamagotchi For My Birthday And I'm So Excited To See Which Angel I Get First
Girlfriend Made Me The Chatterbox From The Opening Sequence For Our Anniversary
The Last Blockbuster Was A Five Minute Walk From The Motel I Was Staying At
You Guys Remember Boondoggle? Anyone Know Any Other Cool Stitches?
I Restored My 16 Year Old iPod Nano
Farm Ville
I remember my sister in law making me log in and tend her farm while she was on her honeymoon.
Me And My Best Friend In 1999/2000 Working On Our Donkey Kong/Banjo Kazooie Fan Website Titled "The Dk/Bk Jungle"
These Cereal Bowls I Used To Eat Out Of As A Kid
Plastic Tube With Water And Plastic Fish Inside It, If You Try To Squeeze It It Just Rolls Itself
Found My Old Nintendo DS And Nintendogs And I’ve Been Screaming At The Fake Dog To Sit For 15 Min
20+ Years Of Lip Balm Pans. Who Remembers Lip Smackers And Lip Lix?
I was so excited to get my daughter the same soda flavored lip smackers that I had as a kid! Had no idea they were still around!
Eminem
Cereal Straws
I Know You All Remember The Spacemaker Pencil Box
When I went to school, my pencil box was made of stone and contained only chisels. My trip to school was uphill both ways with waist deep snow even in summer. I had to carry my Atlatl to scare away saber tooth tigers.
Torture Device Known As The Sit And Reach Test
It’s immense pain in your everywhere, that’s what it is
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Lol that's what I thought looking at this! Could never do a pull up or get off the ground for the rope climb... But damn if I couldn't sit and reach!
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Stretch 30 minutes every day or regularly practice yoga and you'll forward fall beyond the soles of your feet in no time. 🥰
Did these in Phys Ed when I was in elementary school. Hurts EVERYTHING.
They had this out the same day as the weigh in, where all the kids gathered around to see how much everyone weighed, and laughed, placed bets, it was horrid.
Wait so how did this hurt? You just reach like you are bending down to touch your toes. You bend as far as you can for less than a minute. I actually have no idea how this causes pain. You guys have a lot of back problems back in grade school?
Anyone with tight leg and bum muscles will tell you how much this sucked!
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Ah, I did this just a couple weeks ago. My friend made it to the max on ours, crazy.
Wait you were allowed to touch an elevated box? In the late 8os/early nineties it was taped on the floor in front of your feet (which were snug in your gym shoes). Teacher or peer held your knees flat. If you couldn't get at least 3" passed your toes to touch the tape on the floor, you failed. I never could pass, but this looks doable. Heck, she's barely at her toes.
Ok good im not the only one who had to do this. The presidential tests were the worst. You had to run, do push-ups, situps, and this. The worst thing ever!
All that and shuttle run, abd invisible chair and timed mile run
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i always scared ppl with this bc wen i was a kid i could basically fold myself in half so my distance was always the highest
These were part of the Presidential Fitness Test we took in school when I was younger.
Oh dear God you’ve brought back memories I never needed to remember in the first place
In the UK we had to annual fitness tests with a 10m jog, stretch test, and then the beep test.
Every year we did this I couldn't even reach the box (because of really tight hamstrings,) and my p.e. teacher would always yell at me for "not trying hard enough."
I had never seen this thing before but I know that it would probably suck for me having a short torso and long legs.
Didn’t have this one in the 80s, I wonder if it was added or if it replaced something else. I never won that patch I was a tall skinny thing with no upper body strength but I could bend!
what is this? I could score some serious points on this fitness test!!
This was part of my fitness gram pacer test, don’t ever want to do it again lol
So unfair.. my arms are short... My friends all had longer arms . They could reach the box... I had to fold in two
i broke the middle school record for sit n reach. :) out of all the PE tests, this was my favorite bc of how easy it is.
WTF, who had ones with built-in measuring!? My poor-ass school just had a box with a paper ruler taped on! You had to hold your stretch and suffer while the teacher tried to read it, and if your knee bent, he made you start over!
I'm actually envious of the box. We had to touch the floor. I knew something wasn't right!
Load More Replies... Wow, they have in built measuring now? When I was a kid, you just had to hold your reach and suffer while the PE teacher took his time measuring.
Presidential Fitness Test, ugh. Sit ups, arm hang, "crossover steps" and running. Then military pfts, arm hang, sit ups, running. Now, pt. Step ups, bridges, pedalling!
We would try to cheat by snapping our bodies forward. Lots of strain we put on ourselves.
I hated that. The whole Physical Fitness Test. I wasn't athletic as a kid because I have bad coordination and get overstimulated easily, so this whole test was adults telling me I was terrible and awful.
my old school evolved it was a octagon shape so that it would go faster
Apparently these were hard for some people? I never understood that- the only think stopping my reach was my stomach and thighs meeting, so I guess I was just weird
Note: this post originally had 115 images. It’s been shortened to the top 50 images based on user votes.
Maybe just " Things millenials feel nostalgic about" would be a better title. Plenty of things on this list are just as common now as they were 20 years ago, they are just kid things, playdoh, school cafeterias, the road rug, scholastic books ect.
My thoughts exactly. Just about everything that was not electronics are things my kids love.
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I know other countries tend to get popular American trends and items a few or ten or more years after we do in the US, but I'm Gen X, and some of these came out in the 80's, 70's, even the 60's! Definitely not things that only Millenials are nostalgic for!
Most of these things are prior to the 2000s. Several were obsolete before 2001. (I will fight to the death that a decade starts at 1 since there was no year zero).
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What about those rings that you put around your ankle and they’d spin and you’d jump over the ball? I have no idea what they were called, but I remember them
We did have a lot of really dangerous stuff... do you remember Clackers? Those things could kill you.
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Several of these things are not from the 2000's. Nostalgic? Yes, but some are from decades earlier than the post claims them to be.
Several? I think it's around 90 % that I definitely remember from the 90s or even 80s
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I basically make about $6,000-$8,000 a month online. It’s enough to comfortably replace my old jobs income, especially considering I only work about 10-13 hours a week from home. I was amazed how easy it was after I tried it….. ===))> 𝐖𝐰𝐰.𝐅𝐮𝐥𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐤.𝐂𝐨𝐦
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You know you are old when other people's (younger people's) nostalgia feels like "new" stuff.
Even worse, I didn't even recognize half of these things, because I was never into video games; they didn't launch until well after I reached adulthood. I feel positively decrepit.
Load More Replies... I mean, apart from the technology, all of this was around long, LONG before the 2000s. Come on. LOL!!!
If we're all in Europe why not make one of the things we all remember from here, including the op's country? I'd like to know their memories too.
i loved book fairs! from kindergarten-5th grade i would buy a poster and hang it up on my wall, i still have all 6.
Most of these items were long before the 2000s. Many are still even available today.
i remembe scoubidous and all my friends had them on their pencil case, schoolbag. I had one green and orang color
No chatter rings? The crazily overpriced toy fad of a steel ring with 5 brass nuts on it? You had to keep them spinning and you could do tricks. Weird fad
Whoever put this together did so in a sloppy manner lacking any research. About HALF of these were not iconic to the 2000s.
So, I'm guessing that Bored Panda are assuming that no one over the age of 25 reads their page and call them on their BS. 2000 my a**e on several of these.
i was born in 2007 and im fourteen now but i remember most of these. these aren't purely millenial things... im gen z
The Office. What's that? It's still relavent? Sure, but the first episode aired in 2005, before YouTube existed, before anyone ever heard of sparkly vampires, and before Anakin had become Darth Vader.
Wrong...YouTube launched 2/14/05 Stephanie Meyers published Twilight (it was a book before the movies) also in 2005 and star wars is much older 1977 is when it aired but the original screenplay was written in 1976 (the adventures of Luke Skywalker was the original name)
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My god I hate these posts of people thinking that something is only nostalgic for their generation. I see the same thing for "90s kids" posts as well. Just because something existed when you were a kid doesn't mean it didn't exist for kids before and after you. Stop thinking reality revolves around you.
The “Oh My Gosh! Go Away!” Smile Cursors on Window that you can download with different type XD . FunnyFlashGame.Com ahaha #97baby
Well, this was a wonderful walk down memory lane! So thank you for that! :D And the fact that it seems SO MANY of the things I enjoyed when I was a kid are still being sold and enjoyed today warms my heart :)
Why are so many people completely unable to see past their own nose when there is almost no end to the information out there? I wasn't born is no excuse. People use to know about things before their time. Now that you could actually look it up, why do you insist that everything was yours and yours alone? It came from nowhere and disappeared the second you stopped looking. When did adults lose object permanence?
kerbamgers (yet another torture device) and the Johnny Bench Batter up. Never saw the warning for a wiffleball bag. I took a wooden Louisville slugger to the face. Badly broken nose, fix cheek. I was in the third grade and the girl who took the swing? She sat directly behind me.
Those of us who work in schools continue to see many of these on the daily. This is not a great title.
Mid-century nostalgia is what I feel the most. I remember but never hear any more the sounds of old mechanical things like adding machines, cash registers, typewriters, gas pumps, sewing machines, engines with carburetors, steam locomotives, propellor airplanes, police car sirens, and so on. So much has changed in the past 120 plus years.
My little brother used to use a box fan and make his action figures climb up it. You could tell how the battle was going by where Spiderman, the Hulk, Superman and all the others were positioned on the fan.
Moved on since then? More like moved backwards since then... My childhood was about 10 years ago, and I don't remember people being as stupid as you see in the media now
Maybe just " Things millenials feel nostalgic about" would be a better title. Plenty of things on this list are just as common now as they were 20 years ago, they are just kid things, playdoh, school cafeterias, the road rug, scholastic books ect.
My thoughts exactly. Just about everything that was not electronics are things my kids love.
Load More Replies... I know other countries tend to get popular American trends and items a few or ten or more years after we do in the US, but I'm Gen X, and some of these came out in the 80's, 70's, even the 60's! Definitely not things that only Millenials are nostalgic for!
Most of these things are prior to the 2000s. Several were obsolete before 2001. (I will fight to the death that a decade starts at 1 since there was no year zero).
Load More Replies... What about those rings that you put around your ankle and they’d spin and you’d jump over the ball? I have no idea what they were called, but I remember them
We did have a lot of really dangerous stuff... do you remember Clackers? Those things could kill you.
Load More Replies... Several of these things are not from the 2000's. Nostalgic? Yes, but some are from decades earlier than the post claims them to be.
Several? I think it's around 90 % that I definitely remember from the 90s or even 80s
Load More Replies... I basically make about $6,000-$8,000 a month online. It’s enough to comfortably replace my old jobs income, especially considering I only work about 10-13 hours a week from home. I was amazed how easy it was after I tried it….. ===))> 𝐖𝐰𝐰.𝐅𝐮𝐥𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐤.𝐂𝐨𝐦
Load More Replies... You know you are old when other people's (younger people's) nostalgia feels like "new" stuff.
Even worse, I didn't even recognize half of these things, because I was never into video games; they didn't launch until well after I reached adulthood. I feel positively decrepit.
Load More Replies... I mean, apart from the technology, all of this was around long, LONG before the 2000s. Come on. LOL!!!
If we're all in Europe why not make one of the things we all remember from here, including the op's country? I'd like to know their memories too.
i loved book fairs! from kindergarten-5th grade i would buy a poster and hang it up on my wall, i still have all 6.
Most of these items were long before the 2000s. Many are still even available today.
i remembe scoubidous and all my friends had them on their pencil case, schoolbag. I had one green and orang color
No chatter rings? The crazily overpriced toy fad of a steel ring with 5 brass nuts on it? You had to keep them spinning and you could do tricks. Weird fad
Whoever put this together did so in a sloppy manner lacking any research. About HALF of these were not iconic to the 2000s.
So, I'm guessing that Bored Panda are assuming that no one over the age of 25 reads their page and call them on their BS. 2000 my a**e on several of these.
i was born in 2007 and im fourteen now but i remember most of these. these aren't purely millenial things... im gen z
The Office. What's that? It's still relavent? Sure, but the first episode aired in 2005, before YouTube existed, before anyone ever heard of sparkly vampires, and before Anakin had become Darth Vader.
Wrong...YouTube launched 2/14/05 Stephanie Meyers published Twilight (it was a book before the movies) also in 2005 and star wars is much older 1977 is when it aired but the original screenplay was written in 1976 (the adventures of Luke Skywalker was the original name)
Load More Replies... My god I hate these posts of people thinking that something is only nostalgic for their generation. I see the same thing for "90s kids" posts as well. Just because something existed when you were a kid doesn't mean it didn't exist for kids before and after you. Stop thinking reality revolves around you.
The “Oh My Gosh! Go Away!” Smile Cursors on Window that you can download with different type XD . FunnyFlashGame.Com ahaha #97baby
Well, this was a wonderful walk down memory lane! So thank you for that! :D And the fact that it seems SO MANY of the things I enjoyed when I was a kid are still being sold and enjoyed today warms my heart :)
Why are so many people completely unable to see past their own nose when there is almost no end to the information out there? I wasn't born is no excuse. People use to know about things before their time. Now that you could actually look it up, why do you insist that everything was yours and yours alone? It came from nowhere and disappeared the second you stopped looking. When did adults lose object permanence?
kerbamgers (yet another torture device) and the Johnny Bench Batter up. Never saw the warning for a wiffleball bag. I took a wooden Louisville slugger to the face. Badly broken nose, fix cheek. I was in the third grade and the girl who took the swing? She sat directly behind me.
Those of us who work in schools continue to see many of these on the daily. This is not a great title.
Mid-century nostalgia is what I feel the most. I remember but never hear any more the sounds of old mechanical things like adding machines, cash registers, typewriters, gas pumps, sewing machines, engines with carburetors, steam locomotives, propellor airplanes, police car sirens, and so on. So much has changed in the past 120 plus years.
My little brother used to use a box fan and make his action figures climb up it. You could tell how the battle was going by where Spiderman, the Hulk, Superman and all the others were positioned on the fan.
Moved on since then? More like moved backwards since then... My childhood was about 10 years ago, and I don't remember people being as stupid as you see in the media now
