Whether you love or loathe the year 2020, taking a moment to dive back into the past can spark a wave of delightful nostalgia. Here’s our top 10 nostalgic roundup of the coolest relics from the radiant 1990s. Each entry brings a burst of pure joy and comes with its own quirky backstory or fascinating tidbit that helped shape pop‑culture. So buckle up, and let’s reminisce—maybe we’ll even convince JNCOs to make a comeback!
Why This Is the Top 10 Nostalgic List
10 Big Brother Magazine
The debut issue hit the stands in 1992, sporting a warning label and a cartoon teen pointing a revolver at his own nose. The second issue saw Jeff Tremaine—future creator of Jackass—jump aboard the wildly chaotic Steve Rocco‑run venture that essentially flipped the bird at the polished, corporate‑run skate mags of the era, which mostly resembled shoe catalogues. Crude, rude, in‑your‑face, and unapologetically disgusting, it embodied everything a 1990s skater kid craved. From as early as eleven, I was hooked on Dave Carnie’s profanity‑laden editorials.
Big Brother published literally anything. One article taught readers how to commit suicide; another explained how to siphon cocaine with a straw, complete with a photo of a kid doing just that on a skateboard (the dust was real‑life Pixie‑Stik). The staff also pulled outlandish stunts, like stuffing entire issues into cereal boxes, and became the first mag to bundle VHS tapes and stickers. More than a pre‑Internet DIY outlet, it was a wild, pre‑Jackass incubator of poop jokes and anarchic humor.
9 POGs
POGs trace a surprisingly ancient lineage back four centuries, originating in Japan’s Edo period (1603‑1868) with a game called Menko, which used circular paper pieces. The concept migrated to Polynesia, then evolved in Japan into rectangular cards—widely regarded as the forerunners of modern trading cards (fun fact: Nintendo began as a trading‑card company). In 1991, a school counselor sought a non‑violent recess activity and swapped out old milk caps for lids from the Passion Orange Guava (POG) fruit drink.
This simple switch ignited a global craze. Southern Californian entrepreneur Alan Ripinski bought the rights to the caps, licensing the idea to virtually every brand in the 1990s. Caps bearing O.J. Simpson’s mug‑shot, fast‑food logos, and movie releases flooded the market; 350 million were sold in 1994 alone. However, Ripinski’s over‑saturation backfired, and by 1996 knock‑offs made from flashy plastic turned the caps into mere trinkets, ending the fad within a few short years.
8 Goldeneye 64
Goldeneye 64 stands as the quintessential ’90s video‑game masterpiece. Development kicked off in 1995, and when the Nintendo 64 launched the title in August 1997, few predicted its monumental impact. It shattered the dominance of Doom by abandoning the fixed‑rail shooter format, introducing free‑movement, and pioneering four‑player split‑screen deathmatches—a feature added at the last minute. Widely hailed as the most influential first‑person shooter, it ranks as the third‑best‑selling N64 game ever and amassed a slew of awards for its groundbreaking design. Many of us still cherish the cheat‑code‑laden GameShark sessions and the chaotic paintball mode with golden rocket launchers.
7 JNCOs
Los Angeles‑based JNCO (Judge None Choose One) was founded in 1985 by Moroccan‑born, French‑raised brothers Haim Milo Revah and Jacques Yaakov. With a $200,000 life‑savings investment, they aimed to upend denim norms, drawing inspiration from the baggy pants sported by urban Californian Latinos. The iconic crown logo was crafted by renowned L.A. street artist Joseph Montalvo, aka Nuke. Teens devoured the alien‑like designs, vivid logo patches, and bold colorways, embracing the rebellion against the stale Levis of the boom‑ers.
The flagship 23‑inch leg width became a staple, and a jaw‑dropping 50‑inch version also hit the shelves. By 1998, JNCO raked in $186.9 million; a year later, sales halved. The brand lingered through the 2000s, catering to club kids and ravers. After the license terminated in 2018, a 2019 announcement hinted at a revival—though we’re still debating whether the world needs JNCOs back in 2020.
6 Surge Soda
The 1980s‑1990s saw Coca‑Cola and Pepsi locked in a fierce “Cola Wars,” spawning oddball products as each tried to outdo the other. In 1997, Coke launched Surge to challenge Pepsi’s Mountain Dew, branding it as a “hardcore” cola for the skate‑punk, MTV‑driven generation. Unlike traditional caffeine, Surge’s formula used maltodextrin, an energy‑boosting starch. A planned Super Bowl debut was delayed after Coke settled a naming dispute with a company that made cow‑milking machines called “Surge.” After only five years, the drink vanished in 2003, though limited re‑releases have surfaced since.
Top 10 Discontinued Sodas
5 Sony Playstation 1
The PlayStation debuted in Japan in 1994 and hit North America in 1995, originally intended as a joint venture with Nintendo. The partnership fell apart in 1991 when Nintendo switched to Philips, leading Sony to craft a sleek, blocky console reminiscent of the SNES—rumored to be a cheeky jab. The system pioneered 3D gaming, a bold gamble at the time. Fun quirks include the black disc color chosen purely for aesthetic flair, Crash Bandicoot originally being a wombat, and two failed mascots: Polygon Man (a shape‑head representing 3D graphics) and Toro, an obscure white cat that never left Japan.
4 McDonald’s Big N’ Tasty (or: The Failed War Against the Whopper)
Corporate rivalry can be ruthless. Just as Coke and Pepsi sparred, McDonald’s and Burger King have long battled, each boasting distinct menus. McDonald’s, determined to eclipse the Whopper, launched a series of attempts: the 1984 McDLT with a dual‑compartment wrapper, the 1991 McLean Deluxe, the 1996 Arch Deluxe, and finally the 1997 Big N’ Tasty. Though initially a premium offering, it soon fell to the dollar menu and was replaced in 2003 by the double cheeseburger. Today, the sandwich—sometimes dubbed the “Big N’ Nasty”—remains available on select military bases and in parts of the Middle East.
3 Pokemon
Pokemon, originally Pocket Monsters, burst onto the scene in 1996, created by Game Freak and published by Nintendo. Game Freak started as a modest comic‑zine that interviewed arcade owners for high‑score tips, eventually earning Nintendo’s trust with a Yoshi puzzle game in 1991, then a Mario & Wario title that never reached North America. The first releases were Green and Red, later rebranded internationally as Red and Blue. Shockingly, the original plan was to end the series with Gold and Silver—thankfully, they pressed on, spawning a multibillion‑dollar franchise.
2 Titanic
When James Cameron unveiled Titanic in 1997, it became the most expensive film ever made, boasting a $200 million budget. To date, it has amassed $2.195 billion, second only to Cameron’s Avatar. The cultural phenomenon turned Rose and Jack into icons, though casting could have been wildly different—Matthew McConaughey and Gwyneth Paltrow were early contenders. Ultimately, a relatively unknown Kate Winslet sent Cameron a bouquet of roses, prompting the famed “Roses from your Rose” audition that landed her the role. Leo DiCaprio, reportedly cranky over Cameron’s massive sets and 14‑hour shooting days, even asked co‑star Kathy Bates which utensil he should lobotomize himself with. Enya was originally slated to score the film, but Celine Dion’s “My Heart Will Go On” stole the spotlight. The production cost, adjusted for inflation, outpaced the real Titanic’s $150 million expense. On the final night of filming in Nova Scotia, a batch of chowder was laced with PCP, sending about 80 cast and crew members to the hospital with hallucinations.
1 The O.J. Simpson Trial
The People of the State of California v. Orenthal James Simpson dominated the 1990s, pioneering the modern true‑crime media frenzy. Before his arrest, O.J. received counsel from Robert Kardashian—father of Kim Kardashian and a close confidant. Legend says O.J. nearly shot himself in Kim’s bedroom before Robert intervened. The infamous white Bronco chase that captivated the nation is now displayed in a Tennessee crime museum. While the chase aired, pizza orders at Domino’s skyrocketed as the country stared glued to their screens. Though acquitted, the trial ruined prosecutor Marcia Clark’s life, despite her bestselling memoir. After the verdict, O.J. threw an enormous party that spiraled out of control, prompting police to shut it down.
Top 10 Reasons Life Was Better In The ’90s