12 Reasons Being a Florida Kid in the ‘90s Was the Best

Picture this: no smartphones, no social media, and your biggest worry was whether your Tamagotchi survived the school day.

Being a kid in the 1990s was like hitting the jackpot of childhood. Life in Florida was a mix of bright colors, catchy jingles, and hours spent outside until the streetlights came on.

It was a time when kids made mixtapes, watched cartoons after school, and had to rewind VHS tapes before returning them to Blockbuster.

If you grew up in the ’90s, you already know—those were some of the best days ever.

Saturday Morning Cartoons Were the Highlight of the Week

Before streaming made every show available all the time, Saturday morning was sacred.

You rolled out of bed in your footie pajamas and sprinted to the TV with a bowl of cereal. It didn’t matter if the cereal was 90% sugar. In fact, that was the goal.

The cartoon lineup was a carefully curated masterpiece. Recess, Doug, X-Men, Pepper Ann, The Tick—there was something for everyone, and you never wanted to miss a single second.

These shows weren’t just entertainment. They were cultural events. If you didn’t watch them live, you had nothing to talk about at recess on Monday.

And when noon rolled around and the cartoons ended? You sighed, turned off the TV, and went outside to reenact everything you just saw.

Toys Didn’t Need Wi-Fi To Be Amazing

Let’s be honest—‘90s toys were weird. And wonderful.

There were Beanie Babies, which were basically tiny beanbags shaped like animals that we were all convinced would one day pay for college.

There were Tamagotchis that beeped at you in class and died if you didn’t feed them every six minutes. So dramatic.

And then there were Pogs. No one fully understood the rules, but we all had a stack of them in a plastic tube like it was a treasure chest.

Furbies were equal parts fascinating and terrifying. They’d wake up in the middle of the night saying something in Furby-speak like “kah toh-loo,” and yet we loved them anyway.

School Supplies Were Their Own Kind of Status Symbol

Back-to-school shopping in the ’90s was a whole event.

You didn’t just grab some pencils and call it a day. You needed the right pencils. The mechanical ones with the clear barrels and sparkly erasers.

Trapper Keepers were your most important accessory. If yours had a holographic dolphin or a racecar on it, you were basically a celebrity.

Lisa Frank was everywhere. Her neon leopards and rainbow tigers turned math class into an art show.

And don’t even get us started on gel pens. If your note-passing game wasn’t glittery and scented, were you even living?

Playtime Meant Actual Playing

You know what didn’t exist for kids in the ’90s? Sitting around all day staring at a phone.

If you wanted to play, you went outside. And stayed there until the streetlights came on.

You rode your bike with no helmet. You played tag until someone scraped a knee. You made up entire worlds with chalk, jump ropes, and sheer imagination.

On a good day, a neighbor would pull out a Slip ‘N Slide or one of those massive inflatable bounce houses that smelled like plastic and dreams.

Rainy day? No problem. You built a fort, busted out Candy Land, and made it work.

TV Was an Event, Not Just Background Noise

You couldn’t just watch any show whenever you wanted. You had to be there when it aired.

That meant planning your entire evening around Friday nights on ABC. TGIF was more than a phrase—it was a lifestyle. You got Boy Meets World, Family Matters, Step by Step, and Sabrina the Teenage Witch all in one glorious lineup.

Nickelodeon was the other half of your TV life. Are You Afraid of the Dark?, Clarissa Explains It All, All That, and The Secret World of Alex Mack made you feel seen.

And don’t forget the commercials. They were half the fun. Screaming kids told you to “Get your parents’ permission before going online!” and you always wondered who actually did that.

Music Was Everything, Even if Your CD Skipped

Music in the ‘90s wasn’t just about listening—it was about collecting.

You saved up for CDs at Sam Goody or hit up Columbia House for twelve albums you’d forget to pay for.

Portable CD players skipped if you even thought about walking too fast, but we didn’t care.

Boy bands ruled the world. NSYNC, Backstreet Boys, 98 Degrees—you had a favorite, and you were loyal. And then there were pop queens like Britney and Christina who made every dance party epic.

Also, yes—we all did the Macarena. Unironically. And proudly.

Snacks Were Pure Chaos and We Loved It

Snack time in the ‘90s wasn’t just tasty. It was fun, weird, and full of artificial colors that probably glow under blacklight.

Dunkaroos were frosting disguised as a balanced snack. Gushers were juicy and mildly terrifying. Fruit Roll-Ups stuck to your teeth in ways that modern science still can’t explain.

Capri Sun pouches were impossible to stab on the first try, but it was worth the struggle.

And let’s not forget Lunchables. Because nothing says “I’m an independent human” like building your own tiny pizza at the lunch table.

Fashion Was Bold, Bright, and Deeply Confusing

Somehow, we all agreed that the louder your outfit, the cooler you were.

Windbreakers came in colors never found in nature. Neon green and hot pink were practically school uniform standards.

Overalls? Yes. But one strap had to hang loose, or you looked like a try-hard.

Slap bracelets were banned in schools for being “dangerous.” Naturally, this made them cooler.

And light-up sneakers were the best way to make an entrance. Every step said, “Yeah, I’m here.”

Video Games Were Just Starting To Blow Our Minds

In the ‘90s, video games were leveling up—and so were we.

The Super Nintendo, Sega Genesis, and original PlayStation changed everything. If you were lucky enough to have a Game Boy, you took that thing everywhere.

Games were blocky, sure. But they were epic. Donkey Kong Country, Crash Bandicoot, Zelda: Ocarina of Time—these were the stories we lived in.

Multiplayer meant crowding around the TV with your friends. No headsets, no lobbies. Just four kids, one couch, and a lot of yelling.

And don’t even try to act like blowing into a cartridge didn’t fix everything.

Going to the Movies Was a Major Event

You didn’t stream movies. You earned them.

Maybe it was a birthday party with Space Jam. Maybe it was a family trip to see The Lion King. Either way, going to the movies meant popcorn, big red soda cups, and maybe sneaking in some Gushers.

And if you weren’t at the theater, you were at Blockbuster. Wandering those aisles, picking a VHS based on the cover art, and praying it wasn’t already rented out.

If you were really fancy, you had a rewinder shaped like a racecar at home.

Be kind, rewind. Or face the wrath of a $2 late fee.

The Early Internet Was Just Weird Enough

The internet in the ’90s felt like magic and mystery rolled into one.

You logged onto AOL and waited through a series of screeches that sounded like a robot being strangled.

Once you were in, you could explore a wild new world: chatrooms, Neopets, and Ask Jeeves. Everyone had a screen name like “Sk8rBoi97” or “Cutie1234.”

We all lied about our age on AIM, and our away messages were dramatic poetry or Savage Garden lyrics.

Nothing made sense. It was perfect.

We Had To Wait for Things—and That Made Them Special

There was no instant gratification. If you wanted to watch something, hear a song, or develop a photo, you had to wait.

But the waiting? That was the magic.

You didn’t just binge a show—you counted down to it all week. You didn’t just download a song—you waited for it on the radio with your finger hovering over the record button.