During the 1990’s, there were numerous toy crazes that caused a big deal in the United States. In fact, some of these toys were so popular that shortages caused frenzies, especially around holiday seasons. Most likely, you will remember some of these. Chances are, you even bought a few of them. Here are the top toy crazes of the 1990’s.

1. Pokémon Cards

The phrase “Got to catch them all” certainly became a catch phrase that almost everyone knew during the decade. Pokémon cards were an import from Japan that caught on in the United States around 1996 and were sold in packs like trading cards or baseball cards. They grew in popularity to include cartoons, action figures, stuffed animals and more.

2. Tamagotchi

Another import from Japan, the Tamagotchi was the original virtual pet. A tiny device on a keychain, the screen included a pet of different types. The owner would be responsible for feeding, playing with and caring for the tiny pet as it grew up. The Tamagotchi worked in real time, requiring the owner (or more usually the owner’s mom) to keep up with it almost all the time. By 2008, the sales mark on this little toy reached 70 million.

3. Beanie Babies

If the TY toy manufacturer had any idea of the gold mine that they stumbled into with Beanie Babies, then they surely did well with marketing them. These little beanbag stuffed animals became the collector’s treasure in a very short time after they were released in 1993.

4. Pogs

Who would have ever thought that small cardboard discs would be so popular? However, the discs with different images took off like wildfire in the mid nineties and almost everyone had one or two to their name. Some people refer to them as milk caps because of their shape and size, and other names include Tazos and Trovs.

5. Yo-Yos

This does not seem like a toy that would make it to the craze list, especially since the yo-yo has been around since the 1920’s. However, in the early nineties, its popularity skyrocketed to become once again a fad of the generation. In fact, millions of yo-yos were sold each year during that decade.

6. Teletubbies

While the cartoon was the most popular, toy versions of the main characters certainly became a craze for younger children. The British-born cartoon includes the characters of Tinky Winky, Dipsy, Laa-Laa and Po.

7. Crazy Bones

A modern version of an ancient Greek game, Crazy Bones involved tiny molded plastic characters with hundreds of different names, shapes and colors. In fact, because these little characters were so popular and such a distraction with children during the 90’s, many schools banned them from campus.

8. Furby

This intuitive yet infuriating little creature came along in the late nineties. Designed for children, it became a favorite of all ages to the point that many stores sold out before they even hit the shelves. Furbies were odd little creatures that included the ability to learn languages, talk, dance and interact with others of their kind.

9. Polly Pocket

Think of Barbie, only miniscule. Polly Pocket lived in a tiny world complete with tiny houses and pets and clothing that all fit in a child’s pocket, making her a great travel toy. She was created before the 90’s but Polly Pocket became a craze during that decade.

The 1990’s were a time of new invention and innovation that crossed over into the toy market. This is most likely why so many toys became crazes during the decade, like Furbies or Tamagotchi. These nine toys definitely held the market for those years, and while most of them have dwindled, almost everyone has heard of them or owned a few.