Teen Spirit

"...Here we are, now. Entertain us!..."

Who hasn't heard "Smells Like Teen Spirit" by Nirvana?!

'Teen Spirit' has been considered the best rock anthem of the 90s. And, I'd probably have to agree due to its popularity in the 90s. 

Growing up in the 90s, I was only a kid. So, if a song sounded good, I liked it. Teen Spirit' was released in 1991 on the album "Nevermind", when my sister was just a newborn and I was about 2.


I remember tons of songs from the 90s, and, while 'Teen Spirit' came out when I was really little, I always remembered rocking out to it as a kid. It was just a very catchy tune- one which Nirvana didn't think would be successful when they released it. 

The back story to 'Teen Spirit' is that the lead singer of Nirvana, Kurt Cobain, wanted to sound like the Pixies. He began writing the main chorus and forced his band to play it over and over til they liked it. It was the only song that all the members were authors of. 

Where the title comes from is actually a funny story. Don't know if you remember it, but, in the 90s, and even now, there's a popular brand of  tween's deodorant called "Teen Spirit". 

At the time 'Teen Spirit' was written, Kurt Cobain was dating Tobi Vail, a member of the band "Bikini Kill". The lead singer of the band, and his friend, had spray painted "Kurt Smells Like Teen Spirit" on the wall, talking about Kurt smelling like Toni's deodorant. Having talked with the lead singer about anarchism and whatnot, Kurt thought it was a political statement. 

After the song became popular, he soon realized its true meaning and became upset. Of course, it didn't matter because the song became famous, made them popular and also made the makers of "Teen Spirit" popular. 

Regardless of whether it was popularity-worthy or not, "Smells Like Teen Spirit" will always be popular even to this day. Some, including myself, consider it the teenage angst anthem of the 90s, symbolizing that we don't want to grow up. 

Scary Stories to Tell In the Dark

"Are You Brave Enough for Scary Stories?"

Thus was the catch phrase for some of the most awesomest horror books for kids!

"Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark " is an illustrated children's horror book by Alvin Schwartz. This book was really popular with kids, especially because of how gruesome the illustrations were. So gruesome, in fact, he had to make a "Reading Rainbow" version that could be shown on the show. Of course, the illustrations had to be severely dull so as to not scare little kids to death.

Most of the stories aren't really scary, when you get older. But, their themes are still quite gruesome to the point you'd find it odd they were kid's stories. 

Now, when I was a kid, unless it was sex, I was allowed to watch, read, and listen to whatever I'd like. I, myself, LOVED this book series.  

A lot of people feel, now-a-days, that these stories and images are "too creepy" for kids. But, growing up in the 90s, it seemed as if parents and adults didn't mind them, too much. Heck! Us 90s kids loved reading them in the dark! I remember making tents with my sisters and reading these stories together.

How can you read a sentence such as this "Did You Ever Think As A Hearse Goes By That You May Be The Next To Die?" and not feel a shiver down your back looking at an image of this?

There were many eerie, odd, and funny stories throughout the first book. It became so popular, he ended up making two others: "More Scary Stories to Tell In the Dark" and "Scary Stories 3: More Tales to Chill Your Bones". These were just as good!

I think one of my most favorite stories would have to be "The Hearse Song" from the first book, which seems to be the most popular entry from the book. Basically, the song  comes with a small set of music notes and the lyrics to the song:

Did you ever think as the hearse goes by

That you may be the next to die?

They wrap you up in a big white sheet.

From your head down to your feet.

They put you in a big black box

And cover you up with dirt and rocks.

All goes well for about a week,

Then your coffin begins to leak.

The worms crawl in, the worms crawl out-

The worms play pinochle on your snout.

They eat your eyes, they eat your nose,

They eat the jelly between your toes.

A big green worm with rolling eyes

Crawls in your stomach and out your eyes.

Your stomach turns a slimy green,

And pus pours out like whipping cream.

You spread it on a slice of bread,

And that’s what you eat when you are dead.

Now, some may think that a little morbid. But, I loved it as a kid! While I may be "grown up" and these stories may not be as scary as they were when I was kid, I will always love reading them. They did give me quite a few scares as a kid- scares I'll remember forever!

Did you ever read "Scary Stories to Tell In the Dark?" Did you read the other books in the series? If so, what was most memorable to you?!

(To hear audio versions of these stories, check out my playlist:
http://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLA2A8F41C9EA7E1B4)

The Jetsons Movie

Having been a kid, it seemed like I was willing to watch almost anything, as long as it was entertaining. One such movie that not a lot of people remembered or liked would be the "Jetson's Movie". Everyone knows of the Jetsons Cartoon made by Hanna-Barbera. But not many know about the movie, which is available on Netflix if you want to go watch it!

Now, the thing I loved about this movie was how cheesy and stereo-typical it was! You had your housewife/good ole mother, Jane, the dramatic older daughter, Judy, the sports playing "sport" of a son, Elroy, the clumsy; nitwit father, George, the dog, Astro, and the maid, Rosey.  Kind of like a kid's version of the "Brady Bunch".

This movie was released on July 6, 1990 by Universal Pictures and produced by Hanna-Barbera. It's based on the cartoon of the same name. While I was still a baby when it came out, I remember watching it a lot as I grew up.

The whole plot of the movie is that George works for Spacely Sprockets. A newer company has opened in his organization; a mining facility on an asteroid with ores that cost way less than the originals. So, George agrees to move his family to a new town and work as the head of this project. But, trouble ensues as someone or something begins to sabotage the project.

 The rest of the movie ensues with the wife becoming friends with another wife and going all googly eyed over her new popularity. The son becomes friends with a sport great at the new school and becomes a "pro". And then, Judy, like your stereotypical teen, becomes all dramatic about missing everyone and then falls head over heels for some random guy. And, more drama ensues!

My most favorite part is the song Judy sings after she "misses" Cosmo, the guy she met. It's cheesy and it's hard to feel sorry for Judy when she barely even knew the guy! Also, the 80s singer, Tiffany, voices Judy, so, that just adds to the cheese factor!

Despite the cheesiness, I still watch it to this day! While it's not one of the more popular movies of the 90s, I will always remember it for its dorky songs, dorky plot, and the cute animals who are sabotaging the project!

Now, could you REALLY look at that and tell me you hate it even if it is a saboteur? 

Did you ever see this movie in the 90s? If not, would you consider watching it?

Virtual Pets

It doesn't actually poop! It won't cost a thing to heal it when it gets sick! And, It won't permanently die!

Hold it in your hand- play with it, feed it, care for it, love it, put it to bed, give it a bath, and watch it grow up all with the touch of a button!

Growing up in the 90s, we got to experience all sorts of cool toys. Especially electronic toys! Whether you

were a boy or a girl, there was always a toy for you. One of my most favorite toys went by a variety of names and brands: "Tamagotchi", "Giga Pet", "Nano Pet" and/or "Virtual Pets". Regardless of which one you got to play with, your experience was never dull!

These toys are key-chain sized virtual pet simulators. Popular for kids, they came in all sorts of varieties and appealed to both boys and girls. There were ones based off of movies (such as 101 Dalmatians), ones based off of TV shows (like Pokemon) and random ones with creatures such as dinosaurs, unicorns, and other mythical and long dead beings. I remember having a few of these, myself! One of them being the Dalmatians one.

Tamagotchi arrived first to the scene in Japan from Bandai in the year 1996. The story behind their toys being that aliens came to Earth and left eggs to begin new life. You raise these eggs. 

As with all things, there will always be competition and competitors. In 1997, Tiger Electronics released Giga Pets. They were some of the first to be released in the US. The original characters were based on real creatures; while the later versions were based on fictional characters. There were also Nano Pets which were basically Giga Pets but they talked.

Then there were the knock-off brands that existed as well. And, let me tell you- these knock off brands were just as cool as the name brand ones! If not better, in my opinion! I grew up in a not-so-rich family. But, thanks to Lay-Away, I was able to get tons of awesome gifts!

While waiting to get my Tamagotchi/Giga Pet at Christmas, I would get a "Virtual Pet" in its place. Virtual Pets were the knock-off Tamagotchis, but, instead of one pet, you got a multitude! I remember one that I got at a "Factory-2-U"! It had over 40 creatures! And, yes, I hatched and raised them all before Christmas came around!

The basic game play of these virtual pets is a simulation of raising an actual pet. Once it is born, you give it attention. You care for it, feed it, play with it, ensure it gets sleep and is healthy. All the basic requirements of a pet in real life. But, instead of having to move around a lot, this pet was in your hand and you could do all this with the touch of a button.

 The pros of these games were that you only had to pay money for the "pet" and not for its food or vet's visits, you could have a "pet" in a place where pets weren't allowed, it didn't require a lot of physical work, and it entertained kids. 

The cons were mainly the fact that it was like a real animal in that it needed constant attention or it would die from starvation or illness. And, that you couldn't actually put it in water or it wouldn't work.

I, myself, was a big fan of these when I was a kid. I remember playing them so much, their batteries would die or my teacher at school would take them from me until the end of the day. I remember them being so cool, they even got their own line of toys in Happy Meals! I still have my key chain, today!

Fortunately, this is one 90s trend that has decided to stay!

As of their release in the late 90s, there have been several versions released of each. Tamagotchi has had over 44; many of which have only been released in Japan. Giga Pets had a new series released in 2006. I'm sure they're still making knock off brands as well. I, myself, haven't seen any, though.

While kids of this generation have much more advanced electronics, I believe that Virtual Pets will always be unique. They may not be as cool as games such as Nintendogs on the Nintendo 3DS, but, they will help keep the spirit of the 90s alive!

Do you remember these Virtual Pets? Did you have one?!

Share your memories below in the comments!