In the time when Internet and gadgets were not yet taking over children’s playtime, kids in the glorious ‘90s era had to be creative and resourceful in coming up with toys they can play with friends.
Indeed, as the philosopher Plato once said, “Necessity is the mother of invention.”
Who would have thought that a small marble could set a friendship afire, and a piece of teks could end it? Who would have thought that a rubber band would be a source of fun?
Let’s go and take a trip down memory lane to see the toys the ‘90s kids have enjoyed.
Teks
Every boy in the neighborhood had probably come home crying from losing these miniature cards to his friends.
Popularly known to Filipinos as teks, these cards are usually played in a betting game where the winner takes home his opponent’s cards.
To play, players toss the cards in the air, and whoever betted on the side that came face up won, and will take all the cards thrown as a prize.
Perseverance is a virtue in this game because once you lose your teks, you may keep on playing to take everything back again.
Aroma Beads or ‘Kisses’
Who would ever forget the beads that fooled a lot of ‘90s kids?
Technically, these aroma beads are not toys, but it had amused a lot of youngsters in that era. So amusing that kids believed these aromatic air fresheners multiplied on their own if you kept them in a cotton inside a matchbox or any other container.
The truth, however, is these kisses are absorbent, that when it absorbs liquid, their size increases thus creating an illusion that they multiply.
Sipa
This is most likely the reason why many ‘90s kids have good kicking skills.
Sipa, the toy, is made of small metal washer and colorful plastic straws. The players must kick it up repeatedly to the air, without it touching the ground. This game requires agility to avoid the sipa from falling on the ground.
This used to be our National Sports—using a different kind of ball—until it was changed to Arnis in 2009.
Tamagotchi
This is the first virtual pet device introduced in the Philippines. The aim of the game is to take care of your pet from its birth up to its adult stage.
Forgetting to feed them or even bathe them are strictly prohibited since pets could also get sick which might be the cause of their death.
Hence many have actually spent more time taking care of their virtual pals than their selves.
View-master
If this generation has VR goggles, the kids of the ‘90s had View-master.
This gadget has two reels that merge inside. It shows three-dimensional images that are just photographs of the same subject.
The reels of View-master have at least 14 photos to show in 3D scenes.
Brick Game
Brick Game has arguably honed the logical thinking of many ‘90s kids.
It is an affordable, battery-operated gadget that comes in various designs.
It allows users to play a monochrome version of Tetris, among other brick games, using buttons similar to NES.
This game used to be popular among children and adults.
Truly, the ‘90s kids had great childhood. They had the chance to spend their leisure outside with their playmates, without much influence from the digital world.