Having a shopaholic mom meant that every Christmas, the gifts under the tree came straight out of the holiday shopping catalog. These early 2000s toys were what made my Christmases and birthdays so special, as I eagerly waited to get an American Girl doll that I saw in the Christmas catalog or the 24-pack of Shopkins. As someone who has collected almost every collectible, from Pokémon cards to an enormous Shopkins collection, I feel fairly skilled to write this article.
On a Christmas spent in Cincinnati, OH, my cousin introduced me to the world of Shopkins, and I was hooked. I’m pretty sure my parents spent an absurd amount of money on my entire Shopkins collection, because on every trip to Target I would beg them until they took me to the collectible toy aisle and bought me the small Shopkins basket that came with two blind-bag Shopkins. Then, for birthdays, all my friends and family, knowing about my Shopkins addiction, would give me more.
Num Noms were these scented, food-themed lip gloss collectibles that were super enticing to a young Prisha. However, what had me truly enamored were the extravagant Barbie dolls that my uncle would buy for me every time he visited. I remember receiving a life-size Barbie doll, which was honestly a little creepy since she would stare at me at night like a sleep paralysis demon. Apart from that, I loved Barbie. I had the Barbie closet, Barbie Life in the Dreamhouse as a toy, and Barbie dollhouse sets. I still find Barbie clothes in my closet if I clean hard enough.
Fidget spinners were the heat in elementary to middle school, with everyone showing off their glow-in-the-dark fidget spinners, magnet ones, and the light-up fidget spinners. I’m pretty sure at one point they got banned, and everyone pivoted to Rubik’s Cubes. I also remember making Rainbow Loom bracelets at recess with my friends and trading Silly Bandz bracelets, which are essentially rubber bands in the shape of butterflies, hearts, and miscellaneous shapes that come in a huge pack.
Orbeez were definitely a huge YouTube trend. I remember watching a video of a guy releasing an insane amount of Orbeez onto a street. I don’t remember where, but everyone back in the day was filling up a bucket of Orbeez in the backyard.
LEGOs are still at their peak, but back in my day, LEGO Friends were the hottest thing an elementary school girl could own, along with Polly Pockets and those twisty bracelets that turned into animals (Twisty Petz). LEGOs were always a classic, and I collected as many LEGO Friends houses as I could. I grew up with a lot of boys in the neighborhood, so for Christmas, my mom kept a closet full of Star Wars LEGOs, different types of LEGO vehicles, and random LEGO sets for them.
Pokémon Go came later; before that, people knew how to play with Pokémon cards — not just collect them, but actually play the real game. I also had some cards here and there. All I remember is that my favorite Pokémon was Diancie because I thought she was the prettiest, and my favorite type was Fairy.
I loved my Lalaloopsy dolls and Pillow Pets, especially the Pillow Pet commercials, and I adored my Nintendo DS. I played Cooking Mama all the time, and I think that’s where my passion for baking started. I also remember playing Mario Kart, Minecraft, Just Dance, and Wii Sports with the evil neighborhood boys who sometimes gave me the non-working controller.
I cannot end this article without mentioning my beloved iPod Touch, which I listened to Katy Perry and Lady Gaga on. I miss Toys “R” Us and the My Little Pony blind bags, where I would always wish to get Fluttershy, and when I did, it was literally the best day of my life. Being a child in the 2000s was an experience, and so was the shopping, especially with the holiday magazines and catalogs coming out. My love for these toys and little collectibles is something I’ll always remember.
