35+ Obsolete Things From The Past To Prove How Much The World Has Changed Around Us Over Time

These things may have become obsolete as decades passed but they still exist in people's hearts (and basements).

Kylene

• Published in Nostalgia
• November 18, 2021

There's nothing quite like stumbling across an old toy or game in the basement when you're doing some deep cleaning. Suddenly, memories from your childhood come flooding back and you find yourself asking "what ever happened to my...?"

Before you know it you're rummaging around for that one forgotten item and Googling whether it has been discontinued and for how long. Sometimes it's your favorite book or some candy that you loved, or maybe a perfume you wore in high school.

Whatever that thing is that gets you feeling nostalgic, you're probably not the only one. An entire community on Reddit called r/nostalgia is made up of nearly one million people who love to reminisce on the things that bring them back to years gone by.

Keep reading to dive headfirst into the past and reminisce in the nostalgia of retro objects, fashion, and foods that just aren't around anymore. These things have become obsolete as decades have passed but they still hold an important place in people's hearts.

These people now rely on vintage pictures and collections to feel close to the past. For some, all it takes is curling up with a good book from their childhood, for others they find comfort in scrolling through picture memories like the ones below.

1. This dining set that every single family owned

2. Ashtrays from McDonald's indoor dining

3. Incredible wooden playgrounds

4. Zip off cargo short-pants

5. Bazooka Joe Bubble Gum and the little comics inside

6. CD filing binders

7. Grandma's hand-knit sweaters

8. Cotton super hero bed sheets

9. New releases when DVDs came out

10. The Pizza Hut challis

11. Excavating the sandbox

12. The grandma's couch blanket

13. Blank VHS cover artwork

14. The Cartoon Network on Saturday mornings

15. Life savers book Christmas edition

16. This slick McDonald's floor

17. Watching the Price Is Right when you stayed home sick from school

18. The science class room at school

19. Wicker paper plate holders

20. Wishbone!!!

21. The entertainment cabinet

22. Shopping in the 80s at a cassette and record store

23. Taking your Flinstone chewable vitamins

24. The Cartoon network during it's best years (1998-2005)

25. Watching the pipe screen saver

26. The Gracie Films logo

27. School paper in elementary schools

28. Mini Chiclets

29. Renting movies in person

30. These plastic balloons that tasted and smelled toxic

31. The boujee ice cream

32. Hanging retractable school maps

33. A tribute to The 90s in A 3D-Software themed room

34. The Pagemaster cartoon

35. We all had this jug for juices and it smelled weird

36. Land Before Time toys at Pizza Hut

37. The kitchen phone with an extremely long cord

38. The movie theatre in the 90s

39. Watching Robin Hood: Men In Tights (1993)

40. Wood grain and cabinet everything

41. Jonathan Hyde acting in 90s roles including Richie Rich, The Mummy, Jumanji, and Titanic

42. The flavor of Bubblicious Watermelon Bubble Gum

43. Card catalog directories

44. Having your feet measured in these cold clasps

45. Wacky Races

46. The PBS monopoly

47. Electronics through the years

48. The Fisher Price farm and barn yard

49. This glow in the dark Lego ghost

50. Aladdin the game

51. These awesome sand-beanie baby lizards that you did not want to break open

Lean into your nostalgic feelings because why not?

In the fast-paced stress of everyday work life, it can be easy to get caught up worrying about the future and never revisiting the past. Everybody experiences nostalgia differently but usually, the things from our past can quickly remind us how things have changed around us.

It's nice to slow down and take a walk down memory lane sometimes and scrolling through people's retro photos is the best way to start. Did anything in this list jog your memory?

Kylene