When I think of the glory days of the '90s, I think of scrunchies, questionable fashion choices, butterfly clips, Sweet Valley High, and sleepovers. Sleepovers were paramount in the '90s. It seems like every Friday or Saturday night, someone would host a slumber party, where we'd all pile into the basement, load up on snacks, and break out the games. And not just any games. Oh no, there were very specific games every cool '90s girl played with her BFFs during these late-night, sleepless parties.
Maybe it's because I don't partake in slumber parties anymore. Or maybe it's because our generation has evolved to binge watching Netflix at sleepovers rather than busting out the games, but I genuinely miss throwing on a matching pajama set and playing games with my favorite ladies. Times were simpler in the '90s. There was no need to decipher text messages, because you talked to your crush on a landline. There was no Facebook stalking, because you did your stalking in the halls at school. Rather than connecting through a screen in the '90s, you connected through hilarious (and looking back, completely questionable) rounds of games that would propel you into staying up past midnight and gabbing until someone's mom came and took the electronic boardgames away. This is an ode to all the games that made an appearance in my '90s world of sleepovers, because a little nostalgia is good for the soul.
1Mall Madness
Mall Madness, $99.99, Amazon
I truly believe I can trace all of my shopping problems back to my first time playing this game. What's that? You're giving me a credit card to prance around the mall with? With no repercussions? Ah, the warm fuzzy comforts of going to the mall in the '90s. This game had it all.
2Girl Talk
Girl Talk: The Game of Truth or Dare, $67, Amazon
I remember being mildly terrified to play this game with my girlfriends. As it turns out, the questions of the game were much less ruthless than the questions my friends would come up with in a freeform game of Truth or Dare. No sleepover was complete without a round of this gem.
3Pretty Pretty Princess
Pretty Pretty Princess Dress Up Board Game, $145, Amazon
I'm not ashamed to say that I made my younger brothers play this game with me well into my adolescence. And sometimes I'd wear the crown around the house just for fun.
4Dream Phone
Electronic Dream Phone, $311, Amazon
Dream Phone prepared me for a world of anxiety ridden middle school and high school evenings on the phone, attempting to exhibit chill while really freaking out over everything that came out of my mouth. Thank you, Dream Phone, for all of your wisdom.
5Ask Zandar
Ask Zandar, $75, Amazon
Maybe I loved this game because it reminded me of the movie Big, or maybe I loved it because there was a talking wizard. Like a vocal Magic 8 Ball, Zandar had no rhyme or reason, and yet I entrusted him with my greatest hopes and fears.
6The Babysitter's Club Mystery Game
Babysitter's Club Mystery Game, $89, Amazon
I'd buy almost anything branded with The Babysitter's Club, especially a board game. Although the premise of the game was a little backwards (deciding what the mystery was at the beginning of the game rather than solving it), it was good time wholesome fun.
7Guess Who?
Guess Who?, $11.59, Amazon
Who doesn't remember Guess Who? The ultimate game of details and memory, I had a weird obsession with this game. I mean, how fun was it to flip all those faces up and down?
8Tamagotchi
Tamagotchi, $17, Toys R Us
Tamagotchis were a wave of technological obsession in the '90s, and they were only the beginning. They were so popular and so addicting, that they were banned completely from my middle school. Teachers just didn't understand the importance of needing to feed that digital monster.
10Cat's Cradle
Cat's Cradle, $9.25, Amazon
I'm going to be completely honest with you and tell you that the only string formation I learned out of this book was the Cat's Cradle. I dreamt of being able to figure out the Eiffel Tower, the Witch's Broom, and so much more. But I stuck with the standard, and I can still pull out that party trick today.
11Fashion Designer Barbie
Fashion Designer Barbie, $25, Amazon
It's possible that this fashion designing number from Mattel gave my parents the biggest regret. I went nuts with our printer, crafting outfit after outfit for my Barbies. It nurtured my budding creativity, and ensured that we almost never had enough printer paper at our house.
