20 things that scared '90s kids

Nineties kids were led to believe that they’d live a rich and famous lifestyle when they got older if they saved their Beanie Babies, but only if they had their TY tags in place. So, those getting ripped off not only scared kids but also threatened their supposed future financial freedom.  

There was something about Robert Stack’s voice that sent chills down spines, especially when the mysteries revolved around the supernatural.

Matilda wasn’t the only one terrified by one of the world’s worst educators.

Before realizing that Hasbro probably wasn’t making toys that could actually connect children, Ouija Boards were quite a fright.

Grocery stores introduced these little machines that dispensed coupons, and kids — being kids — just had to play with them as if they were toys. So much so that many parents would then tell them that if they took too many, they’d be arrested or in some sort of big trouble.

The Lion King made everyone fear stampedes as if they were common occurrences.

For some reason, way too many ‘90s kids felt as if they were going to run into quicksand predicaments more often than not.

Back when the internet was still bare bones, it was easy for a movie like The Blair Witch Project to cause one of the first viral marketing campaigns, and everyone was freaked out, kids included.

One of the most ironic things outside of Alanis Morissette in the ‘90s was its relationship with smoking. Cigarette ads were just as constant as the ones telling people not to smoke, but the latter scared so many by showcasing the physical and health impact smoking caused to people.

No one wanted to wind up looking a fool in the yearbook!

It’s wild how rampant rumors spread back in the day by word of mouth, and while there were a handful of wild stories out there - it’s the one about stomachs exploding after eating Pop Rocks while drinking Coke that really sent shockwaves through playgrounds near and far.

Every ‘90s kid braved a dark room to look in the mirror and utter Bloody Mary’s name.

Daytime TV talk shows taught kids that if they misbehaved, they’d be shipped off to military school. It was a big threat parents had in their back pockets that most never went through with.

Somehow, the Bermuda Triangle really ingrained itself into the minds of ‘90s kids as something to be scared of, although most kids back then were never going to encounter that area.

The Mighty Morphin Power Rangers had a lot of enemies, but there was something extra creepy about Lord Zedd’s design.

After the movie was released, an actual board game was released, and only the true brave begged their parents for it…just in case.

How many ‘90s kids were told that having the light on in the car was against the law?

The stories told around the campfire were never as creepy as the intro.

Bees are integral to the world, but they didn’t have to do Thomas Jay in My Girl like that.

The last thing to scare the heck out of ‘90s kids was the threat of Y2K. What a way to cap off the decade!