The 18 Biggest Pop Culture Phenomena of the 1990s

Things that stopped being a product and became a period. Playground crazes, record-breaking films, boy bands and one franchise that never went away.

1

Pokemon

The Japanese monster franchise that reached the West in 1998 and turned into a card, cartoon and playground economy at once.

2

Tamagotchi

Bandai's 1996 keychain pet that had to be fed every few hours or it died.

3

Beanie Babies

Ty's understuffed plush toys that turned into a full speculative bubble.

4

Furby

The 1998 talking robot toy that learned English and was banned from some offices.

5

Titanic

James Cameron's 1997 film that held the box-office record for twelve years.

6

Jurassic Park

Spielberg's 1993 dinosaur film that changed what computer effects could do.

7

The Spice Girls

The British group whose 1996 debut made girl power a marketing language.

8

Friends

The 1994 sitcom whose haircut and coffee shop defined a decade of television.

9

Nirvana and grunge

The Seattle band whose 1991 album pushed alternative rock into the mainstream.

10

Michael Jordan and the Bulls

The Chicago team whose second three-peat made basketball a global product.

11

Tickle Me Elmo

The 1996 Christmas toy that caused fights in shop aisles.

12

The Macarena

Los del Rio's 1996 dance track that became a wedding and stadium standard.

13

Harry Potter

The book series that began in 1997 and made children's publishing a blockbuster business.

14

The X-Files

The 1993 series that made conspiracy television mainstream.

15

Backstreet Boys

The Florida group at the centre of the late-1990s boy band wave.

16

Nintendo 64 and GoldenEye

The 1996 console and the 1997 shooter that made four-player split screen a ritual.

17

The Matrix

The 1999 film whose bullet time was copied for a decade.

18

Beavis and Butt-Head

MTV's 1993 animated series that defined the channel's attitude.