1. Saturday Morning Cartoons
There was nothing quite like waking up early on a Saturday, grabbing a bowl of sugary cereal, and plopping down in front of the TV for a few hours of animated bliss. Shows like Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, The Bugs Bunny and Tweety Show, and Recess ruled the morning airwaves. Networks like ABC, Fox Kids, and WB dedicated entire blocks to children’s programming, making it a weekly ritual for millions of kids. It gave structure to weekends and made the idea of waking up early on a Saturday actually exciting.
Kids would debate which show was the best and mimic the voices of their favorite characters on the playground. This was before streaming, when you had one shot to catch your episode or miss it entirely. It taught a strange kind of patience—waiting a full week for a new episode—and somehow that delay made the shows more magical. When streaming took over and iPhones became mini TVs, that shared, scheduled excitement mostly disappeared.
2. Tamagotchis
These little digital pets were pixelated bundles of responsibility. Released in the U.S. in 1997, Tamagotchis quickly became a playground obsession that taught kids (kind of) how to care for something. They had to be fed, cleaned, played with, and—if you forgot—yes, they could die. For a generation of kids, hearing that beeping sound in class meant a quick sneak under the desk to keep their digital buddy alive.
Tamagotchis made being “offline” more engaging because they were interactive in real time but didn’t involve swiping or scrolling. You couldn’t multitask with it—you had to pay attention. It was a game, a pet, and an anxiety machine all in one. And weirdly, we loved it.
3. Scholastic Book Fairs
Book fair week turned school into a mini mall, and every kid had their eye on a fresh stack of Goosebumps, Captain Underpants, or the latest Animorphs. Held in gymnasiums or libraries, the Scholastic Book Fair was a sensory overload of posters, erasers, and glitter pens—and yes, some actual books. Kids would beg their parents for five or ten dollars and spend it like it was a fortune. It was one of the few times reading and consumerism collided in a way that felt like a holiday.
Even if you didn’t buy anything, flipping through the books with your friends was a big deal. It gave kids autonomy over their interests, long before algorithm-driven recommendations existed. Picking out a book because you wanted it—not because a screen fed it to you—was empowering. It made reading feel like a choice, not a chore.
4. AOL Instant Messenger (AIM)
Logging onto AIM after school was the digital equivalent of hanging out on your front stoop. You’d set your away message with deep lyrics or cryptic emojis and wait for your crush to come online. Conversations were clunky but addictive, typed in real-time with lots of abbreviations like “brb” and “ttyl.” It was the first time a lot of kids felt like they had a private social life, separate from their parents.
Unlike today’s constant connectivity, AIM was about waiting. You had to hope someone would log on and maybe even ping you first. There was no scrolling or doom-feeding—just presence, absence, and anticipation. That quiet tension made every “hey” or “sup” feel way more significant.
5. Lisa Frank Everything
If you were a kid in the ’90s or early 2000s, your trapper keeper might as well have been dipped in a unicorn’s dream. Lisa Frank designs exploded with neon colors, sparkles, and animals doing impossible things—like dolphins skateboarding under rainbows. School supplies weren’t just functional; they were an identity. Kids expressed themselves through glittery folders, stickers, and pens that looked like they belonged in a candy store.
Before personalization was a matter of tweaking your lock screen, Lisa Frank gave kids a way to show off their tastes in real life. It created joy in the mundane routines of homework and note-taking. Even kids who didn’t love school wanted those folders. It made school supplies exciting—something iPads never really pulled off.
6. Roller Rinks
Birthday parties, Friday nights, awkward first crushes—roller rinks were where it all went down. With disco balls overhead and thumping music, these places made skating in a circle feel like the coolest thing ever. You didn’t need TikTok to show off your moves; the rink was your stage. Everyone—from shy kids to the show-offs—could find a rhythm.
Roller rinks weren’t just entertainment; they were a kind of rite of passage. Renting skates, holding someone’s hand on the rink, maybe even your first slow skate—these were big moments. You had to be physically present, which made the memories stick. It was socializing that didn’t come with notifications or filters.
7. LEGO Sets (Before Licensing Took Over)
Back then, LEGOs weren’t all Star Wars or Harry Potter; they were just bricks and your imagination. You could build castles, spaceships, or entire cities from scratch, no instruction booklet required. LEGO sets came with ideas, but not mandates. It encouraged creativity over completion.
Without app tie-ins or digital rewards, the fun came from creating something with your hands. You could spend hours figuring out how to make a drawbridge or adding secret doors to your pirate ship. Kids learned problem-solving and spatial thinking without even realizing it. It was quiet, tactile fun that didn’t buzz or ding.
8. Cereal Box Prizes
There was a time when breakfast doubled as a treasure hunt. Digging through the cereal to find a tiny toy—be it a decoder ring, a plastic spoon that changed color, or a mini puzzle—was half the reason kids ate cereal in the first place. Brands like Kellogg’s and General Mills understood the assignment. These prizes created excitement that lasted way longer than the sugar rush.
It was physical, tangible joy in an era before push notifications. You never quite knew what you were going to get, and that mystery was thrilling. The best part? You couldn’t buy the toy alone—you had to engage with the whole experience. That kind of anticipation is almost extinct now.
9. Playing MASH
At some point during math class, someone would pull out a notebook and start a game of MASH. Mansion, Apartment, Shack, House—it was all about “predicting” your future in the most hilarious way possible. You’d find out who you were going to marry, where you’d live, what job you’d have, and what car you’d drive. It was completely random, but every answer felt fate-sealed.
MASH was part of a whole ecosystem of doodle games—fortune tellers, tic-tac-toe, endless squiggles. It gave kids a creative outlet that required nothing but paper and a pencil. No screens, no swiping—just imagination and peer input. And somehow, it always made you laugh.
10. The Oregon Trail (Computer Lab Version)
In elementary school, few things were more exciting than computer lab day, and The Oregon Trail was the crown jewel. Whether you were hunting buffalo or dying of dysentery, the game managed to be educational and entertaining. It taught kids about westward expansion, resource management, and harsh consequences—all under the guise of a pixelated road trip. You didn’t need cutting-edge graphics to feel emotionally invested.
It was slow, methodical, and kind of unforgiving—qualities that wouldn’t fly with most mobile games today. But that challenge made success more satisfying. Making it to Oregon felt like a genuine victory. And kids talked about their journeys on the playground like they were war stories.
11. Disposable Cameras
There was a special kind of mystery in taking pictures and not seeing them until days—or even weeks—later. Disposable cameras were handed out at birthday parties, field trips, and summer camps like they were gold. Kids had 24 or maybe 36 shots to capture whatever seemed important: goofy faces, pets, maybe a blurry photo of their crush. You had to think a little before hitting that shutter, because there was no delete button.
Waiting to develop film added a sense of anticipation that doesn’t exist with instant photo uploads. And the results were raw, imperfect, and totally authentic. Flashes were too bright, fingers blocked the lens—but every photo was a memory that felt earned. Today’s filters and live previews can’t quite recreate that thrill of discovery.
12. Sleepovers (With Actual Sleep)
Before screens became the main event, sleepovers were all about bonding over pizza, prank calls, and scary stories. You’d stay up late playing board games, watching movies on VHS, and making pillow forts in someone’s basement. If someone had a strobe light or glow-in-the-dark stars, that was next-level. It was chaotic, loud, and totally analog.
Sure, some kids had Game Boys, but nobody spent the whole night looking at their own screen. You learned things about your friends—their weird bedtime routines, their siblings, their snack stash. The social learning that happened at a sleepover couldn’t be downloaded. And yes, someone always fell asleep first and got Sharpie’d.
13. Trading Cards (Not Just Pokémon)
Pokémon was king, but trading cards in general—baseball, Yu-Gi-Oh!, Magic: The Gathering—gave kids a reason to connect face-to-face. You’d bring your binder to recess, show off your holographics, and try to trade your way up the food chain. There were rules, sure, but half the fun was just the negotiation. Some kids actually played the games, but many were just in it for the collecting.
Trading cards taught value and strategy without needing an app or in-app purchase. You learned to spot fakes, protect your best cards, and sometimes deal with the heartbreak of a bad trade. They weren’t disposable like digital loot; they had weight and worth. And the bragging rights? Completely unmatched.
14. Mall Arcades
Back when malls were the social hub, the arcade was where the real action happened. You’d trade your allowance for a plastic cup of tokens and blow it all on Dance Dance Revolution, Mortal Kombat, or Time Crisis. The sounds were deafening, the lights were wild, and every game felt like a high-stakes battle. It was messy, loud, and incredibly fun.
You couldn’t play in isolation—people watched, cheered, and sometimes jumped into co-op mode. Beating a high score meant your initials lived on in glowing glory. It was a way to show off skill without needing followers or likes. And when your tokens ran out, you didn’t scroll—you just hung out.
15. Reading Under the Covers With a Flashlight
Bedtime didn’t always mean sleep, and kids with a good book and a cheap flashlight knew the thrill of sneaky late-night reading. Whether it was Harry Potter, Goosebumps, or The Babysitters Club, the pages pulled you into a different world—one you didn’t want to leave just because it was 9 p.m. There was something about reading in the dark, alone with the characters, that made stories more immersive. It was quiet rebellion—and often, totally worth the groggy morning after.
Without screen glare or battery life concerns, it was just you and the story. And somehow, those stolen chapters felt more memorable than anything read in daylight. It wasn’t about “completing” a book for a badge or reading speed—it was about loving it. And when your parents caught you and took the flashlight? Totally worth it.
This post 15 Things Every American Kid Liked Before iPhones Made Attention Spans a Problem was first published on American Charm.
