Top 22+ Forgotten ’90s School Supplies That We’re Still Obsessed With

If we’re being honest with ourselves, going to school wasn’t always something we looked forward to. There were the pressures of tests and strict teachers, cliques and groups that might have excluded us, or that special someone who made us break out into cold sweats whenever they crossed the room. It took something exciting—something that was completely our own—to get us out of bed with joyful anticipation. What magic might we be describing, you ask? Why, school supplies, of course! Nothing beats a freshly sharpened pencil with a glitter eraser or a folder with our favorite designs. For this reason, we’ve gathered 22 of the most nostalgic school supplies that kids were totally obsessed with in the ’90s!

#1: Trapper Keepers

Trapper keepers were more than mere colorful, oversized binders. They were 100% a status symbol. The ultimate accessory for any student looking to express their style with school supplies, trapper keepers boasted flashy designs, bungee cords, and enough pockets to store both your assignments and the notes you got from that cutie in 4th period.

#3: Scented Markers

Scented markers took the fun of doodling and elevated it to a sensory experience! Nothing quite matched the feeling of sending scented notes to our friends or coloring on pages whose pigments now recalled raspberry or bubblegum. Perhaps a bit overpowering for some, you know who you are if scented markers were a key part of your childhood!

#4: Lisa Frank Supplies

We owe so much to Lisa Frank. What could have been a dull, gray day spent in homeroom was magically transformed into an enchanted wonderland whenever we broke out our Lisa Frank folder or notebook. Classically depicting dewey-eyed dolphins, unicorns, cats, and the rest of the animal kingdom, if you didn’t have Lisa Frank supplies, you were missing out on something that only the ’90s can boast.

#6: Pencil Toppers

There really wasn’t anything useful about a pencil topper, except that it made your pencil yours and nobody else’s. Available in literally any shape, theme, and story imaginable, friends used to collect and trade their pencil toppers, competing to see who could score the rarest or weirdest one in the bunch. We particularly love these Simpsons toppers!

#7: Neon Highlighters

If you remember the ’90s, you probably remember that neon enjoyed some time in the limelight. From neon windbreakers and biker shorts to hats and sunglasses, neon was everywhere. It only makes sense that neon highlighters would enter the school supplies scene. Not only used to highlight notes, these bright, translucent markers were also perfect for doodling.

#9: Flair Pens

Flair pens are absolutely still sold wherever office supplies are available, standing as a testament to their brilliance. In the ’90s, flair pens were like gel pens’ second cousins, offering a bright and colorful alternative to regular ink but with a felt tip versus a ballpoint.

#10: Sanrio Swag

The Japanese company Sanrio took the American market by storm in the 1990s with its protégé, Hello Kitty. By the mid-’90s, school supplies aisles were saturated with these cutesy characters splashed across folders, notebooks, pencil cases, trapper keepers—the works. Hello Kitty still has a devoted following today, collaborating with well-known brands like Casio, Crocs, Adidas, and Balenciaga.

#12: Locker Mirrors

Starting high school for the first time in the ’90s meant three things: Older (scarier) kids, skipping class to go out to lunch, and lockers. Decorating your locker was a rite of passage in high school, and the locker mirror was a teen’s best friend. Can you remember stealing a quick look at yourself before seeing your crush in 6th period?

#13: Compartment Pencil Cases

A trend that began in the ’80s and was especially popular in Japan before it came to the United States was the compartmentalized pencil case. Perfect for the student who had a lot going on and wanted to stay on top of it all, a compartmentalized pencil case meant all of their supplies would be in one place. Often designed with color and play in mind, these cases could be found in a variety of colors and shapes for even the choosiest kids among us.

#15: Magic Ink Erasers

Remember erasable pens? We felt unstoppable in the ’90s when these wonder tools hit the market, allowing us to do our school work in pen but with the flexibility of a pencil. The ink had a rubbery quality that would erase away with the pen’s blue erasers. And while it’s true that sometimes the eraser would leave behind a blue smear mark, we simply didn’t care. We had an erasable pen, and that was all that mattered.

#16: Stamps

Ink-based stamps were just another way to adorn and decorate out school supply possessions, but in a far more permanent way than simply placing a sticker on the cover of our notebook. Teachers in the ’90s particularly enjoyed rewarding an exemplary paper with a smiley face stamp, and if we’re being honest, who doesn’t like that?

#18: Yikes Pencils

Yikes pencils were like cartoon pencils on steroids. Completely redefining the look of the standard #2 writing apparatus, Yikes went next level with color, texture, and eraser shape. And since they tended to have a higher price point than standard pencils, there was a status thing going on with Yikes. If you had them, you knew it. And if you didn’t have Yikes, you wanted them.

#19: Glitter Pens

As if gel pens weren’t enough, glitter pens took bedazzled writing up a notch. Essentially a gel pen but with fine glitter in the ink, glitter pens made your every stroke sparkle, where dull blue and black ink made your work look like everybody else’s. And since they were available in every color you could dream of, switching up colors depending on your mood was a rewarding way to pass the endless hours of school.

#21: Transparent, Chunky Pencil Cases

A larger pencil case meant more space for storing your most treasured belongings–erasers, pencil stubs, prized stickers, highly classified notes form your friends, an autographed school picture of your crush. Nevermind that it was see-through.

#22: Rulers with Liquid Inside

We’re not sure what purpose liquid-filled rulers ever served, but they certainly provided some much-needed entertainment in geometry class, especially when your teacher’s lecture was so boring that any visual stimulation (especially if it involved glitter and tiny dolphins) was necessary.