There is little that ranks as important as being considered 'cool' by your peers in primary school and being part of the 'in' crowd was key. For your coolness to be recognised there were a number of items that were essential for you to own and there were certain games that just HAD to be played. If you owned or even remember the following playground favourites, you had primary school sussed.
1. Tamagotchi
Let's be honest, mostly these little computerised pets just created unnecessary stress and worry for it's owners. The plastic eggs that originated in Japan were small enough to fit in your pocket but brought with them a level of responsibility similar to that of caring for an infant. The burden of catering to it's every whim was passed to mammy during the school day for fear of it dying while you got an education.
2. Pogs
Pogs baffled me. They were brightly coloured, small, round pieces of cardboard that were completely useless. Apparently some game could be played with these yokes and collecting the 'right' pogs was a science in itself but I never understood them. But, love them or loathe them we all had them for fear of being a social outcast.
3. Premier League Sticker Books
There were few more exhilarating things as a primary school child than opening the packet of premier league stickers to see if you got any of the good 'uns that you needed or could potentially trade. Usually the sight of the silver glitter peaking out from the packet brought an instant smile to your face and you couldn't wait to go to school the next day, where you and your buddies would sit with your sticker books chanting 'got him, got him, need him, got him, need him.'
4. Gooey Alien Eggs
Many children flocked to their nearest toy shop to buy these vile gooey creatures. there were a number of myths about them having babies if you put them in the freezer or if you rubbed a male and a female one together but this never happened leaving many kids bitterly disappointed. The only thing they did do was cause hell for parents when their goo stuck to everything from clothes to walls and refused to come off.
5. Chinese Jump Rope
'England, Ireland, Scotland, Wales. Inside, outside, on the scales' was a chant regularly heard in many school yards around Ireland. The rush to the shed to get the best, most colourful elastic that still had the most elasticity was a daily struggle. Of course, if you managed to be lucky enough and have your own one then you were playground royalty.
6. Pokémon
With 'gotta catch em all' being the kids' main aim this trend lasted much longer than usual fads. between the various sticker books and the card collections it was easy to get overwhelmed and lose track of what ones you had and what you needed. One thing was for certain, Pikachu was never out of your site.
7. Yo-Yos
If you could 'walk the dog' with a Yo-Yo you were basically a magician. most kids got theirs free when you collected a certain amount of opal fruit (starburst) packets.
8. Troll Dolls
They were weird, naked, plastic , creepy dolls with crazy hair and no purpose but for some reason we loved them. It was possibly their constant smiling faces. As with most fads, they were available in various sizes and as a standalone doll or keyring.
9. Rubber Bouncing Balls
These were a lethal weapon if they landed in the wrong hands. With most kids' possessions, the brighter, more colourful they were the more they were desired and could be swapped between friends. There were various sizes and the bigger they got, the heavier they were and the more potential there was to knock someone's eye out. For this exact reason they were banned from numerous schools.
10. Scoobies
One of the more recent trends and really the only reason most people would know about this is due to them having younger siblings but it was so popular it deserves a mention. Endless afternoons were spent making a friendship bracelet for your BFF using their favourite colour plastic strips. The more you had on your arm the more popular you were. Also the odd one was made as a key ring for your mother.
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