孙　莹

The 1990's were a big decade for fads. Some of them you might have felt were unimportant, annoying, or really cool. But whatever you thought, you most likely followed one of them at some time. I mean, come on, a decade is a long time to go without going with the flow. So, let's see a list of some of those old fads in order to refresh your memories of them.

对于流行时尚来说，20世纪90年代是非常重要的十年。你或许会觉得其中有些流行风潮根本微不足道，有些令人厌烦，而另一些则酷到极点。但不管你想法如何，在某些时候，你肯定也曾追随过其中之一。我是说，拜托，要是不赶时髦的话，十年的时间是多么漫长啊。所以，让我们一起看看旧时的潮流清单，唤醒你对它们的记忆。

Tamagotchis2) and

Virtual3) Pets

Tamagotchi was handheld virtual pets that you would feed, play with, bathe, etc., so it could grow into a larger version of the original creature you started out with. It seemed like you had to spend every other second pressing some buttons just to keep this little virtual creature alive. They came in different colors and designs. Soon other companies started to make their own virtual pets that featured cats, dogs, and other more common creatures than the alien-like tamagotchis.

Pokemon

This fad began with the TV show featuring a kid who encountered these strange creatures and started collecting them. There turned out to be hundreds of these creatures, which started a big fad. Then, the Pokemon trading cards started appearing and every other kid seemed to be battling with these cards. Soon, Pokemon were everywhere, from stuffed animals, to toys, to movies, and more. It was a worldwide craze. However, like all fads, it started to die down as the kids who were introduced to it grew up and grew out of this Pokemon fanatic phase.

Push Pops

Push Pops are lollipops4) that come in something which resembles a lipstick tube, but you can put your finger in it to push the lollipop up. They come in a range of different flavors. They're pretty convenient, still widely available, and still taste fairly good, but the fad itself has died down.

Boy Bands

Whether it was the Backstreet Boys, N'Sync, O-town, 98 Degrees or any others, millions of girls all over the world went crazy over them. Who could ignore the groups of good-looking guys with good voices, though? All the fans led to many boy bands producing platinum5) albums and raking in6) millions of dollars. After 2000, the boy bands started to split up for a while and members focused on their own solo careers, such as Nick Carter of the Backstreet Boys and Justin Timblerlake of N'Sync. Others went into the acting business while others settled down. Some of the bands say that they are going to come back, but who knows if they'll still be as popular as they were in the 1990's.

Grunge7)

On the opposite side of the pop/boy band music scene came the grunge scene. Grunge even became a way of fashion that included worn out, ripped8) jeans and flannel9) shirts. Grunge brought a more rebellious10) state to the world.

Yo-Yos

Although yo-yos are toys that have been around for many years, more advanced versions of the popular toy started coming about in the 1990's. These fancy yo-yos had special abilities to stay down longer than the usual yo-yo which made performing certain tricks with them far easier. Everyone learned different tricks from yo-yo books, videos, and friends. Aside from the people that made yo-yoing a hobby, this fad pretty much faded away.

电子宠物鸡和虚拟宠物

电子宠物鸡是一种掌上虚拟宠物，你可以给它喂食，跟它玩游戏，给它洗澡等等，这样它就会长得比你最初喂养它们的时候更大一些。 好像每隔几秒你就得按几个按钮，这样才能维持这个虚拟小东西的生命。这些电子宠物鸡颜色各异，设计多样。很快，其他一些公司也开始生产电子宠物，外形有小猫、小狗，以及其他更为常见的一些生物，来代替看起来酷似外星生物的电子宠物鸡。

宠物小精灵(神奇宝贝)

这股潮流最开始源于一个电视节目，节目讲的是一个小孩的故事，他遇见了这些奇怪的小生物，而后开始收集它们。结果，这些小动物足有成百上千种，从而形成了一大潮流。之后，宠物小精灵集换卡出现了，每两个小孩中就有一个在拿这些卡片游戏。紧接着，宠物小精灵变得到处都是，它们被制成毛绒动物、玩具、电影和其他产品，在全世界引发了一股狂潮。然而，就像所有流行潮流一样，最初熟悉它的孩子们渐渐长大，走出了这个狂热期，宠物小精灵的热潮也就随之消失了。

口红棒糖果

口红棒糖果是一种装在类似于口红管中的棒棒糖，但你可以将手指伸进去把棒棒糖从底下推出来。这种口红棒糖果有很多不同的口味。它们吃起来十分方便，时至今日，这种糖果还在被广泛出售，仍然非常好吃，但是这份狂热本身已经消逝。

男孩乐团

无论是后街男孩、超级男孩、欧城男孩、98度或者其他的男孩组合，世界各地都有无数的少女为之疯狂。毕竟，谁又能对一群长相俊美、嗓音动听的帅哥熟视无睹呢？拜这些粉丝所赐，很多男孩乐团发行了白金唱片，挣了大把的钞票。2000年之后，这些男孩乐团开始暂时解散，很多成员单飞，专注于自己的个事业发展，比如后街男孩的尼克·卡特和超级男孩的贾斯汀·汀布莱克。其他人有的向影视圈发展，有的则退出了娱乐圈，过着安定的生活。一些组合宣称他们将来会复出，但谁知道他们还会不会像20世纪90年代时这么受欢迎呢?

垃圾摇滚

在流行组合/男孩乐团大为风行的同时，另一方面，垃圾摇滚也开始在音乐舞台上崭露头角。垃圾风格甚至成为了一种时尚潮流，包括衣着破烂的乞丐装牛仔裤和法兰绒衬衫。垃圾摇滚将世界带进了一个更为叛逆的时期。

溜溜球

尽管溜溜球是多年来一直都存在的玩具，但是这种流行的玩意儿在20世纪90年代开始出现了更为先进的版本。这些神奇的溜溜球的特别之处在于，它比一般的溜溜球在下端停留的时间更长，这样一来，用它来玩出一些花样就容易得多了。每个人都从朋友、有关溜溜球的书籍、录像那里学习不同的花式玩法。如今，除了有些人还将它当作一种兴趣爱好以外，溜溜球已经和我们的生活渐行渐远了。

Vocabulary

1. fad [fAd] n. (一时的)狂热；(穿着、行为、言谈等方面)一时的风尚

2. Tamagotchi n. 电子鸡(源自日语译音tah-muh-gah-chee)

3. virtual [5vE:tFuEl] adj. 虚的，虚拟的

4. lollipop [5lClIpCp] n. 棒棒糖

5. platinum [5plAtInEm] adj. (已售出100万张的)白金唱片奖的

6. rake in: <口> 捞进大笔钱

7. grunge [^rQndV] n.或称grunge rock，中文名称为垃圾摇滚、邋遢摇滚或油渍摇滚，是摇滚乐的一种风格。

Tamagotchis2) and

Virtual3) Pets

Tamagotchi was handheld virtual pets that you would feed, play with, bathe, etc., so it could grow into a larger version of the original creature you started out with. It seemed like you had to spend every other second pressing some buttons just to keep this little virtual creature alive. They came in different colors and designs. Soon other companies started to make their own virtual pets that featured cats, dogs, and other more common creatures than the alien-like tamagotchis.

Pokemon

This fad began with the TV show featuring a kid who encountered these strange creatures and started collecting them. There turned out to be hundreds of these creatures, which started a big fad. Then, the Pokemon trading cards started appearing and every other kid seemed to be battling with these cards. Soon, Pokemon were everywhere, from stuffed animals, to toys, to movies, and more. It was a worldwide craze. However, like all fads, it started to die down as the kids who were introduced to it grew up and grew out of this Pokemon fanatic phase.

Push Pops

Push Pops are lollipops4) that come in something which resembles a lipstick tube, but you can put your finger in it to push the lollipop up. They come in a range of different flavors. They're pretty convenient, still widely available, and still taste fairly good, but the fad itself has died down.

Boy Bands

Whether it was the Backstreet Boys, N'Sync, O-town, 98 Degrees or any others, millions of girls all over the world went crazy over them. Who could ignore the groups of good-looking guys with good voices, though? All the fans led to many boy bands producing platinum5) albums and raking in6) millions of dollars. After 2000, the boy bands started to split up for a while and members focused on their own solo careers, such as Nick Carter of the Backstreet Boys and Justin Timblerlake of N'Sync. Others went into the acting business while others settled down. Some of the bands say that they are going to come back, but who knows if they'll still be as popular as they were in the 1990's.

Grunge7)

On the opposite side of the pop/boy band music scene came the grunge scene. Grunge even became a way of fashion that included worn out, ripped8) jeans and flannel9) shirts. Grunge brought a more rebellious10) state to the world.

Yo-Yos

Although yo-yos are toys that have been around for many years, more advanced versions of the popular toy started coming about in the 1990's. These fancy yo-yos had special abilities to stay down longer than the usual yo-yo which made performing certain tricks with them far easier. Everyone learned different tricks from yo-yo books, videos, and friends. Aside from the people that made yo-yoing a hobby, this fad pretty much faded away.

电子宠物鸡和虚拟宠物

电子宠物鸡是一种掌上虚拟宠物，你可以给它喂食，跟它玩游戏，给它洗澡等等，这样它就会长得比你最初喂养它们的时候更大一些。 好像每隔几秒你就得按几个按钮，这样才能维持这个虚拟小东西的生命。这些电子宠物鸡颜色各异，设计多样。很快，其他一些公司也开始生产电子宠物，外形有小猫、小狗，以及其他更为常见的一些生物，来代替看起来酷似外星生物的电子宠物鸡。

宠物小精灵(神奇宝贝)

这股潮流最开始源于一个电视节目，节目讲的是一个小孩的故事，他遇见了这些奇怪的小生物，而后开始收集它们。结果，这些小动物足有成百上千种，从而形成了一大潮流。之后，宠物小精灵集换卡出现了，每两个小孩中就有一个在拿这些卡片游戏。紧接着，宠物小精灵变得到处都是，它们被制成毛绒动物、玩具、电影和其他产品，在全世界引发了一股狂潮。然而，就像所有流行潮流一样，最初熟悉它的孩子们渐渐长大，走出了这个狂热期，宠物小精灵的热潮也就随之消失了。

口红棒糖果

口红棒糖果是一种装在类似于口红管中的棒棒糖，但你可以将手指伸进去把棒棒糖从底下推出来。这种口红棒糖果有很多不同的口味。它们吃起来十分方便，时至今日，这种糖果还在被广泛出售，仍然非常好吃，但是这份狂热本身已经消逝。

男孩乐团

无论是后街男孩、超级男孩、欧城男孩、98度或者其他的男孩组合，世界各地都有无数的少女为之疯狂。毕竟，谁又能对一群长相俊美、嗓音动听的帅哥熟视无睹呢？拜这些粉丝所赐，很多男孩乐团发行了白金唱片，挣了大把的钞票。2000年之后，这些男孩乐团开始暂时解散，很多成员单飞，专注于自己的个事业发展，比如后街男孩的尼克·卡特和超级男孩的贾斯汀·汀布莱克。其他人有的向影视圈发展，有的则退出了娱乐圈，过着安定的生活。一些组合宣称他们将来会复出，但谁知道他们还会不会像20世纪90年代时这么受欢迎呢?

垃圾摇滚

在流行组合/男孩乐团大为风行的同时，另一方面，垃圾摇滚也开始在音乐舞台上崭露头角。垃圾风格甚至成为了一种时尚潮流，包括衣着破烂的乞丐装牛仔裤和法兰绒衬衫。垃圾摇滚将世界带进了一个更为叛逆的时期。

溜溜球

尽管溜溜球是多年来一直都存在的玩具，但是这种流行的玩意儿在20世纪90年代开始出现了更为先进的版本。这些神奇的溜溜球的特别之处在于，它比一般的溜溜球在下端停留的时间更长，这样一来，用它来玩出一些花样就容易得多了。每个人都从朋友、有关溜溜球的书籍、录像那里学习不同的花式玩法。如今，除了有些人还将它当作一种兴趣爱好以外，溜溜球已经和我们的生活渐行渐远了。

"Waaasssuuuppp"

Thanks to the memorable Budweiser commercial, the famous "Waaasssuuuppp" phrase was introduced. It seemed like you couldn't make it through one day without hearing someone say this phrase. People would answer their phones with the saying or use it in e-mails and instant messages. They even found ways to sell the phrase, just by printing it on bumper stickers11) and various other products. Ever since the 1990's though, the "Waaasssuuuppp" has seemed to turn into a simple, "What's up?"

Teletubbies

Anyone who was a student during the 1990's knows who Tinkywinky, Dipsy, Lala and Po are. Otherwise known as The Teletubbies, this TV show was aimed at young children but generated mass appeal12) around the world. The Teletubbies did not speak English but instead spoke in a gurgling13) baby language similar to its target audience. Like many of the popular TV shows during the 1990's, there was a lot of merchandise released off the back of the show.

“最近混得怎么样？”

多亏有了让人记忆深刻的百威啤酒广告，这句有名的“最近混得怎么样”开始为人所知。似乎每天你都能听见有人使用这句话。人们接电话的时候说，写电子邮件的时候用，发短信的时候也用。甚至有人找到了用这句话来赚钱的方法，把这句话印刷在汽车贴纸或者其他各种各样的商品上。然而，从20世纪90年代开始，“最近混得怎么样”这句话似乎已经瘦身成了“怎么样啊？”

天线宝宝

所有在20世纪90年代当过学生的人都知道丁丁、迪西、拉拉和小波是谁。他们也被称为天线宝宝。这个电视节目原本是打算给小孩子们看的，但却引发了全世界观众的兴趣。天线宝宝说的不是英语，而是“咿咿呀呀”的婴儿语言，与这个节目原本的目标观众使用的语言相似。就像很多在20世纪90年代广受欢迎的电视节目一样，很多周边产品也随之涌现。

比尼宝宝(豆豆娃)

谁能拒绝那些乖巧可爱、用豆豆填充的小动物呢？豆豆娃十分有趣；他们每一个的标签上都印有自己的名字、生日和一首诗歌。豆豆娃诞生于1993年，最著名的豆豆娃生产厂家是TY玩具公司。而后，其他公司也开始生产豆豆娃，加入到了这股豆豆娃的风潮之中。麦当劳甚至还跟TY公司合作，将迷你豆豆娃作为欢乐套餐的赠品。如今，市面上依然能够看到豆豆娃的身影，但它们却不再那么流行了。

其实自20世纪90年代以来还流行过很多其他的东西，这个清单只列出了其中比较受欢迎的几种。回过头去看看这些过去的时尚，在如今的时代重新认识它们也是一件很有意思的事。有一些潮流我们认为很不错，另一些我们会觉得是浪费时间，但无论你如何看待它们，你都知道那曾是你生活的一部分。十年之后，你仍可以保留这十年来你喜欢的东西，然后在下一个十年后再看看它们。它们可以唤起很多回忆，而回忆和时尚不同，它永远不会消失。

Who could resist those cute, bean-filled animals? Beanie Babies were lots of fun; they came with their own tags containing their name, birthday, and a poem. The TY company, which originated in 1993, was the most popular for Beanie Babies. Then, other companies started to make their own and become part of this Beanie Baby craze. Even McDonalds and TY partnered up in order to provide mini Beanie Babies as the prize in Happy Meals. They're still around today, but they aren't as popular.

Although there are plenty of other fads from the 1990's, this list was made to show some of the more popular ones. It's fun to look back at some of the fads and make new opinions about them in the present day. Some we may look at as a great fad. Others we look at as a waste of time, but whatever way you look at them, you know that they were a part of your life. After a decade, you can keep all of your favorite things from those past ten years and look back on them in the next ten years. They bring back plenty of memories that, unlike fads, will never go away.

Vocabulary

8. rip [rIp] v. 撕，撕破

9. flannel [5flAnEl] adj. 法兰绒制的；法兰绒似的

10. rebellious [rI5beljEs] adj. 反叛的；反抗的

11. bumper sticker: 美国人通常喜欢在汽车的尾箱或者保险杠上面贴几张花花绿绿的贴纸，上面大多印有或表明立场或耍耍小幽默的话语，有些印刷公司可以让顾客自己设计贴纸上的标语。

12. appeal [E5pi:l] n. 感染力，吸引力

13. gurgle [5^E:^l] v. 发咯咯声