12 Nostalgic Things That'll Make Every Millennial Smile If They Got One For Their Birthday This Year
Your birthday is a time to celebrate with loved ones, eat the tastiest cake, and toast to what's to come. It's also a time to look back on past birthdays. That's when the nostalgia hits you hard. Whenever I think of pizza parties and dancing around to *NSYNC at sleepovers, I'm also reminded of all the cool gifts I used to obsess over. I begged my mom to get me the new "it" toys, like Furby and Guitar Hero. Presents were definitely a much bigger deal when you were a kid, but there are some nostalgic things for millennials you'd actually really love to get on your birthday now.
These are the things you used to love, and even if you can't find some of them today, the thought of them will make you smile. They were pretty much all the things that made the '90s the best time to grow up. (To be honest, just looking at this list of 12 nostalgic items has me drafting the longest birthday wish list ever.)
If your big day is coming up soon, now is the time to drop hints on what you'd love to see wrapped up just for you. Be subtle or outright let everyone know that you're throwing it back with a '90s-themed birthday party. Either way, I hope you have a birthday that's full of girl power and all that.
01Your Fave Boy Band Tee
Whether you're an *NSYNC lover or Backstreet Boys fan for life, you had major heart eyes for boy bands growing up. Nowadays, you still get hyped when you're cruising with your windows rolled down, and your throwback hits playing on Spotify. So, for your birthday, you'd really love to get a tee with your favorite guys on it.
02Every Flavor Lip Smacker
Growing up, I was obsessed with Lip Smackers and wanted to try every single flavor. I even tried out the more unique ones like root beer and Coca Cola. As someone who's always looking for her lip balm at the bottom of her bag, I'd love to get a big pack of tons of flavors for my birthday. (Pretty please!)
03Extra Sparkly Butterfly Clips
The '90s were all about colorful hair accessories like scrunchies, and my personal fave, butterfly clips. Those cute little clips made even the most drab hairdo beautiful. I'd even run to Claire's right now to pick up a pack of clips.
04Mario Kart
Whoever had the Nintendo 64 in high school had the coolest house to go to. My friends and I loved playing Mario Party, but everyone's fave was Mario Kart. Now, you can have a true throwback game night playing Mario Kart 8 Deluxe for Nintendo Switch if you're looking for an upgrade.
05Platform Shoes
Growing up, the Spice Girls were true fashion icons, and everyone wanted platform shoes. I remember having a pair of purple platform sneakers that I wore basically every day. Now, I have these platform Toms currently in my online shopping cart. (Hint, hint.)
06A Flannel With A Throwback Quote
If you can't get enough of '90s fashion, flannel is a staple in your wardrobe. I love that overalls and the flannel around the waist look is coming back. If you're feeling nostalgic and looking to add to your closet, you'll want to add one of these Disney flannels from Cakeworthy to your birthday wish list.
07A Cute Fanny Pack
I'm so happy that fanny packs are making a hot comeback. You can keep everything you need in a tiny pouch right around your waist. Here's to hoping someone snags you a cute holographic fanny pack just for your birthday.
08Dunkaroos
Can we agree that the '90s had the best snacks of all time? I was obsessed with Gushers and Fruit Roll-Ups, but the best snack of all was that cute little box of Dunkaroos. If someone gave you some Dunkaroos right now, I'm sure you'd have a sweet day.
09Slap Bracelets
Slap bracelets were not only fashionable, but so much fun to snap on. You and your bestie can actually get matching ones for your very own BFF jewelry today. There are even cute doughnut bracelets at Target that you doughnut want to miss out on.
10Gel Pens
Gel pens were everything in high school. You needed every color to make your notes that you passed in class the cutest. Even now, you could make your calendar super colorful if you had your very own pack of rainbow gel pens.
11A Tamagotchi
TBH, my Tamagotchi taught me more about responsibility than any class in high school. I tried really hard to wash, feed, and keep my creature alive. Anyone with true nostalgia would love to receive a Tamagotchi of their own — even now.
12A Diary
You probably had a diary or journal growing up that you wrote everything in. This was before blogging on your MySpace page. Nowadays, you'd probably love to get a Lisa Frank journal to write notes in.
