Iconic 2000s Things
Miss pushing real buttons on your Motorola Razr? Well, take a walk down memory lane and see how many of these iconic 2000s things you remember.
The Internet Dial-Up Sound
Beep beep beep whrrrrrrrr. Ah, the Noughties: when waiting for the Internet to wake up took long enough to make coffee. Thank goodness our attention spans were more than a few seconds.
Windows XP Profile Pictures
Maybe your brother was Skateboard Guy and you were Soccer Ball. Meanwhile, the boring chess pieces were always Guest.
Mice With Trackballs On The Bottom
Remember poking at these? Early 2000s tech was a lot more tactile, including the wire attached to your mouse that was always stuck.
Leveling Up From “Cadet” To “Ensign” In Full Tilt! Pinball
This little game had the funnest sound effects. And since it came free on Windows PCs, you could play it in typing class too! After class, we had our own little online water cooler: MSN Messenger.
Hanging Out On MSN Messenger After School
It was THE place after school where we creeped on everyone’s status updates and gossipped. Speaking of those statuses, we found creative ways to maximize that tiny space.
Online Handles That Looked Like ~.:://this\\::.~
The more obscure the symbols, the better. Some of us even borrowed characters from other languages.
DIY Geocities Websites
Marquees, guestbooks, Comic Sans, oh my… Anyone with basic HTML skills could make it big in their corner of the Internet. Fun fact: You can still visit preserved Geocities sites in the Geocities Gallery!
The Windows Media Player Visualizer
Syncing perfectly to whichever song was playing, these were enthralling to stare at. Honestly, they should introduce a version to Spotify.
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Bluetooth Headsets That Make You Look Like You’re Talking To Yourself
Hey, why is that guy in the suit talking to himself? Oh, he’s wearing a Bluetooth thing on his ear and having a Very Serious Business Meeting on the bus.
The Sleek Motorola Razr
Phones are getting big these days, but in the 2000s, tech companies were in an arms race to see who could build the thinnest phone. The Razr was an iconic flip phone, but it wasn’t alone…
Real Buttons…And Blackberrys
We didn’t swipe or tap—we punched and pressed. The Blackberry was the ultimate button queen, giving you freedom to text like you’re on a mini computer. Then, touch wheels started becoming a thing…
Showing Off Your iPod Mini
That clicky touch wheel was the future in your pocket. And having four gigabytes of storage was too much space for our minds to wrap around. To fill up all the storage, 2000s kids with no money turned to P2P…
https://www.flickr.com/people/kaori/, CC BY 2.0, Wikimedia Commons
Downloading Songs With Weird File Names On Limewire
Sure, sometimes downloads took forever or your parents got mad at you for accidentally downloading malware. But discerning music tastes were formed with Limewire.
The Teen Heartthrob That Was Jesse McCartney
Why does no one talk about this guy anymore? He rocked the Bieber cut before Bieber. But Jesse’s doing well: In fact, his “Quarantined Couple” comedy videos were very popular during the pandemic.
Everett Collection, Shutterstock
Catching Aly & AJ On The Disney Channel
“Rush” was a banger, honestly. Though, if wholesome blonde, guitar-playing sisters weren’t your jam, the pop punk era was in full swing.
Feeling Edgy For Liking Linkin Park
If there was an emo kid gateway, Linkin Park was it. Gems like Meteora and Hybrid Theory were the first time future rebels heard something darker and gnarlier than mainstream pop. And boy did it speak to us.
Tila Tequila: The First Mainstream Queer Representation?
When Tila Tequila came out as bi on her reality TV show, it was A Moment. And for kids in the closet, that may have been the first time they learned that hey, you can date both guys and girls!
Toglenn, CC-BY-SA-3.0, Wikimedia Commons
The Magical Anime That Was Cardcaptors
Before Naruto and Bleach, Cardcaptors introduced English-speaking kids to the fantastical world of anime. Cardcaptors of the Clow, expect the unexpected now!
Madhouse, CardCaptors (TV Series 2000–2003)
“Having Fun Isn’t Hard When You’ve Got A Library Card!”
This catchy Arthur song was an anthem. Because when you’re a kid, having a card with your name on it is a rush!
That Secret Tower In The Neopets Map
You know the one. Hover your mouse on that tricky little spot in the Faerie City map and you can access a secret shop. While we’re at it, the early 2000s were strangely a golden age of virtual pets…
Feeding Your Nintendog
Not all of our parents let us have dogs. But if you were lucky—and they got you the all-new Nintendo DS—they might buy you a virtual shiba inu you could train to weave poles!
Collecting All Three Yu-Gi-Oh! Egyptian God Cards
Trading card games were all the rage among 2000s kids. After Pokémon, some of us got into Yu-Gi-Oh!. We’d watch the anime religiously after school then duel it out on the playground the next day.
Pooping Pig Keychains
Who else’s parents were grossed out by these? But to school-age children, toilet humor was the height of comedy. That, and anatomically-incorrect dolls…
Bratz Dolls
Bratz was the edgier, trendier sister of Barbie. And they were a hit with kids. Sadly, their pouty lips and angled eyes were too spicy for some adults.
Time-Travelling With The Magic Tree House
Once we learned how to read chapter books, we time-traveled with Jack and Annie and met pirates, mummies, dinosaurs, and more.
Playing “Hidden Pictures” In Highlights For Children
Other favorites in the magazine were “Goofus and Gallant,” “The Timbertoes,” and “Ask Arizona”. Seriously…the 2000s had some hard-hitting literature.
Touching Dragon Scales In Dragonology
Written as if they were a real field book of dragon specimens collected from a scientist, some of us really believed we were feeling dragon scales and wing membranes.
Spending Money For The First Time At The Scholastic Book Fair
Remember shopping for colorful erasers, fancy pens, and posters with pocket change at the Scholastic Book Fair? Fun fact: Some schools still have them!
Collecting Gel Pens
Speaking of fancy stationery, there was a time when metallic gel pens were a coveted addition to every pencil case. Dotting your i’s with glittery hearts was never so satisfying.
Drawing All Over Your Spacemaker Boxes
You could pretend your crayon was a car darting around all the little nubs. For some reason, every kid at school had one of these to store their pencil sharpeners and glue sticks.
Teachers Writing On Overhead Projectors
Because the teacher has to face the front of the class while using them, us kids were free to engage in our shenanigans (or nap) in the back.
mailer_diablo, CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons
Fleece Gap Hoodies
Everyone was tucking their hands into these kangaroo pockets come spring or fall. The 2000s had some brief but quirky fashion trends for sure.
Dangling Your Belt Out From Its Belt Loops
It just looked so chill. The skater kids and their poser friends paired these with checkerboard Vans slip-ons and oversized snap-backs.
Kirsten Hartsoch, CC BY 2.0, Wikimedia Commons
Racking Up A Rainbow Of Gel Bracelets On Your Arm
Hey, some of them were for a good cause. Most kids just thought they were a cool cheap thing to collect, but a less wholesome urban legend led some schools to ban them.
Stripy Hand Warmers
Selena Gomez rocked these pretty hard in Wizards of Waverly Place. They were popular with the punk and emo crowd, but the thicker knit ones were just…really comfy.
Flared Leg Jeans
In every era of fashion, people have very strong opinions on jeans. In the 2000s, yours had to be low-rise and flared-leg. And when that flared leg dragged around in puddles…well, too bad.
Skimpy Halter Tops
These were so popular come summer. They exuded excellent beach vibes—just watch out for sunburns. These Y2K fashion pieces are back—and now there’s even a hack to wear a bra with it.
Yummy Lip Smacker Lip Gloss
These little tubes of joy came in fun flavors, from Skittles to Coca-Cola. The brand is still around, but the logo is less doodly today. Was it just me, or were 2000s things campier and more colorful?
Fruit Roll-Ups With Punch-Out Shapes
There were even some that let you tattoo your tongue! These snacks were the pride of playground exchanges…until our parents found out they were more candy than fruit.
Dunkaroos
These little blue packs of sugary goodness were sadly discontinued in the US in 2012. They reappeared in 2020—perhaps the best thing to happen during Covid.
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