Way before the age of iPads and smartphones, kids in the 90s were often entertained by anything that seemed new. Here are some of our favorite products from 90s Jordan.
Warning: This post may trigger serious nostalgia.
1. Ringo Chips
You can't really find these chips anymore, unless you dig somewhere really deep within the streets of old Amman, but it was one of the best growing up. It's price made it such a bomb. We would buy a whole box for less than 5 JDs. Akhh, the memories!
2. IYES
This was always available in school cafeterias, you could buy it for 5 piasters and munch on it all day.
3. Game Boy
The biggest struggle was playing the Original Game Boy in the car while going to your aunt or uncle's house. Trying to catch a bit of light from the streets just so you can get Mario to jump on the pipe without getting bitten by a mushroom required serious skills.
4. Zaki
A combination of food coloring, sugar and water. Oh what an amazing childhood we had drinking diluted sugar in carton boxes. This was always on the table during lunch/dinner or packed tightly with your Labneh and Zaatar sandwich at school.
5. 3os Mos
Another frozen version of sugar, water and food coloring. During those scorching hot summer days, this was the best and most affordable dessert for our young selves.
6. Tazo
The ultimate collectible items from Lays chips were the Tazos. These were always confiscated in school because we would spend all our time swapping them. They first started out with Looney Toons characters but when Pokémon first started appearing on our TV screens, Bugs Bunny and Tazmania quickly turned into Pikatchu and Bulbasaur.
7. Pez
This candy was the best of all. We begged our parents for these - even though they believed we only bought it for the "toy," little did they know that the creators of Pez found a way for kids to play with the toy and still eat the candy.
8. Bear Gum + tattoo
The best thing was fooling your parents that you got a tattoo. They used to play along with us and act all surprised but we both knew deep down it was all a big lie!
9. Tamagotchi
Tamagotchi (aka Pets) is a handheld digital pet that you had to take care of. You actually had to feed, bathe, poop and rest it or else it would die.
Almost everyone in Jordan had one in the 90s. Mine never lived more than 12 hours, I can promise you that!
10. Scooters
Way before Hamley's opened up, Toys & Toys was every kids living dream. When they first released the Razor Scooters, people flocked in to buy them for their kids. Kinda like the "hover-boards" of today.
Everyone wanted a scooter for Eid, Christmas or their birthday. It was foldable and actually very sturdy. Affordable? Not so much.