Remember these toys you played with, 2000s kids?

While mindlessly scrolling through YouTube videos, I stumbled across the cast of To All The Boys I Loved reacting to 90s and 2000s toys by Netflix.

It got me reminiscing on my childhood toys and adventures as I didn’t really watch YouTube or grab at my parents’ mobile phone for one more game growing up.

And out of curiosity, I did an Instagram poll to see what my friends remembered about theirs. Low and behold, there were a plethora of options from beyblades and chapteh to My Little Pony and Moshi Monsters.

Now that brought back plenty of memories.

So, here are some iconic toys for 2000 kids in Singapore.

 

Back when TV shows followed a strict schedule, I had to wake up early just to catch my favourite shows and was more of an early bird than a night owl.

I remember the english-dubbed anime series like Beyblade: Metal Fusion or Super Yo-Yo were a huge hit with its cool tricks and special effects.

Following the trend, my schoolmates started jumping on the bandwagon and would have beyblade matches during breaks or show off the Yo-Yo tricks they had mastered.

I’d say they were the equivalent of the fidget spinners and kendamas trend!

Pick-up sticks were one of the cheapest and simplest games with no age restrictions.

My friends and I would find some random spot and sit in a circle before sprawling out the sticks. There were many different versions like the classic coloured plastic sticks or wooden ones with coloured ends.

Some people would be very uptight about the rules and it felt so nerve-racking when it was my turn to remove the sticks.

And at times it took us longer to settle ourselves down for the game than actually playing it – especially when someone starts complaining about the way the sticks fell and wanted the game to restart.

Team Pokémon or Team Vanguard? Because I was pretty much in between both camps.

Just like the various popular animes, I distinctly remember the blowup of Cardfight Vanguard and Pokémon shows.

But unlike modern day Pokémon GO and other mobile game applications, my friends used to collect physical card collections like it was gold, although I didn’t really understand why.

They even spent their allowance on endless packs and whoever managed to get the legendary or rare cards would instantly become the popular kid in school!

When Cardfight Vanguard joined the club, I’d see my friends comparing decks and having card fights after class. And whenever you won you’d feel like an anime protagonist.

Surprise! Yes, 2000s kids still played LEGO growing up. It’s a classic after all!

I honestly do not remember how it started because most of my memories about LEGO are blurred, apart from one or two instances.

It was either me fighting with my brother over the same piece of LEGO when there’s a hundred other identical ones around us, or playing LEGO Batman: The Videogame (well, it’s still LEGO, right) at the computer. Both are fond memories though.

I remember my dad used to lay out this long towel and the LEGO bricks were laid out on it like a buffet selection. My brother and I would sit around it, just letting our imaginations run wild.

There used to be boxes of LEGO around the house, but with the recent spring cleaning I assume we’ve probably thrown out or given away a bunch of them.

The video game is probably lying around somewhere in the house but the last time we touched it was probably years ago.

I’d love to still play it now though. It was a great way to pass the time and for us siblings to bond.

Not to fulfil the typical stereotype that all girls play with Barbie dolls but as a young child with close to 10 DVDs of Barbie movies, I cannot deny I had a liking for those movies.

I eventually outgrew the liking, and the increasing number of horror movies like Chucky or Annabelle did not help at all, so I soon tossed my well-dressed blonde girl away.

But it was fun while it lasted.

And for Hot Wheels, I used to see their advertisements on TV all the time and thought the obstacles and high speed chases were beyond cool. It isn’t just for boys, you know.

So when my dad came home with a racing car one day (sadly it wasn’t from Hot Wheels though), my brother and I would race our car around the cement floor of our void deck for ages.

Then we’d return home to clean the car’s wheels so the gears wouldn’t rust. And of course, that way we could continue driving it around the living room till bedtime.

If I could I’d probably never let go of the controller but… all good things must be shared.

Before iPods, or even Spotify, there’s MP3 players! The first time I ever received aMP3 player was in primary school. My parents would download all my favourite songs and transfer them into the device.

I brought it everywhere I went, like I do with my smartphone now. Some might say I was possessive of the little thing.

When Spotify and Apple Music were still something you’d probably see only in a Sci-Fi movie, my parents bought me a CD and I would have to add the song digitally into the MP3. I’d then blast the music non-stop and sing along to it!

I pity my neighbours for having to bear with my endless singing but hey, at least they got some entertainment and a ‘front row seat’ to listen to my mini concert.