By BETTY CARLISLE

Special to The Gazette

Needing just a very brief hop and a skip down memory lane, children of the 1990s disagreed with the perception stated by previous generations that they were couch potatoes who spent their time playing video games and sitting in front of the computer.

“My childhood had a lot of good times,” said Nick Haney, born May 2, 1991. He added that growing up in the 1990s “was a lot of fun.”

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Children growing up in the 1990s did recall playing with toys that were heavily influenced by popular television shows and movies.
“I was into the action figures like Dragon Ball Z, Spiderman, Batman and the Power Rangers,” said Kevin Bradshaw, born May 29, 1992. “I watched Pokémon on television and one of my favorite shows was probably Spiderman, which was on Saturday mornings.”

Haney said, “I played with Star War toys and action figures. I was big into sports and watched very little television.”
Shelby Bradshaw, born Nov. 14, 1995, Ashley Fox, born July 21, 1994, and Ashley’s sister Katie Fox, born Aug. 12, 1996, all recalled playing with Barbie dolls.

Sisters Ashley and Katherine Fox of Wadsworth remember their early childhoods during the 1990s.
(Shirley Ware | Photo Editor)

“I had a whole bunch of different Barbies,” Ashley Fox said. An eighth grade student at Wadsworth Middle School, Fox added, “And, oh yeah, I had Ken, too!”

Barney and Elmo were representative of the many children’s products that originated from popular children’s television shows.
“I loved Barney, Dragon Tales and Teletubbies,” said Katie Fox, who is a sixth grader at Central Intermediate School.

Although video game systems were common sources of entertainment during the 1990s, those interviewed did not consider them to be a huge part of their childhood.

“I had a PlayStation and played video games like Crash Bandicoot,” said Shelby Bradshaw, a seventh grader at Claggett Middle School.

Kevin Bradshaw, a junior at Cloverleaf High School, said, “Sonic the Hedgehog, Sonic & Knuckles and Tecmo Bowl were video games that I remember playing a lot.”

The more things change …

Family fun in the final decade of the 1900s was, in essence, the same as family fun in the early part of the century.

Those interviewed reported that their family entertainment was centered on enjoying the company of family members and friends while engaging in simple pastimes.

The Fox family played badminton, took walks, hiked and went to parks. The Haney family drove through the Metroparks, went to Edgewater Park and headed outside to throw around a ball for their family fun. The Bradshaw family went roller skating, got together to watch football on television and enjoyed holiday gatherings.

“We ate out a fair amount,” Haney said. “Red Robin and Gene’s Place on the west side of Cleveland were my favorite restaurants. My favorite home-cooked meal was my mom and grandma’s meal of chicken paprikash with dumplings.”

“We didn’t eat out a lot,” Kevin Bradshaw said. “McDonald’s and, for big breakfasts, Country Kitchen were my favorite places.”
“And Chuck E. Cheese,” added Shelby Bradshaw.

Spaghetti, hamburgers, peanut butter and jelly sandwiches were the favorite fare of Ashley and Katie Fox, who reported going out to eat to restaurants such as T.G.I.Friday’s, Applebee’s and Longhorn Steakhouse.

Outdoor activity

“I played outside a lot,” said Kevin Bradshaw. “I played a lot of football with my dad, threw the Frisbee and played on the swing set.”

Ashley and Katie Fox also spent time playing outside with their neighbors. They described playing games of tag and climbing trees.

Haney, a junior at St. Ignatius High School and the oldest of nine children, said, “I definitely did a lot of outside stuff. I played baseball, kickball and football and was outside all summer long.”

Carlisle may be reached at accent@ohio.net.

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