Childhood Nostalgia: The Best Toys and Games From The Early 2000’s

By Camryn Cole
Web Content Contributor

As a 20-year-old college student, I often forget about the objects I was passionate about when I was a child. Nowadays, my life consists of work, school, TikTok and spending time with friends.

Although some of these components were around when I was younger, I remember being obsessed with certain toys and forms of entertainment from my childhood. I haven’t experienced this kind of nostalgia in a long time. The trip down memory lane began last month when I decided to go through my storage unit back home.

Initially, I was looking for something for my apartment and came across something entirely different, my favorite childhood toy, Littlest Pet Shops.

The discovery sent me into a tunnel vision of reminiscence, where I began thinking about my favorite toys from the 2000s. A few of my personal favorites were these:

Littlest Pet Shops

I’m not joking- these little plastic animals ruled my life for years! I would ask for them for every birthday and holiday. I would also save my allowance and go to Walmart to sift through the “LPS” aisle. Many of my nights were spent on the internet, watching little girls like me create videos of these animals.

I remember getting my first video camera, which I used to make countless series and videos of my Littlest Pet Shops. After finding my collection recently, I plan on keeping them for the sentimental aspect!

Nintendo 64 Games

Although the Nintendo 64 was released in 1996, my friends and I played games on this system constantly! To this day, my favorite is “Banjo-Kazooie,” a niche quest-based game focusing on a bear and a bird.

Recently, I purchased a Nintendo Online membership for my Nintendo Switch so I could play the N64 games on the newer system. As a result, I’ve been playing many hours of Banjo-Kazooie, Mario and Pokemon games from the late 90’s and early 2000’s. The throwback was worth every penny!

Silly Bandz

The Silly Bandz takeover was revolutionary and multi-functional. You could boost your outfit with a funky accessory, making your outfit the talk of the third-grade class, but you could also trade your Justin Bieber Silly Band for a Spongebob Squarepants (but no trade backs, of course!)

The Silly Bandz company is still selling packs of their product to this day, which is very tempting to my adult bank account.

Razor Scooters

Razor Scooters were stylish and a fun way of spending the day outside! Apart from the ankle bruises and scraped knees, this toy was relatively safe. Growing up, I didn’t like going outdoors during the summers, mainly because it was so hot. However, this scooter was the number one way of encouraging me to get some fresh air, regardless of the Texas heat.

Webkinz

The Webkinz craze was well-deserved. The concept of playing online with your virtual pet while holding a physical stuffed version of that pet is genius! My first Webkinz was a stuffed chihuahua named “Chiwowie.” I loved taking her to Dr. Quack, playing games at the arcade with her, and mining for gems daily.

To this day, I have the game downloaded to my computer desktop, so I can visit my furry friends every once in a while.

The toy industry is constantly changing, especially in the day and age of social media. Nowadays, I see kids growing up on iPads and on TikTok, and can’t fathom the difference in how children find entertainment compared to when I was younger. To this day, I’m grateful for the things I had growing up, as well as my childhood imagination.

Featured Image by Camryn Cole.