15 Things People Remember From Their Childhood That No Longer Exist, And The Nostalgia Will Hit You

"Nothing like only buying a box of cereal because of the cool lil gift inside."

I'm sure that we all look fondly back at our childhood and the things we used to enjoy from time to time.

ABC

So, when u/lil-gatorwrangler asked "what is something from your childhood that no longer exists now?" I wanted to round up some of the most nostalgia-inducing answers...

1. Cool spoons in cereal boxes

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"I miss the colour changing and straw ones!" 

– u/pompomcinnamon

"Nothing like only buying a box of cereal because of the cool lil gift inside."

– u/lil-gatorwrangler 

"This reminds me I haven't seen my Taz spoon in a while. It makes Taz noises when you dip it in milk."  
– u/TransformerTanooki

2. Nickelodeon game shows

Nickelodeon

"I miss Legends of the Hidden Temple and Guts." 

– u/ShawshankException

Editor's note: For my fellow UK people, Legends of the Hidden Temple is similar to Jungle Run.

3. Toys-R-Us

Jack Taylor / Getty Images

"I miss that place. I remember my dad taking me and I’d just wander through the aisles amazed at all the toys. I got one of my childhood favourite Barbie dream houses there." 

– u/FrostQueen05

Editor's note: Toys-R-Us are making a comeback in the UK thanks to WHSmith's!

4. When MTV actually played music videos

Amazon Studios

– u/Backwoods87

"We used to just turn to MTV and leave it on most of the day."  

– u/Rzrbak

5. Saturday morning cartoons

The WB

"Nothing beat the joy of waking up early on a Saturday morning to watch five hours of your favourite cartoons, most of which were only on at that time on that day."

– u/nijaxi4567

"I know what you mean. There are cartoons on Saturday morning, but with YouTube and streaming they run 24-7, it isn’t an event."  
– u/vmikey

6. Public phone booths

Craig Hastings / Getty Images

– u/Queasy_Caramel5435

"They’re still a thing in Australia, though not as common as they once were. Telstra (who operate them) have made them free to use, and turned them into free Wi-Fi hotspots if you’re a Telstra customer." 

– u/Moneyshifting

7. Playgrounds in fast food places

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– u/icy_assignment12

"They still exist at some select McDonalds, but they aren't as common anymore." 

– u/buzz86us

8. Going to Blockbuster on a Friday night

David Friedman / Getty Images

– u/lordharliquin

"I WAS LOOKING FOR THIS!! Those are some of the best memories from my childhood! So much better than Netflix."  

– u/betaflc

9. Club Penguin

BuzzFeed

– u/booksandescape

"YES! What a time it was to be alive."  

– u/lil-gatorwrangler

10. Owning an iPod

San Francisco Chronicle / San Francisco Chronicle via Getty Images

– u/Embarrassed_Suit_942

"I LOVED my pink iPod nano. It felt like a cool spy gadget that mostly just played Avril Lavigne and Kelly Clarkson."

–  elizabeth_cotton

11. When everyone owned a BlackBerry phone

Alex Wong / Getty Images

"I remember people getting asked what their BBM pin was."

– u/coloursofadream 

"I never had a BlackBerry, and I'm still envious to this day."

–  elizabeth_cotton

12. Yahoo! Answers

Stephen Lovekin / WireImage for Yahoo! / Via Getty Images

"I'm glad it's gone because it wouldn't allow me to delete my awkward questions." 

– u/XelienX

13. Affordable concert tickets

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"You could pay $15-$20 for a premium ticket."

– u/worstpartyever

14. Video game controllers being translucent, coloured plastic so you could see the insides

Retro Gamer Magazine / Future Publishing / Via Getty Images

"Now you're lucky if you find colours away from white or black." 

– u/Elixir_13

"How much money do you think video game companies would make if they just sold a console variant with the clear plastic?"  

– u/Midnight-Note

And my own addition...

15. Circling everything you wanted for Christmas in the Argos catalogue

Peter Macdiarmid / Getty Images

And by everything, I mean everything. I remember there being a double-paged spread for Bratz, and I drew a massive arrow with "ALL" scrawled at the top.

H/T to u/lil-gatorwrangler and AskReddit for having this discussion!

Note: All submissions have been edited for length and/or clarity.

Is there anything else you miss from your childhood that no longer exists? Let me know in the comments below!