Believe it or not but the early 2000s were twenty years ago, and we look back at those times with great fondness and nostalgia. Life was easy, the internet was brand new and most of us were young enough that we still played with toys. Some early 2000s toys were in all of our homes and you probably forgot all about them. Toys today are so different and the market is saturated with them. They certainly don't make toys like they used to.
Here are 10 toys from the early 2000s to give you some nostalgia and think back to the good old days.
10 Furby
These robotic owl-like animals were the IT toy for the 1999 Christmas season and that popularity continued after the turn of the century. Furbies are little pets for kids that speak their own Furbish language and as they "grow" they learn more words. They did freak some parents out because it seemed like the Furby could repeat words that it heard but apparently Furbies don't have a microphone so it's not possible. These were at one point the Toy of the Year according to the Toy Association.
9 My Password Journal
What tween girl didn't have a lot of secrets? The Password Journal is an electrotonic journal that is programmed and can only be opened by the user's voice. This was the perfect diary to write down your crush's names and any other secrets 11-year-olds may have.
8 Bratz Dolls
The opposite of Barbie, Bratz Dolls are fashion dolls released in 2001. They weren't immediately a hit because of competition from Barbie but by 2005, Bratz dolls had found their own place on the doll market. Originally four dolls were available, Yasmin, Cloe, Jade, and Sasha. But more have been added over the years and there are even Bratz cartoons, movies, and new characters.
7 *NSYNC Marionettes
Whether you prefer *NSYNC or the Backstreet Boys, there's no doubt *NSYNC was having a great year in the year 2000. To go along with their second album, No String Attached, the guys from *NSYNC had a puppet and toy theme for their video for single, "It's Gonna Be Me." Justin, JC, Lance, Chris, and Joey were all made into toy marionettes in the video and then really puppet dolls were mass-produced. They flew off the shelves, but perhaps these toys didn't age too well.
6 Tamagotchi
Who didn't have or want a Tamagotchi? This toy is so simple but early 2000s kids loved them. Tamagotchis are digital pets in small handheld screens that children would have to feed, pick up their poop, play with them, and give them medicine when sick. If you cared for your Tamagotchi well, it would get older and grow up and head back to Tamagotchi world. If you didn't care for it well, it would grow angel wings and you would start over. These were fun for maybe a few weeks.
5 Dance Dance Revolution
DDR got the early 2000s kids up and moving. It started as a home video game that came with plastic pads with four arrows pointing in each direction. Kids follow the songs and dance moves on the screen moving their feet to the matching arrows. It's hard and takes some massive coordination. DDR began eventually popping up in arcades and gained quite a following.
4 Razor Scooter
No one looked cooler than a 12-year-old in 2000 riding their Razor scooter. These lightweight aluminum scooters were in almost every garage in America after their 2000 release. Razor Scooters fold up for easy storage and transports. These scooters are still very popular today
3 Hit Clips
Long before iPods and music streaming, we had HitClips. Not quite a portable CD player, Hit Clips were the child version of one. This is described as a digital audio player but it only played 1-minute-long song clips from the hit songs at the time, usually teen pop music. There were music cartridges available to buy with all pre-downloaded song clips that were then inserted into the HitClip and played the song. Britney Spears, *NSYNC, Destiny's Child, Sugar Ray, Backstreet Boys, and Hilary Duff were some of the most popular artists featured.
2 Robot Dogs
Robot dogs were meant to be an alternative to a real dog and kids loved it. These dogs could walk and react to music and danced. It was cute but definitely not the same appeal as a real dog. Not enough cuddles.
1 Heelys
These roller shoes were the biggest thing for early 2000s kids. Rolling all over the place was fun and schools even had to ban them. Heelys has a small roller skate in the heel of the shoe that can be removed. Wearers can walk, run, or roll by shifting their weight back to their heels. You can still Heely around but if you fall, you may not pop back up as you did in 2002.
Source: Pop Sugar , The Gamer, The Toy Association