As a fellow millennial growing up, don’t tell me you didn’t have one of those plastic stretchy chokers, or that fascinatingly odd toy called a yo-yo. At some point in our childhood, these were among the must-haves but have since vanished without a trace.
Many trends, tendencies and crazes (fancy participating in a flashmob, anyone?!) that were getting all the buzz at one point seem to have had an expiry date.
“What was a huge trend everyone forgot about?” someone asked on Reddit, and the thread soon turned into a walk down memory lane merged with a healthy dose of cringe.
This post may include affiliate links.
If you are old enough, you can't beat mood rings.
You can't tell me that as an adult anytime you run into mood rings in a shop you don't put it on to see your mood
Whazaaaaaaaaaaaap
sane-ish replied:
One of my aunts still does this. We don't talk.
Manners!
“There is not really a golden rule to recognize whether something is a trend or a fad,” Lina Survila, the founder of Abstract Stylist magazine and creator of metaverse news newsletter The Wearables Daily, told Bored Panda.
It really depends on the context and every trend. But when talking about fashion, the industry which is largely ruled by tendencies that change every season, many unexpected things happen, Lina argues.
“I think about trends and fads in fashion the same way I think about art - the truth will shine after a long time when we will be able to realize if this thing is really something that will stay within our generation.”
Those plastic stretchy chokers that also doubled as bracelets.
Macarena.
This dance works for ANY SONG once you know... You can never unknow it.
Fun ringtones.
Yeah, all gone. Not only does everybody have their phone on vibrate, but nobody calls any more. Who wants to talk through a voice call? My parents who are in their 60s that's about it for me.
Today, many trends are inevitably influenced by the advancement of technology. From AI to Metaverse and Web3, the way we experience the world around us is rapidly changing. And so are art and fashion. Virtual try-ons, video games, metaverse fashion shows, and NFTs paved the way for a new concept of digital fashion, and experts say there’s no telling what will come next.
For many fleeting trends, the biggest challenge is to remain relevant. The only way to do so is to hold or raise its value for years to come. But how could we know that? Lina says she takes into account a few things before making her decision about a purchase.
“First, it's the people who made it, because people always bring the biggest value. Just think about it, H&M is not a collectible brand, but once they collaborate with a famous designer, it's another story, and those items sell at a higher price than the original sale.”
Farmville.
Sea-Kitchen3779 replied:
People would get real sh**ty when you told them you didn't play and couldn't trade strawberries or some s**t.
Yo-yo's had a big resurgence when I was a kid in the 90s. They were all the rage for like half of one school year, and then they just kind of vanished. It was fun playing with them with my dad for a while, and i did learn a few tricks.
We had some yo-yo wielding man/boy come to our elementary school showing us his yo-yo tricks with all his different types and tricks and later they sold the yo-yos to students at school for a week or two?
I feel like we, as a society, have collectively decided to just pretend like JNCO pants never existed.
Another important aspect is timing. “Is this thing a copy or something I have never seen in the space? For example, even though IKEA is full of functional minimalistic style designs, Dieter Rams' designs will always sell at a higher price. They will be valuable in time because he was a pioneer in space,” Lina explained.
And the third aspect to think about when making an investment is the item’s technology availability. “Is this built on something that will change fashion or any industry forever?”
Lina gave an example of Prada's iconic nylon bags. “Those were one of the first nylon bags on the market at a time when nylon was huge news in fashion. Nobody used nylon before in that way. I understand cryptocurrencies the same.” The creator of the metaverse newsletter draws a parallel between Ethereum technology and nylon material, saying “it’s new and exciting, and available for others to build off.”
My mom lived in the 80’s as a young adult and according to her it’s 100% aerobics. Worldwide. So huge in fact that you can’t pretty much escape it as it was EVERYWHERE. TVs, electrical appliances and outfits, movies, songs, competitions, HECK a lot of corporate workplace including my mom’s even had a dedicated aerobics routine.
And you’d think gym culture today is already wack enough…..
Let's get physical, physical. Let me hear your body talk, your body talk
Super thin eyebrows and jeans that defy the concept of a pubic line
Yeahhhhh my cousins did mine in the early 2000s and they have never grown back.. This is how you can spot a Millennial
Toe socks. Very uncomfortable but very fashionable in the 90’s
I still have a pair, and they're not uncomfortable (then again I wear those toe shoes too so make of that what you will)
Jelly shoes.
Wearing 2 different coloured pairs of socks at once, & rolling them down, so that the underneath sock colour showed.
Leg warmers.
SpunkyCrunky replied:
I’m the proud owner of several pairs of leg warmers and I wouldn’t give them up even after death. Those mfs are getting buried with me
I have chicken legs. Leg warmers were a great way to even out the width of my legs in minis
Pokémon go. I know some people still play. But it was huge when it first came out.
corobo replied:
Closest we ever got to world peace.
Wearing overalls with one strap unbuttoned like Fresh Prince
The fresh Prince was an entire vibe a way of being and a whole era of existence
Flash mobs.
SomeDinosaurs replied:
This is a shame. I always thought they were fun!
Apprehensive-Cow6194 replied
Good they’re so cringe.
They were fun! Who cares if it's "cringe" if you're having fun?
Shoulder pads.
The picture doesn’t do this horrible trend justice. Late 80’s was a bad time for women’s fashion.
Anyone else remember Koosh balls?
I feel like the trend of neon clothing and accessories was a huge one that everyone seems to have forgotten about.
Remember when everyone was rocking those neon green snapback hats and neon pink crop tops?
Good times.
I still have some neon pieces in my closet, I might have to bring them back.
Swatch watches, even wearing two at a time.
Swatch watches have recently made a strong comeback because of their Omega collaboration.
This might be a bit of a regional thing: Puka shell necklaces.
Furbies, tickle me elmo.
Everything they said Furbies could do they didn’t. They can talk to each other, they remember, they can file your taxes. All rubbish.
Kriss Kross and backwards pants, circa 1990.
Dee_Buttersnaps replied:
They performed on In Living Color and the next day half the boys in my fifth grade class came to school with their clothes on backwards.
Again, this was my time period but we were blissfully unaffected by this trend
The “challenges” like cinammon challenge, the ice bucket challenge, condom challenge, etc.
catchmeifyoucannon added:
Mannequin Challenge.
The ice bucket challenge raised an unbelievable amount of money that funded significant advances in ALS studies toward treatment. Please don't lump that one in.
Heelys.
wheresthecheat replied:
Ugh that was the best 3 weeks before my school banned them. We would have our friends pull us into jousting fights between classes… okay i guess i understand why they were banned but they were still fun as sh**t
If I had any courage I would wear heelies to school and glide around like a king but no I will not
Fidget spinners and the dab.
Spank-Those-Hams replied:
30 year old substitute teacher here. I dab sometimes when the kids say something dab worthy, which is either met with cringes or laughter. Either one gives me strength.
Fidget spinners, and fidgets of all kinds, are still very popular and are really good to help kids who need a bit of 'time out'.
The run on Beenie Babies.
They were buying them literally as an investment worth thousands of dollars... I literally saw them the other day being sold at Speedway
That odd period when everything was themed around a mustache.
mx3goose replied:
Girls who got the mustache tattoo on your pointer finger...how's life going?
Pacifier necklaces.
Not sure if this was a international trend though. Early-mid 1990s, small colourful plastic pacifiers that we would trade and exchange.
I wouldnt mind a comeback, they were rather cute.
If I remember correctly a certain Rave Drug caused teeth grinding.A pacifier was gnashed on instead.
Harlem Shake.
DeltaForce_Valentine replied:
I loved the Harlem Shake, it was wholesome. Also i feel like my life was happier during that era when it came out.
Omg!!! 🤣 How did I forget about this lmao it was hilerious and brought everyone together lmao
Spinning rims on cars. Those were BAD.
I went on a date with some guy who actually told me that I should put spinning rims on my car. I drove a 1969 fastback Mustang. That car was in mint condition and looked like it had just rolled off of the factory floor. The fact that he made that suggestion told me that he was not the right guy for me. That was our first and last date. 😄 I absolutely hated the spinning rims trend.
Beaded animals. Any other school have a craze where people made animals from beads and string? I remember having someone make me a lizard and hanging it from my backpack
My friend is learning to do that! They're making me a trans-coloured ring and it's really sweet. They're also thinking of making animals, but they aren't great at 3d yet
Tight-rolling your jeans.
Wait, people don’t do this still (looks down at pants nervously).
Rainbow loom, people even made clothes with it.
That's definitely still around. I have friends who have bracelets from that I think
Braiding your barrettes with ribbon and letting the ribbon hang down ala 1981.
Never been entirely sure what a barrette is. Is it just a hair clip? We don't use the word in Australia
When corporations were trying to make the best virtual assistants. Like clippy and bonzi buddy.
W.W.J.D.? (What would Jesus do?)
Waste_Coat_4506 replied:
My religious middle school friend would take of her wwjd bracelet off if she had something sinful to do, like cursing or lying to her parents. I'm not sure that's how it works but idk, I never read the Bible
3D tvs and curved computer display monitors.
They kept saying, "3D TV is the future!" They've been dead for a few years now.
Angry birds and cut the rope on a way too small phone screen.
That week everyone was obsessed with sea shantys for some reason
Certainly felt like longer than a week, but I'm not sure how long it was!
It's been a long time since I've seen Chuck Norris memes.
Neopets
Rapturence replied:
I accrued about 2 million Neopoints over a few years during its prime. Sunk so many hours into those 3-per-day games (especially the pterodactyl and bullseye games!). And I loved reading the stories/fanfics written by users, several of them became multi-entry sagas that spanned months. Came back a year ago to find my account hacked 😭
My sister began playing it again not that long ago, but only a few of the games were available, something to do with flash player.
Hoverboards. Every mall kiosk was selling them. Everyone was getting them for Christmas. People were selling them out the trunk. I’ve still never set foot on one. They were everywhere.
I sold a bunch of these. Had a supplier in China. ABS color injected plastic, solid rubber wheels, upgraded LG batteries. People were paying $1400, I sold mine for half that and made a killing. When the batteries started catching fire, not one of mine had an issue because I went quality over profit.
Palm pilots and other PDAs. Former Handspring Visor user here.
I don't think I could tell you the last time I saw UGG boots in person.
Y’all remember silly bandz? Those little animal shaped rubber bands? Those things took over my middle school. Ended up being treated like a controlled substance which only made them even more valuable. Then one day they just vanished.
I recall a Teen Mom episode where one of Janelle's bfs randomly got her silly bandz and she was all like "aww, yay" and that left me with the impression these are some worthless, cringe junk.
Vuvuzela’s. Man they were annoying!
I live in South Africa. They literally existed decades before the craze, they exit today, they will exist when Armageddon comes. Imagine hating something and you literally hear them every week, when people protest, when they have sport events, when they get married . . .
Clowns randomly showing up in places and freaking people out. I feel like it was just a few years ago.
It was in the summer/fall of 2016, the last sighting being on January 20th on the west front of the US Capitol.
Miami vice pastel jackets and brutini shoes. Don't forget about Michael Jackson jackets 2000% markup on those.
Wearing an arm full of (chunky or thin) rubber bracelets from different fandoms. So many girls did it as conversation starters,, I still cringe.
The cup song.
Wearing colorful knee high socks over you pants… middle school was a dark time.
Can we start bottle flipping again? You never miss something until it's gone...
No one remembers Yikes! pencils and pens? Those things were absolute status symbols when I was in elementary school.
I totally forgot about Yikes! pencils and pens! They absolutely were a status symbol in my school, along with No Fear binders. Those things were so expensive.
POW bracelets in the 1960s or 70s. I was a kid, I wore one. Don't know if he ever made it home.
POW bracelets were NOT a trend, they were a mission. They were to make people aware of the issue of how the Vietnamese were mistreating prisoners of war with torture and cruelty, against the Geneva Convention. They were to remind Americans that Vietnam had to be held accountable for what they were doing, and their government needed to fully reveal what happened to our prisoners of war and missing in action. The mission has not changed. The families are still waiting. Yes, I still wear a bracelet; I've been wearing one for over forty years.
Does anyone remember popcorn shirts? Those were a huge thing when I was in like 4th and 5th grade
Tiger Electronic games, nobody remembered them until the AVGN episode about it.
Baby on Board signs in car windows.
Dubstep.
Nollie_flip replied:
I feel personally attacked haha. Been a huge fan for 15 years and it's definitely here to stay at this point, it's just not in the mainstream as much anymore, which I actually prefer, because it's more like it was when I first became a fan.
Those sockem boppers. They are more fun then a pillow fight! But really as kids it would turn into an all out brawl and our parents would take them away. Because one kid would be bruised and crying.
The playlist feature on MySpace pages.
I miss My Space. At least I could personalize it…I learned HTML for it!!!
Kony 2012
For all the hype, he's still never been caught.
Those purses made out of old Kool-aid packets. Also the purses with the sequins all over them.
Filters on Instagram. It feels like all photos were sent through ‘Valencia’ in 2014
the really cool computer mouse you could get that had water or other things in it. Tried getting one and I can't seem to find it anywhere! Honestly there was a lot of cool technology like that back then.
Those little gooey alien things you could buy. Remember the rumour that if you put their heads together, they would breed......my father just used to throw em at the ceiling
I was so glad when they went out of style, they kept clogging up my big yellow Dyson😂
Load More Replies...
oh, i never knew what the brand was called! awesome lisa-frank...tarter.jpg 
Lots of people still use lanyards. Anyone who has to have their work ID on them all day for instance.
Load More Replies...
Oml my mom went to a Zumba class once a week at the rec center while my brother and I got to hang out at the climbing walls.
Load More Replies... My Scene and Bratz dolls. Back in the 80s people were raving about Strawberry Shortcake. I personally preferred and loved Cherry Merry Muffin.
does anyone remember those temporary tongue tattoos? i think they really messed up my tongue lol https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/1472/8118/products/Tung-Toos-Boy_grande.png?v=1589870547
I’m gonna go with the mcdonalds monopoly game being a much bigger deal.
Yes, we would go crazy to collect the pieces! And if you were lucky, you might make get a free drink or fry under the tag too!
Load More Replies...
Painter Jeans. These and corduroy pants were all I wore in the late 90's :x 41zyHRqygl...0ba782.jpg 
Windpants. Adidas shoes. Matching colored shirt with socks. Best combo circa 1995
This post reminded me of awesome times. Some things that were huge deals for many years. 40 Hour Famine this was a huge deal done by millions to raise money for Ethiopian kids. Record and Cassette "Singles" and some Music magazines used to include plastic thin singles in their mags so you got a 'free song' Walkmans were everything! Rollerblades Game & Watch games like the famous Donkey Kong but others like Octopus on the single screen were awesome.
I don’t know if everyone remembers this but high school musical used to be a big deal. I never got around to seeing the movie myself but merchandise from it was everywhere at my school.
Go Noodle anyone? Or is that still around? Also, did y'all have the ABC hit it song/chant, or was my school just really weird?
When it said "in the past," I didn't realize it meant my late son's past. I thought it meant really the past, like the things in my younger years. None of these things posted here mean a thing to me. Guess I'm getting old faster than I realized.
Co-Ed Naked t-shirts were HUGE at my HS in the mid 90’s. I tried to explain this to a younger friend of mine recently and was cracking up at how BAD they were yet we still got away with wearing them to school all the time?!?
Yo-yo balls. They were made of rubber and filled with liquid. They were all over my junior high, but got banned. Also I remember Razor scooters being a big deal
Are "Matchbox Cars" still a thing? I bought my first one last year because I was feeling nostalgic.
Democracy. It was really trending globally until the late 90s.
I like this comment! I don’t know who downvoted you but I gave you an upvote!
Load More Replies... 
Idk if this was just in my High School but in Senior Year this mobile game called FUN RUN was super big for like a month. Lol
The grumpy old man fad at least requires minimal investment.
Load More Replies...
I was so glad when they went out of style, they kept clogging up my big yellow Dyson😂
Load More Replies... oh, i never knew what the brand was called! awesome lisa-frank...tarter.jpg
Lots of people still use lanyards. Anyone who has to have their work ID on them all day for instance.
Load More Replies... Oml my mom went to a Zumba class once a week at the rec center while my brother and I got to hang out at the climbing walls.
Load More Replies... My Scene and Bratz dolls. Back in the 80s people were raving about Strawberry Shortcake. I personally preferred and loved Cherry Merry Muffin.
does anyone remember those temporary tongue tattoos? i think they really messed up my tongue lol https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/1472/8118/products/Tung-Toos-Boy_grande.png?v=1589870547
I’m gonna go with the mcdonalds monopoly game being a much bigger deal.
Yes, we would go crazy to collect the pieces! And if you were lucky, you might make get a free drink or fry under the tag too!
Load More Replies... Painter Jeans. These and corduroy pants were all I wore in the late 90's :x 41zyHRqygl...0ba782.jpg
Windpants. Adidas shoes. Matching colored shirt with socks. Best combo circa 1995
This post reminded me of awesome times. Some things that were huge deals for many years. 40 Hour Famine this was a huge deal done by millions to raise money for Ethiopian kids. Record and Cassette "Singles" and some Music magazines used to include plastic thin singles in their mags so you got a 'free song' Walkmans were everything! Rollerblades Game & Watch games like the famous Donkey Kong but others like Octopus on the single screen were awesome.
I don’t know if everyone remembers this but high school musical used to be a big deal. I never got around to seeing the movie myself but merchandise from it was everywhere at my school.
Go Noodle anyone? Or is that still around? Also, did y'all have the ABC hit it song/chant, or was my school just really weird?
When it said "in the past," I didn't realize it meant my late son's past. I thought it meant really the past, like the things in my younger years. None of these things posted here mean a thing to me. Guess I'm getting old faster than I realized.
Co-Ed Naked t-shirts were HUGE at my HS in the mid 90’s. I tried to explain this to a younger friend of mine recently and was cracking up at how BAD they were yet we still got away with wearing them to school all the time?!?
Yo-yo balls. They were made of rubber and filled with liquid. They were all over my junior high, but got banned. Also I remember Razor scooters being a big deal
Are "Matchbox Cars" still a thing? I bought my first one last year because I was feeling nostalgic.
Democracy. It was really trending globally until the late 90s.
I like this comment! I don’t know who downvoted you but I gave you an upvote!
Load More Replies... Idk if this was just in my High School but in Senior Year this mobile game called FUN RUN was super big for like a month. Lol
The grumpy old man fad at least requires minimal investment.
Load More Replies...