What are you looking at?: I Love the '90s

The newest installment of VH-1 pop-culture programming debuted this past Monday, and unlike the '70s and '80s, in the '90s I was both alive and old enough to connect with everything the panel members are talking about.

Since I sooo enjoy "listing," here are some of my own reasons for loving the '90s:

New Kids on the Block
I had plenty of trading cards and those cheap buttons you found in the dispensers at the grocery store. However, we never had the money for the actual music. To make the kid in me feel better, I finally bought Hangin' Tough on cassette when I was 15.

Neon
I wore it all the time, all the while never worrying about a matching color palate. My favorite outfit consisted of a green shirt, blue shorts, and red Keds.

Ding Dong Ditch
The kids in my neighborhood played this game daily during the summer until one of our victims threatened to call the police.

Seven Up
Even though I was almost never picked. :(

Teen Beat
I wanted to read 17, but my mom thought it was "too old" for me. Like talking about STDs and birth control is inappropriate for children or something. To say the least, I was disappointed, but Teen Beat did have a great Eddie Furlong poster for me to tape on my hamper.

Kissy Fur
I may be the only person my age who remembers this cartoon, but it was way cool. "Gaaators!"

Sweet Valley High
And my mom thought 17 was inappropriate.... Just kidding - this series never talked about the kids who scored beyond first base. I'm sure it was part of the inspiration behind Beverly Hills, 90210, as it took place in California and half of the student body was rich. Which brings me to...

Beverly Hills, 90210
I always rooted for Kelly, even when she and Dylan fooled around behind Brenda's back. My sister Samantha and I used to listen to the soundtrack all the time. Remember that? I'm almost embarassed to admit that I bought it used on CD way after the craze was over. Almost.

* It should be noted that my parents did not approve of 90210, so half the time I had to wait for my friends to tell me what happened on the school bus the next day. You can imagine the chaos that erupted when I tried to watch Melrose Place.

The Baby-Sitters Club
I was so into this club that I started my own - The Chicago Chicks Club - only we were less about baby-sitting (OK, not at all about baby-sitting) and more about eating candy and plugging dirty words into Mad Libs books. Stacey was my favorite sitter, but I was probably more like Kristy - tomboyish and bossy. I even wrote an anthem and made all the club members sing it before meetings. Approach me when I've got a couple of Sky Blues in my system and I'll sing it to you.

I'm Telling!
The best teen game show ever!

I could go on and on, but I won't. Instead, I will ask: What do YOU love about the '90s?