The Totally Sweet ’90s: From Clear Cola to Furby, and Grunge to “Whatever,” the Toys, Tastes, and Trends That Defined a Decade by Gael Fashingbauer Cooper, Brian Bellmont Page B

the fat little footballs across the room.
    They were so fragile, if you tried to keep a few in your backpack or pocket, all you were left with was a pile of Dorito dust. So when they broke open, where did all that Dorito-scented air go? Our guess is it escaped into the atmosphere and now surrounds the Earth, protecting us like a jalapeno-cheddar-scented ozone layer.
    STATUS: They disappeared in the 2000s, but serious snackers aren’t letting them go without a fight. A “Bring Back Doritos 3D!” Facebook page has thousands of fans.
    FUN FACT: In 2001, to coincide with the release of Disney/Pixar’s
Monsters, Inc.
, Frito-Lay launched “Monster Colorz” Doritos 3Ds, which turned your mouth blue.

Dream Phone Game
    W hat the Mystery Date board game was to an earlier generation, Dream Phone was to 1990s girls. Mystery Date featured a dorky plastic door that opened to reveal your date for the evening, but Dream Phone added technology, centering around a battery-powered hot pink cordless phone. Players found a photo card with the boy of their choice and punched in his phone number, and a geeky voice delivered a private clue as to which boy had a crush on you. Players recorded clues on a scorecard and when ready to make a guess, called the boy they suspected to learn if they were right.
    All the little Dream Phone details added up to a major gigglefest.Some of the guys on the cards were cute (Dave! Call me!) but others looked like psycho killers (Steve!), nerdy little brothers (Phil!), or your ’roid-raging neighbor who wore nothing but Zubaz (Carlos!). What was up with Tony’s earring, Mark’s rainbow shirt, John’s dorky suspenders, and just how many layers of sweatshirts was Dan wearing? (We count four.) The clues were equally hilarious. “He’ll eat anything, except hot dogs.” Well, then he really won’t eat
anything
, now,
will he
?

    At an age when calling a real boy was as unimaginable as going to the moon, Dream Phone let us practice for that far-off day by boldly punching up a number while our pals cheered us on. We would hold one-sided conversations Milton Bradley never dreamed of, suggesting Bob pluck his eyebrows or dissolving in hysterics at George’s uneven dye job. And when you finally heard those magic words: “You’re right! I really like you!” it was impossible not to shout out with glee and diss your undateable friends. Wrong number for you, suckahs!
    STATUS: The latest Dream Phone edition replaces the enormous hot pink handset with a smartphone and delivers clues via text message.
    FUN FACT: The game’s instructions warn you that the included instrument is “not a real phone.”

Dunkaroos
    K ids are trained early to dip their snacks. If it’s not potato chips in onion dip, or tortilla chips in salsa, it’s otherwise healthy vegetables in diet-destroying ranch dressing or McNuggets in sweet and sour sauce.
    So in 1988, Kid Snack World was perfectly primed for Betty Crocker’s Dunkaroos, kangaroo-shaped cookies that came with a tiny swimming pool of frosting. You sent your tasty Aussie friend off the high dive and into a calorie-laden bath of sweet, sweet icing, then barely let him have a second to shake off the excess before rebounding him smack into Lake Mouth. A later Cookies ’n Creme version let kids build and overstuff their own sandwich cookies, Double Stuf Oreo-style.
    Although invented in the 1980s, Dunkaroos might be themost 1990s snack there was. It’s easy to find a nineties kid with fond memories of wolfing these down in front of ABC’s TGIF block, with a six-pack of Crystal Pepsi at hand to wash them down.

    STATUS: Dunkaroos are hard to find these days, and many fans mistakenly think they’ve been discontinued. Try Walmart, Costco, your local dollar store, or order online from Amazon.
    FUN FACT: The original mascot was an Australian kangaroo named Sydney, but for some reason, Betty Crocker