Nonstop 90s nostalgia: 12 things we miss about the good old days

Last month, 90s kids nearly lost their reason when word landed that Microsoft had decided to ditch Paint.

The app which provided us with hours and hours of entertainment throughout our childhoods was about to get shelved, and we didn't know what to think.

For some reason, this particular app resonated with countless people around the world, and got us thinking about just how many trends, crazes and habits we experienced before the turn of the new millennium.

Join us while we remind ourselves of all things 90s-related…

1. The excitement of getting photos developed.

There was a time when snaps from your holiday remained a mystery until you got them developed in the local pharmacy a fortnight after you returned.

And woe betide the gobsh*te who overexposed every one aside from a lone snap of your dad pulling on his trunks.

“Mother of Jaysus, can I get privacy anywhere?”

2. Recording off the radio… and actually nailing it.

There was an art to this particular task, and 90s kids had it down.

You had to anticipate the DJ’s final introductory words before swiftly pressing record, and voila the hottest new track was yours without having to shell out a penny in HMV.

“It’s half a Spice Girls song, and half an ad for Bargaintown.”

3. Phoning Top 30 Hits every week.

And then hiding under the stairs when your mam got the phone bill and went searching for you with murder on her mind.

Apparently someone somewhere won every week, but God knows it wasn’t us.

“Press redial! Press redial!”

4. Logging into chatrooms… for no reason.

Before the advent of social media, us 90s kids got our kicks out of logging onto chatrooms under the cover of darkness.

While in retrospect they were a total snooze-fest, knowing you were doing something your parents wouldn’t have approved of felt vaguely illicit.

“Say we’re from Detroit. That’s where Tia and Tamera are from.”

5. The bizarre trends.

From rollerblades and line dancing to Furbies and Pogs, the life of a 90s child was a veritable whirlwind of trends.

And you’d only managed to convince your parents to buy into the latest one, when the next one began sweeping the nation.

“Jesus Christ. I’m only after getting a Slinkie, and everyone’s lobbing Pogs at me.”

6. The Britpop phenomenon.

Every 90s child remembers having to pledge allegiance to either Blur or Oasis, and your preference said a lot about you… apparently.

You mightn't have been able to reach the top shelf of the fridge without assistance, but God knows you knew a thing or two about what life was like in Manchester.

“I know all the words to Wonderwall. Bet you don't."

7. Using Teletext as an actual search engine.

Your parents used it to look up the news headlines, check cinema listings and earmark the best stuff on the box.

And you used it to play Bamboozle on Channel 4.

"What the hell is Ceefax? Is it the same thing?"

8. The devotion to Aussie soaps.

Lads, Ireland was obsessed with the goings on in Summer Bay and Ramsey Street.

You could take or leave the British soaps, but like the Britpop phenomenon, you were obligated to nail your colours to the mast on the Aussie soap front.

"The lads are allowed to wear jeans to school in Australia. JEANS."

9. Fancy paper obsession.

If you weren't around at the time, it's going to be hard to understand the obsession girls had with 'fancies'.

Generally heart-shaped featuring pictures of puppies and smelling like strawberries, fancy paper was the main mode of currency among primary school girls in the 90s.

"Swap ya your puppy one for two of my fairy ones."

10. Scary book series were the RAGE.

Whether it was Point Horrors or Goosebumps, 90's kids had a lust for for the darker side of life.

You had at least one book with a special effect; and it quickly became the talk of the classroom.

"My book has an actual TORCH but Siobhan's one SCREAMS when you open it!"

11. Army bags were an actual thing.

Your older brother or sister were likely to have carried their schoolbooks in a small army bag.

Slung over one shoulder and with a plaid shirt wrapped around their waist and Doc Martens on their feet, there was no one cooler than your older brother or sister.

"One day I'm gonna have an army bag too."

12. People not just collected, but actually used Call Cards

Such was the reliance on public telephone boxes, members of the public actually carried Call Cards for fear of being caught short with no pocket change.

And if you still weren't old enough to actually make a coherent call, you simply collected the old Call Cards your parents left lying around the house.

"One day I'm going to sell this collection for millions."