The 1990s were a period of transformation from analog to digital. New inventions replaced older items that people commonly used. If you’re a ‘90s kid, you might miss many things from your childhood. Here is a list of items that were mainstream in that era but are nearly extinct now.
Check to see how many you remember.
Gameboys
Nintendo’s GameBoy is a portable gaming device popular among young adults. The company is famous for bringing gaming technology to the mainstream.
Eventually, Nintendo developed more versatile gaming systems, pushing GameBoy to the back. The company eventually discontinued Gameboy and sold the last units in 2003.
Newspaper TV Schedules
Newspaper TV schedules were essential for viewers to plan their television watching. TVs did not provide recording services back in the ‘90s, so watching the show at the right time was crucial.
With the introduction of digital guides, people stopped using newspaper TV schedules. Today, almost no newspaper prints them.
Moviefone Hotline
The Moviefone hotline was a popular service to find showtimes via telephone. Today, we have online listings and bookings, making it easier to watch movies when we want.
As a result, Moviefone started receiving fewer phone calls. The company discontinued the hotline in 2014.
Telephone Booths
Telephone booths were once a common sight in all U.S. cities. When mobile phones didn’t exist, people used telephone booths to reach out to friends and family.
With more people owning smartphones, telephone booths weren’t as useful. Many cities still have open payphones but have removed the booths.
Phonebook Yellowpages
The Yellow Pages was once an indispensable tool for finding business information. Then, people started using their smartphones to save contact information.
As fewer people used phonebooks, the physical Yellow Pages also became less relevant. Yellow Pages now have a website for listing local business advertisements online.
VH1 Music Videos
Back when music wasn’t available on-demand, VH1 was a popular medium for listening to songs. The channel regularly broadcasted music videos that were popular among viewers.
People could discover new music or catch their favorites by turning on the TV. As on-demand music grew, VH1 and other TV channels stopped broadcasting the videos.
Butterfinger BB’s
Butterfinger BB’s was a popular snack by Nestle. It was a small bite-sized chocolate that had the distinct Butterfinger flavor. Despite their popularity, Nestle discontinued the treats. Many fans remember them today as a popular snack of the ‘90s.
Altavista
Altavista was one of the first search engines, much before Google. However, its popularity declined as Google and Yahoo came into the picture. Eventually, Yahoo acquired Alta Vista in 2003. This marked the end of the pioneer in search engines.
