16 Things from the ’90s That Gen Z Thinks Are Made Up
These 16 things were part of everyday life in the 1990s, but to many in Gen Z, they seem too strange or outdated to be real.
- Sophia Zapanta
- 3 min read
The 1990s were filled with gadgets, trends, and habits that no longer exist. For Gen Z, who grew up with smartphones and streaming, many of these things sound made up. However, each one was very real and shaped how people lived, worked, and played at the time.
1. Blow-on Video Game Cartridges
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Before discs and digital downloads, games came on plastic cartridges for systems like the Nintendo 64 and Sega Genesis. When games didn’t load properly, kids would blow into the cartridge to “fix” it, believing it helped remove dust. Technically, this wasn’t recommended, but almost everyone did it. Gen Z, raised on cloud saves and instant updates, often can’t believe this was common.
2. AOL Free Trial CDs Everywhere
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America Online (AOL) used to send out millions of CDs offering hours of free internet. These discs showed up in magazines, mailboxes, and even cereal boxes. People collected them without even using them. The idea of needing a CD to access the internet feels bizarre to younger generations.
3. Tamagotchi Deaths
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Tamagotchis were small digital pets kids had to feed, clean, and care for constantly. If ignored too long, the pet would die, leading to real sadness and panic among children. Schools often banned them because they were so distracting. Gen Z may not believe digital pets caused emotional trauma in classrooms.
4. Rewinding VHS Tapes
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Movies came on VHS tapes, which had to be rewound after watching. Rental stores would charge a fee if you didn’t rewind before returning them. Rewinding could take several minutes. Gen Z, used to skipping ahead instantly, might not understand why anyone would wait to rewatch.
5. Phone Books as Household Essentials
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Every home had at least one thick phone book filled with residential and business numbers. To find anything, you flipped through printed pages in alphabetical order. They were also used to reach the Yellow Pages for ads and services. Today, most people under 20 have never touched one.
6. TV Guide Channel Scrolling
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Instead of using a remote to browse shows, viewers had to wait as a slow-moving TV Guide channel scrolled through listings. If you missed your channel, you had to wait for it to come back. It was time-consuming and frustrating. Gen Z expects instant access and finds it hard to imagine a world without it.
7. Collect Calls from Payphones
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Payphones were everywhere, and if you didn’t have coins, you could make a collect call by saying your name fast and hanging up. Families used tricks like saying “Mompickmeup” during the operator recording to avoid fees. It was common and even considered clever. This entire process sounds like a prank to Gen Z.
8. Burning Mix CDs
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Making a playlist used to mean physically burning songs onto a blank CD using computer software. People decorated the CD cases and gave them as gifts. You needed a CD burner, which took time and sometimes failed to function. Streaming services make this old method feel overly complicated today.
9. Buying Ringtones with Real Money
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Before smartphones, people paid real money to download 15-second ringtones for their flip phones. These were often popular songs or custom audio clips. It could take minutes to receive the tone, and you were billed through your phone carrier. Gen Z expects free personalization and finds this absurd.
10. Watching Music Videos on TV
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MTV, VH1, and similar channels aired music videos all day. People would wait hours to catch their favorite artist’s video. There were countdown shows, video premieres, and themed hours. YouTube and TikTok have replaced that system entirely.