Blast From the Past: 25 Forgotten Items of the 2000’s
Sometimes it feels like 2000 was just last year, but if that were the case, we’d be way too young to write here like this to you. Even though it feels like it was yesterday, it was 24 ish years ago, give or take. But some items from the early 2000s made the 2000s so iconic that when you see them, you’re reminded of those times. Read until the end to discover all of them and see how many you recognise and how many you had (bonus points for anyone who still has).
25 Items From The 2000s That Feel Old and Ancient Now
1. CD Players
Remember those little round (didn’t have to be round) CD players? Sometimes you could get them in silver and a colour like pink or purple. They looked really cute on top of the nightstand, that’s for sure. But also, does anyone still own a CD player?
2. Pipes Screensaver
Do you remember watching the pipes screensaver on your family desktop? It was like the pipes game but automatic and just continuously went throughout the screen. *Sigh*. It was so relaxing to watch!
3. The Scholastic Book Fair
This was an exciting event even if you weren’t a big reader because of all the cool “stuff” you could find. For example, posters, pencils, bookmarks, etc.
4. Rolling TV Carts in the Classroom
If your teacher rolled in the TV cart, you knew it was going to be a fun class that day. The rolling TV carts with VCRs were a sure sign of a movie class!
5. The Old Cartoon Network
From Dexter’s secret laboratory in his room (which was so cool) to the Power Puff Girls and all their powers, the Old Cartoon Network was an absolute gem! There was always something great on.
6. Winning a Soda From Under the Drink Lid Cap
You didn’t always need to go online and enter a code to have a “chance” to win. You popped out the little piece inside the cap, and sometimes it was a winner, and other times not. Then you’d take that to the store if it was a winner and get your drink and give that to the cashier. Much simpler times!
7. Wooden playgrounds
Before they figured out that wood gave us all enormous amounts of splinters, we played on it for hours upon hours!
8. Gameboy Colour
Now, we play games on our phones, but before, we had little but not so little handheld devices with little gaming cartridges to play the game.
9. Limewire
Raise your hand if you remember downloading music from Limewire! Or, if you’re still paranoid of getting caught like we are, then maybe don’t raise your hand. But Limewire was a hugely popular music downloading software in the early 2000s.
10. MSN Messenger
Remember the days of changing your MSN name and making it inconspicuous because it didn’t say what your name was but rather some long song lyric that reflected your feelings that minute?
11. Dial-up Internet
Ah, the days of not being able to use the phone and the internet simultaneously!
12. Flip Phones
Okay, but how cool was it to flip open your phone?
13. Low-rise Jeans
Not even just low-rise but also super low-rise. We hope High Rise stays around forever.
14. Jelly Shoes
Jelly shoes were so comfortable and fun to look at and touch. They were sort of jelly-like, hence the name, and they were the perfect shoe no matter the occasion.
15. Toe socks
Toe socks didn’t get enough love. It’s a warm hug for each and every toe! How much better does it get?
16. BlockBuster
The days where you’d rent a physical movie are long gone, but honestly, BlockBuster was the best. The iconic video rental store also sold all the best movie snacks!
17. Spiky Punk-Style Bracelets
When Good Charlotte, Simple Plan, Sum41, and Blink182 were the popular bands, so was their style too!
18. CD Binders
We love the idea of organising music the same as academic work, but… the CD thing just didn’t last.
19. Magic 8 Balls
Magic 8 Balls told our future. In fact, they answered any question you asked. One of our favourites was “Does my brother have a girlfriend?”!!
20. Polly Pocket
The tiny little toys are iconic at this point, but of course we didn’t know that was going to be what happened. The little details in every toy were so satisfying and delightful!
21. CD Release Days
Remember the times when your favourite band was releasing a CD on a specific day and you had to wait until then to listen and then find a way to get to the store and beg your parents to buy it for you? CD release days were very exciting in the 2000s, but that feels like ages ago now that we have things like Spotify.
22. Robot Dogs
The early 2000s were a time when robotics were starting to take root and even bloom, and we had robotic little dogs and cats that made all the sounds, even during the night unless you remembered to turn it off.
23. Slinkies
A little toy that literally just goes from step to step methodically took the world by storm!
24. Digital Cameras
Before we had intense smartphones, we had to remember to bring our cameras everywhere or we wouldn’t have those photos. Sharp contrast to now, when we can snap a photo anytime and anywhere!
25. Tracksuits
These are a thing of the 2000s, but frankly, we think they need to make a bold comeback. Matching pants and jacket? Come on! How awesome is that?
In the End
The 2000s were a time of some interesting things. Magic 8 Balls telling our futures, Polly Pockets so small that you have to squint to see their face, spiky bracelets, and robot dogs that wake you up to go pee during the night—many things made this time iconic. Do you remember any of these forgotten items of the 2000s?
