Did I Do That?: The Best (and Worst) of the '90s - Toys, Games, Shows, and Other Stuff

by Amber Humphrey

D id I Do That? The Best (and Worst) of the ‘90s relives the decade that brought the Power Rangers, Saved by the Bell , and Beanie Babies to worldwide stardom. Celebrating the most sought-after, wacky, ubiquitous, and downright bizarre bits of ’90s pop culture, this chock-full-of-fun, tongue-in-cheek survey looks back at everything kids begged their parents for and comments on what made all that stuff so irresistible. Each of the top 40 pop-culture phenomena of the era—from toys and games to television and film to books and music—gets its own short chapter discussing its rise and fall, spinoffs, favorite moments, and more, along with running commentary on what was hot at the moment and what was suddenly “so five minutes ago.”
For anyone who quoted Urkel, saved up her (or his!) allowance for a Spice Girls doll, or traded pogs with friends in study hall, Did I Do That? brings back favorite ’90s toys, fads, and memories from childhood in a fully illustrated, shamelessly nostalgic collection.

Genres: Nonfiction, History, Humor

208 pages, Paperback

First published May 1, 2013

Reviews

[Brian · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was another fun trip down memory lane. I've read several books that are of similiar vein that were about the 80's and a few about the 90's and this one doesn't stand out in particular. The book is divided into little mini chapters, most being only two pages. The item is talked about, pictures are shared and then the book moves on. I guess my desire for a more in depth book will not be achieved in this book. Still if you were born in the early or mid 80's, you will really enjoy this book! If you are under 20 right now, most of this will be lost.

[Liz · Rating 4 out of 5]

What a really fun book! I was born in 1988, and though the first two years or so of the 90's were meaningless to me, from about 1993 on, I was a child of the 90's. Brought many great memories back and reinforced my ideas that the kids of today just seem to be missing out. The only thing I thought was missing from the book was some pages on the Pokemon craze that the video games and anime brought to the U.S. other than the a great review of a great decade!

[J · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is one of those nostalgic books that allows the reader to return to those years where we were still living on the dangerous edge with a few concessions to safety and facing forth into a new technologic whirlwind. As such it is a fine witness to the changes in the technology that was had although not a full history of the technology step-by-step nor the changes in complete lifestyle such as the new parenting mode, how we coddle the newer generations, etc.

Instead the book dives into the toys, the trends, the growing music choices and the other iconic elements of being a '90s kid from the United States. Since it isn't comprehensive, though, the author seemed to either choose elements that were more early '90s or even closer to the end of the '90s while seeming to just highlight only the most important things at least to them thus horror shows weren't covered, Boy Meets World only had two paragraphs, Pokémon was missing altogether, Channel 1 news at school and other iconic parts or well-known toys that helped to form my own childhood such as the ubiquitous yet unsteady card cataloging system.

At the same time the author kept the general tone of her generation and one that seems to be an echo of '90s children within the book. There are some snappy responses and jokes that would make Bart Simpson proud, the I'm American so everyone else can bite me attitude and the fact of charging on without caring about left out information such as Disney was trying diversify their films in the '90s although Beauty and the Beast came out in 1991 or got it wrong such as The Lion King's origin material. Although it might be annoying to some I have to applaud her for at least being able to keep the tone of the decade alive.

Otherwise the writing was very simple to follow and easy to read. Along with numerous doodles and colored photographs there will definitely be some memories brought back to readers who lived through those years even if they may not remember some of them.

All in all it was a nice and decent introduction to parts of the '90s for those who may be interested in knowing a decade they didn't live through. And again as it isn't comprehensive there will surely be bunches of things left out that did make a mark on young people at the time but at least it can be a jumping point to starting your own list of important events, people, shows, etc. if you feel like pursuing the subject.

[Nile Becklen · Rating 5 out of 5]

A tongue-in-cheek account of some of the '90s' weirdest & most pervasive fads, from Pogs to Tamagotchi to the Spice Girls. Regardless of whether you liked those trends, the book has some hilarious commentary on them. One of the writers was a contributor to "Rookie," and in places the writing style certainly reflects that with its dry wit. The book offers a far from representative look at '90s pop culture, and pays little attention to headlines or world events, but the book is a witty and enjoyable masterclass in the '90s' sheer bizarreness.

[Lili Kim · Rating 4 out of 5]

So much fun reminiscing the 90s, including rollerblades (which i still have), gameboys, pogs, tgif, goosebumps, lisa frank, tamagotchis, teenage mutant ninja turles (i had a michelangelo night light!), skip-it, full house, etc!

Quotes that resonated: “TGIF made sitting in front of the TV seem like an event. When these shows were airing, it was exciting to spend your whole Friday night at home. These days, not so much.” (or is it?!).

[Sanja Stankovic · Rating 5 out of 5]

Iako je na engleskom jeziku,ova slatka knjiga me prijatno iznenadila za rodjendan. Ima svega. Od igracaka,rolera,video igara pa do muzike koje su u devedesetima bile u trendu. Nadam se da ce biti jos knjiga namenjene devedesetima jer su,ako izuzmemo rat,inflaciju,bombardovanje,bile bezbrizne. Slusala se dobra muzika,gledali se kvalitetni filmovi... Dete sam '90-ih i ponosna sam sto sam imala divno detinjstvo.

[Lacy Lovelace · Rating 5 out of 5]

LOVE this book! Finally, a book for MY generation (Gen-Yers OR Millennials!) The author, who is also a millennial, writes about the things that stood out to many of us throughout our childhood in the 90s. This is seriously a nostalgia book that I've been searching for and it is jam-packed with colorful pictures and pages full of things that I remember! An awesome walk down memory lane!

[Charity · Rating 4 out of 5]

A fun trip down memory lane!

[B. · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was amazing and I could hear just about every single picture. This book basically covers everything about me being a preteen-teen in the 90s. It was awesome.

[Chanda · Rating 4 out of 5]

Such a fun blast from the past!

[Monica · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ah this book was such a trip down memory lane! Although I didn't remember everything listed, but most things.

Man, the 90s was a fun time to be a kid ☺️

[Stef · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a really fun read -- love the author's use of hyperbole and wit. Automatic stars for the inclusion of "Roundhouse," a favorite SNICK show of mine that so few remember I feared I'd hallucinated it. It felt good reading this, feeling nostalgic and having various details about my childhood reaffirmed. (Yes, "Pocahontas" WAS the worst! Yes, I too named my Oregon Trail party members after the friends sitting closest to me in the computer lab!) Would really love a sequel to this book, maybe featuring less ubiquitous '90s artifacts and iconography.

[Pug · Rating 5 out of 5]

Yay, Nineties!!! Always a fun trip down memory lane, with an author [about my age] who lived through it and appreciated all that came with it, enough to joke about the absurdity of it.

I chuckled a bunch of times, and thrilled at the sight of many 90s things that I immediately recognized (as things that I owned):
-Super Soaker XP105
-Goosebumps "Say Cheese and Die"
-"My Teacher Is an Alien"
-Velvet scrunchie
-Ninja Turtle action figure (Raph, obvi)
-Sega Genesis
-boy band *ahem* album covers
-"Magic Eye" books

[Keith Adams · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love this book! It's like a trip down memory lane for me, from what were the hottest movies or what were the biggest trends at the time or what was the best thing in music! Needless to say, I lived through it all! I was there when rollerblading was a big deal (I actually owned a pair as a kid), when you had to be the cool kid in your block if you had Pogs, when Disney movies ruled the world (and still do)! If you love the 90s as much as I do, this book is for you!

[Bookish · Rating 4 out of 5]

Silly romp through the 90s. Since my children were growing up during that decade, I was, by default, subjected to much of the popular culture. Some of it was good (Clarissa Explains it All) and some of it really sucked (far too much to mention here). Still, the decade and it's detritus holds many good memories for me, so this was fun.

[John Wiley · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the 90's book I've been searching for. I've read a few other books about the 90's, some better than the others, but this is definitely the best I've come across. It's in full color, rather exhaustive, and funny. This is a book a recommend to anyone who grew up in the 90's and one I will definitely reread in the future. I hope the author will continue her work and write a volume 2.

[Allison · Rating 1 out of 5]

Though technically targeted to those slightly younger audience than me, it looked like a fun piece of pop culture. I just really dislike reading even one factual error. I keeps me wondering what else they got wrong that I didn't catch. This book claims that the Lion King is essentially Macbeth when in reality it is essentially Hamlet. So really, what else did this author get wrong?

[Tracy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Pretty exhaustive look at growing up in the 90s. Just about everything from the time is there from Newsies, TGIF,Oregon Trail to Lisa Frank. The only big things from back then I don't see are the babysitter's club and landyards. Great for 20-30 something's out there to look back.

[Matthew Cirilli · Rating 5 out of 5]

I think the title pretty much says it all. If you are ready for a nostalgia trip with some excellent humor thrown in, pick this up! It was a very fun read.

[Amy Preston · Rating 5 out of 5]

loved it. it really brought me back to my childhood.

[Sarah · Rating 4 out of 5]

I just skimmed this book, and it was a fun trip down memory lane.

[Kyla Belvedere]

I loved this book! Humphrey shares my sense of humour, as well as my age (I bet she was born in '84, although I need to look it up). All us early 80s babies need to read this!

[Niky · Rating 5 out of 5]

memories

[Annie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Awesome

[Courtney · Rating 3 out of 5]

I love the author's blog, but didn't think the book was quite as good. Still, the book was a silly and enjoyable nostalgia trip.

[Chris · Rating 4 out of 5]

It makes me feel very old that there's already 90's nostalgia books out. But it was a very fun book. There were things in there that I had forgotten. It was humorous, and nicely designed as well.

[L. · Rating 3 out of 5]

Vanilla Ice.

[Kat · Rating 2 out of 5]

byłyby 3*. ale nie ma.