The ’90s blessed us with school supplies that brought real joy with their bright colors, weird gimmicks, and total lack of software updates. These treasures had us racing to the store before September, eager to show off our cool new gear on day one of school.
Today’s kids might get excited about smartphones, but nothing beats the simple thrill of those classic ’90s supplies. They needed no charging—just your imagination and maybe a few batteries for the fancy stuff. Here’s our nostalgic roundup of 12 school supplies that still make our hearts happy decades later.
Lisa Frank Folders and Notebooks
Nothing screamed “I’m cool” in the ’90s quite like Lisa Frank’s rainbow-colored creations. These folders and notebooks featured neon dolphins, unicorns, and pandas in the brightest colors imaginable. Every time you pulled one out of your backpack, it was like showing off a prized possession. The glossy finish made them extra special, and trading Lisa Frank stickers became a serious playground business.
Trapper Keeper Binders
The Trapper Keeper wasn’t just a binder – it was a statement. With its Velcro closure that made that satisfying ripping sound and wild designs ranging from space scenes to radical geometric patterns, it kept all your papers neatly trapped inside. The coolest feature was the customizable front pocket where you could slide in your photos or artwork. Many kids spent hours decorating their Trapper Keepers to make them truly one-of-a-kind.
Scented Markers
Mr. Sketch markers brought a whole new dimension to art class with their fruity smells that matched their colors. The blue marker smelled like blueberry, the green like apple, and the brown like chocolate, though we all knew not to actually taste them. Kids would spend more time sniffing these markers than actually coloring with them. Teachers probably wondered why everyone’s artwork took twice as long when these markers were involved.
Slap Bracelets
Technically not a school supply but found in every school store, slap bracelets were both fashion and fun. These straight metal strips covered in colorful fabric would curl around your wrist when you slapped them against your arm. Many schools eventually banned them after discovering they were made from repurposed metal measuring tape that could cut if the fabric wore through. Their forbidden status only made them more desirable in the underground school supply trading scene.
Gelly Roll Pens
Regular pens were boring—Gelly Roll pens were magical. These gel pens came in metallic, glitter, and neon colors that made even the most boring homework assignment feel special. Writing with them on black paper created an effect that seemed almost supernatural to our young minds. Students would collect dozens of colors and guard them fiercely, leading to elaborate lending systems based on trust and friendship levels.
Yikes! Pencils
These colorful pencils with their twisted, bumpy designs were the coolest way to write in the ’90s. Yikes! pencils were weirdly shaped with ridges that made them comfortable to hold but impossible to sharpen in standard sharpeners. The funky designs and bright colors made them stand out in your pencil case. Some kids collected them but never actually used them because they were too special to waste on everyday schoolwork.
Tamagotchi Virtual Pets
While technically banned in most classrooms, these tiny electronic pets snuck into schools everywhere. The small egg-shaped devices let you care for a digital pet throughout the day, feeding it and cleaning up after it. Many tearful breakdowns happened when teachers confiscated these beloved virtual companions. Students developed elaborate systems where friends would care for each other’s Tamagotchis during classes where strict teachers were watching.
Mighty Morphin Power Rangers School Supplies
After the show became a massive hit, Power Rangers appeared on everything from lunch boxes to pencil cases. Having the Red Ranger on your notebook or the full team on your backpack gave you instant playground cred. The best items were the folders that morphed and changed images when you moved them, just like the Rangers themselves. Boys and girls alike fought over who got to be which Ranger during recess games.
Push Pop Pencils
These mechanical pencils came with tiny colored lead refills stored in the barrel that you could push down like a pez dispenser. With the push of a button, a new piece of lead would appear when you needed it. The clear plastic barrel let you see all your colorful lead options, making it both practical and fun to use. Many students spent more time clicking through the different colors than actually writing with them.
Milky Pens
These magical pens somehow made opaque, milky colors appear on dark paper. Writing secret messages that could only be seen on black paper made passing notes in class feel like spy work. The pens came in pastel colors that looked almost 3D when they dried. Girls would often write entire friendship books with these pens, creating pages of intricate designs and heartfelt messages in their unique milky ink.
Pencil Toppers
From troll dolls to dinosaurs to fuzzy pom-poms, pencil toppers were the ultimate way to personalize your writing utensil. These little characters sat on top of your pencil, often wobbling as you wrote. Some were just for show, while others doubled as erasers, though they rarely actually erased anything properly. The more pencil toppers you had, the cooler your pencil case looked to your fellow students.
Stamp Markers
These markers had special tips that created tiny pictures when you pressed them onto paper. Stars, hearts, smiley faces – each marker in the set made a different stamp. Teachers hated them because homework would come back covered in tiny stamped images instead of actual work. The ink often dried out quickly because kids would press down too hard trying to make the perfect stamp, but that never stopped us from begging our parents for a new set.
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