The slap bracelet, an innocuous little wrist wrap turned children's toy, was to early '90s kids what fidget spinners are to children of the 2010s. Incredibly simple and idiotically brilliant, the slap bracelet was both a fashion statement and an endlessly entertaining toy. The bracelet was conceived in 1983 by Stuart Andres, a high school shop teacher from Sun Prairie, Wisconsin. The original prototype featured a flexible piece of steel, similar to the material a tape measure is made of, covered in a colorful soft fabric. With the flick of a wrist, Slap-Bracelets could be smacked onto child-sized limbs and would conform to their shape. Repeated over and over, the movement of snapping the bracelet and molding it flat again became reasonably addictive.
Anders sold his concept to Main Street Toys using the name "Slap Wrap." Company's president Eugene Murtha immediately saw the toy's potential: a cheaply manufactured product that customers would buy over and over. In 1990, slap bracelets sold for about $1.30 wholesale and $2.50 retail. Main Street Toys had prior experience dealing with fad toys. The company was led by former executives, including Murtha, from Coleco Industries, which marketed the famous Cabbage Patch dolls in the 1970s.
The overwhelming popularity of slap bracelets encouraged many copycat competitors who created and sold knockoffs of the toy. However, some of these unlicensed products disregarded safety standards and began to cause injuries when the metal bands broke. Headlines such as "Principle Puts a Halt to Slap Bracelet Fad" ran in newspapers like the New York Times. Covering the backlash against the trend, the AP wrote, "Children in this suburb of New York will just have to suffer being unfashionable, at least during school hours, because the slap-bracelet has been banned at two elementary schools."
Comfortable to take on and off, cheap, and inexplicably cool – the tattoo choker necklace is nearly synonymous with nineties fashion. The tight, stretchy black or colored plastic necklaces adorned the necks of actresses, models, and musicians...
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Need to pair your hair accessories with your denim jacket and matching denim jeans? We got you covered! Throw your hair up in true '90s style with this denim hair scrunchy.
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K'NEX allowed budding designers, architects, and engineers the chance to construct replica models of everything from bridges and cars to rollercoasters and Ferris wheels. The construction toy system was invented by American entrepreneur Joel...
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For '90s kids, Reptar was somewhere in between Godzilla and Looney Tunes. This made him an incredibly cool character on Rugrats, and a popular choice for clothing/bedding options. Grab this plush and snuggle up to your favorite Rugrats dinosaur pal.
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With a sticky hand toy, you can master the art of grabbing things from a slightly longer distance than you can reach! As many '90s kids know, they are also a pretty useful tool for annoying siblings.
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You may remember these as “Sock’em Boppers” before they were rebranded to the current “Socker Boppers.” But, the fact remains the same – punching friends and siblings with airbag gloves is still “more fun than a pillow fight!”
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Ever get frustrated while trying to fish out your wallet from the deep pockets of your favorite pair of JNCO jeans? Worry no more! This flame wallet with chain is the perfect solution for retrieving your money in the most fashionable and efficient way possible.
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A pin relief board was a common site in 1990’s households. Often times, they contained the impression of a smushed face or a hand giving an interesting gesture. Grab one today and feed your creativity through artistic pin expression.
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Having glowing star stickers on your wall was very popular as a '90s kid. Whether you got them as a prize from Chuck-E-Cheese, or found some in the dollar store - it was cool to sleep under the stars every night of the week. In fact, it’s still cool!
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Another example of nineties toymakers going HAM on miniatures. Tech Deck fingerboards are small skateboards that can be manipulated and “ridden” using your fingers. Fingerboards were initially produced as keychains for skate shops but evolved...
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