Image via Complex Original
Raise your hand if you broke an arm climbing through your best friend's window like Sam on Nickelodeon's Clarissas Explains It All. Or maybe you weren't that adventurous, and instead just decorated your bedroom with Keith Haring posters, like the kids show heroine. If you or a friend had these ideas, congratulations, you were born in the late '80s (or early '90s).
Raised by '90s television (instead of, um, parents), you likely had a variety of colorful ideas about how to live and have fun growing up. Hopefully you weren't raised exclusively by D-Generation X, and were exposed to activities that didn't result in injuries/detention/ass-kickings.
You probably drew on sources as wide-ranging as Salute Your Shorts and Charmed. You probably did all of the following because '90s TV shows told you to.
Smoke a cigarette because Gia was cooler than Stephanie Tanner
As seen on: Full House
#FactsOnly
Track down your aunt's caffeine pills.
As seen on: Saved by the Bell
You were so excited. And also so scared.
Get the Cool Dr. Money haircut.
As seen on: My Brother and Me
Your best friend convinced you into letting him cut your hair. You wound up with a bald spot.
Wear a plastic headband over your eyes like Geordi La Forge
As seen on: Star Trek: The Next Generation
But then how were you gonna read the Reading Rainbow books?
Sneak downstairs for some quality late-night time with the TV.
As seen on: Undressed
Getting old is dirty business. (And yes, that is Christina Hendricks in the GIF above.)
Give someone an Awful Waffle.
As seen on: Salute Your Shorts
Every kid went through an asshole phase.
Tell all your friends to "suck it" like D-Generation X.
As seen on: WWF
D-Generation X unintentionally gave the baddest kids in your school the illest exit out of class and straight into detention, where they would give the principal some, too. You quietly cheered inside 'cause you know you didn't have the balls to pull it off and frankly, your mom would kill you if you even thought about it.
Sit in your bedroom at night and listen smooth jazz.
As seen on: Hey Arnold!
The reason all of your dad's Kenny G records are missing.
Get missions from Zordon.
As seen on: The Mighty Morphin' Power Rangers
If you've got enough imagination to picture a head talking to you from the edge where the wall meets your bedroom ceiling, anything is possible.
Drink nothing but orange soda.
As seen on: Kenan and Kel
And mark evey sip by exclaiming, "I do, I do, I do-oo!"
Accidentally electrocute yourself giving the TV a really tight hug.
As seen on: Teletubbies
The danger was real (trying to hug your TV).
Build your own obstacle course.
As seen on: Legends of the Hidden Temple
Because building an obstacle course in your house was more fun than playing "the floor is lava." Bonus: You didn't have to deal with those damn Temple guards.
Raise a pet rollie-pollie.
As seen on: Rugrats
If you were the kid whose parents didn't trust you enough with a dog, you had to channel your love (and loneliness) some other way. Enter: Chuckie Finster with his pet rollie-pollie, Melville. You could keep your own Melville in your sister's Polly Pocket house. It could be his home and, later, his tomb. R.I.P. Melville.
Pretend to be crazy to get out of a fight.
As seen on: The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air
There's a reason why no one makes eye contact with the loony homeless guy.
Only talk to your neighbors over the fence.
As seen on: Home Improvement
But, like Wilson, you'd only show the top half of your face. Bucket hat not necessary.
Throw a bunch of No. 2 pencils at the ceiling.
As seen on: Family Matters
Stefan Urquelle was the epitome of suave. But your attempt to match his swag temporarily blinded you.
Convince your parents to let you live above the garage.
As seen on: Growing Pains
No treehouse? No problem! Just ask your parents to live above the garage. It's a magical world.
Make fun of music videos with your friends.
As seen on: Beavis and Butt-Head
Alright, this seems like a no-brainer, but hey, we just wanted an excuse to sit around all day and talk shit. Ah, how we miss when MTV actually played music videos.
Free a turtle.
As seen on: Hey Arnold!
Breaking into a zoo with your badass grandma and freeing a turtle? Count us in! PETA would be pleased.
Walk around with your hands in your pants.
As seen on: Married...with Children
This is also how you discovered the wonders of puberty.
Add a cell phone to your Christmas list.
As seen on: Saved by the Bell
Because how could you call all the hotties on the playground, you know?
Work on your Nerf gun marksmanship
As seen on: American Gladiators
By having your little brother run through an impossible obstacle course of couch cushions while you fired at him.
Said "Kowabunga" while eating pizza.
As seen on: Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles
You don't really recall screaming for ice cream as a young'n but you did cry "Kowabunga" because pizza deserved it's own catchphrase, dammit. And who's cooler than the Turtles?
Eat a chili dog.
As seen on: Sonic the Hedgehog
Because, like Sonic, you needed fuel. And Popeye's spinach looked gross.
Pound cans of soda like Stone Cold Steve Austin.
As seen on: WWF
At barbecues, in the school cafeteria, during dinner with your parents you were convinced, I mean convinced , your forehead had can-smashing fortitude. Three child-size Advils later, you realized no, you did not. And probably never will.
Organize your own Midnight Society.
As seen on: Are You Afraid of the Dark?
Definitely not for the faint of heart, or bladder.
Cut down a tree in an effort to befriend a log.
As seen on: The Ren and Stimpy Show
The kids in the commercials had so much fun.
Make your own Mr. Socko like Mankind.
As seen on: WWF
The Mr. Socko move was the best. Simple, straightforward. Mankind would just shove his hand in a sock then down his foe's throat. Frankly, it was one of the more scary wrestling manuevers. Then you went home, stuffed your hand in your gym sock, and were heavily disappointed at the fun you were not having.
See if you can speed-read.
As seen on: Allen Strange
Was there a more frustrating TV character to emulate than Allen Strange? He could study in a matter of seconds. Despite your numerous attempts to memorize your social studies book by flipping through it, you'd still fail those pop quizzes.
Create your own superheroes.
As seen on: Doug
Doug Funny taught us something valuable about creation. Too bad the only lesson we took to heart was about wearing our underwear wrong.
Try to spend the night in your school.
As seen on: The Adventures of Pete and Pete
School during the day is nowhere as exciting as school during the night. Unless you're afraid of the dark-in that case, run!
Try to make friends with the ice cream man.
As seen on: The Adventures of Pete and Pete
But in your reality he was the neighborhood drug dealer, not a man in the midst of an existential crisis. (Not that those two things need to be mutually exclusive or anything.)
Flip a cafeteria chair around and sit in it backwards.
As seen on: Saved By the Bell
Also known as "Slatering."
Concoct a love potion.
As seen on: Charmed
Magic powers, sassy comebacks, bell bottom jeans-the Halliwell sisters kicked ass at everything. They whipped up a stick-to-your-ribs demon-blasting potion, too.
Fit yourself through a hanger.
As seen on: Figure It Out
Kids on Figure It Out had the dumbest quirks. One was collecting toe jam, which is another way of saying collecting no friends. And yet this is the one that got you grounded by your mom.
Beg your family to buy an RV.
As seen on: The Wild Thornberrys
It's probably for the best that your family didn't travel around the world filming nature documentaries, that your best friend wasn't a chimpanzee, and that you socialized with people as opposed to animals. Nigel would be a hilarious father, though.
Do the clock stretch.
As seen on: The Big Comfy Couch
Who said kids don't exercise? Loonette, the friendliest clown on TV, was giving kids a workout with her yoga-like clock stretch. Disclaimer: stretch at your own risk.
Emulate Will and Jazz's handshake.
As seen on: The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air
A handshake classic that earned points for simplicity. (Read: White people could act like they could do it.)
Speak in a snarky monotone.
As seen on: Daria
The most relatable misanthrope of the '90s, Daria was the sardonic girl you wanted to talk to in high school. Except she hated everything you stood for :(
Say, "How you doin'?"
As seen on: Friends
Maybe it was the goofy demeanor or the acceptable amount of hair gel, but who could resist Joey? Nobody. That's who. Except Janine, but she doesn't count.
Do the 10-second tidy.
As seen on: The Big Comfy Couch
Parents everywhere can go to hell for forcing us to clean up with these simple songs! (Still, this Big Comfy Couch classic goes.)
Cut your hair (and buy a blow dryer).
As seen on: Friends
It really only worked on Jennifer Aniston, that was the dirty secret.
Exclaim, "Maha!"
As seen on: The Amanda Show
We still don't know what exactly "MAHA!" means, but at the time it was the most hilarious nonsensical word we knew. R.I.P. Amanda Bynes's career.
Find some stairs and pretend to be Stoop Kid.
As seen on: Hey Arnold!
And then give your friends a couple of nickels to chant "Stoop Kid's afraid to leave his stoop!" That was the dream, that was the nightmare.
Say, "Woogidy!"
As seen on: Rocket Power
You were a shoobie if you didn't know where this handshake was from. Besides bringing us good times, good vibes and uncle Tito's strange advice, Rocket Power brought us this gnarly handshake. Woogidy! Woogidy! Woogidy!
Copy Uncle Joey's "cut it out" gesture.
As seen on: Full House
Dave Coulier's catchphrase was cheesy and you did it anyway. Could this have been what won over Alanis?
Build a shrine for your secret crush.
As seen on: Hey Arnold!
Stalking takes serious dedication. Building a shrine takes even more dedication. Kudos, Helga Pataki.
Practice the Carlton Banks dance.
As seen on: The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air
The running man, the cabbage patch, the perkolator, the Carlton. This is the course of American history.
Do the Wolf Pack hand gesture with your friends at recess.
As seen on: WCW
There may not have been a more entertaining crew (of any era) than the Wolf Pack. When you weren't recklessly suplexing your friends before class, the sign of the Pack was the ultimate signal of rebellious solidarity for eight year olds everywhere.
2. Climb into a friend's window.
As seen on: Clarissa Explains It All
The '90s were an innocent time. Back then climbing through a window into someone's room was socially acceptable and not creepy. Just ask Sam on Clarissa Explains it All or Joey on Dawson's Creek.
