32 Insane Inventions Millennials Managed to Survive

Author image for Laurent Shinar
Laurent Shinar • Writer and Editor
Jun 4, 2025 3:00 PM EDT

Remember when health and safety seemed more like a suggestion than a mandatory thing? When companies could release rabid electronics and gadgets into the market with little to no oversight, that is, until some poor kid managed to get stuck in whatever insane invention they got their hands on and the world went up in arms. It's as though neither us the public nor the companies had any idea what these gizmos could do to us, and yet we just lept into the poorly inflated paddling pool and found ourselves with a face full of gravel.

So we wanted to take a moment to remember some of these outlandish creations and to take a moment to appreciate that we actually survived these things. We managed to keep all our limbs, our skin didn't change color and most important of all we are here to tell the tale. So sit back, and get ready to say a whole lot of 'how the heck did that ever go to market?!'.

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  • 01
    Asked my gf to buy me a 2-pack of socks and she came back with these 2PAC STANCE EXTREM
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  • 02
    Kids today will never know the pain of destroying your thumb and still having no clue if the battery had power DURACELL 100% DURACELL POWERCHECK™
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  • While a genius invention in itself, there was something about these batteries which always felt a little off. Like we were exposing ourselves to something we potentially shouldn’t. Luckily, nothing bad happened, and we are largely not reliant on these anymore. But dang, could you imagine what would happen if these were rechargeable? After a few recharges and hundreds of heavy pressed swipes, you could have ended up with battery hands…

  • 03
    "Excuse me while I plug my portable CD player into my car's cassette deck like a goddamn boss." - Me, 1995 SONY CAR CONNECTING PACK A
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  • 04
    GAME SELECT WORLD CUP ITALIA WORLD CUP ITALIA SUPER HANG ON PRESS START BUTTON SELECT CURSOR SELECT GAME LEFT or RIGHT BUTTON START BUTTON
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  • 05
    I'm this old The Oregon Trail Te A Travel the rall but the trail Galliker Potomac F Chocolate to jen (private!) SSBOCLCRIM whate
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  • 06
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    SEGA SEGA SEGA SEGA MEGA FROADE MEGA ARCADE MEGA ARCADE GA SEGAME SELECTGA SE ROODE MEGA FRCADE MEGA FÌRODE МЕССТР SUPER Monaco SEG PRESS START BUTTON. EGA E Ε MEGA ARCADE MEGA PRCADE MEER ARCADE GA SEGA SEGA SE
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  • 08
    this brings back all sort of memories
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  • 09
    *The* lawn chairs of our summers...
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  • 10
    In the 80s we had all the same things these kids have for much cheaper My iPhone 20 3600 Speak 000 000 900 C My iPad SONY WA.. My iPod The Ultimate '80s Page YouTube
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  • Ok, let's take a moment to break this all down. How wild was the concept of the Walkman. A music player that you could carry on your hip, dance around with and enjoy endless hours of playback. It even out did its successor, the CD player, which loved to think it was a vinyl record and skip every time you moved it.

  • 11
    YOU CAN ONLY BRING ONE OF THESE BACKr Do Site Snack Doritos CRISPS 3D Nacho Chees Sweet Peanut Butter Creme Inside, 2 Crispy Cookie Outside! 169 Pizzarias Hi-C Ecto Cooler. 3 NEW! Citrus Drink Contains 10% Fruit Juice 8.45 FL250 mL) THROWBACKE SWELL 4 TRUTTER GatorGum HELPS QU 5 STOK GUM CH THIRST PEPSI BLUE 6 Cheese Pizzo NET 02.04 Magic Middles 11 8 10, DUNKAROOS Carth Sun rain NABISCO SQUEEZIT 9 Chucklin Cherry TOUT Giggles Fudge Vanille WHICH DO YOU CHOOSE?
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  • 12
    90S SCHOOL LUNCH STARTER PACK Goosebumps LION KING HAKUNA MATATA ENTER DARE Aladdin. POCAHONTAS THERMS JURASSIC PARK WELCOME TO HORRORLAND WHERE NIGHTMARES COME TO LIFE! THERMOS SURASSY PARK O@INSTA80590S BO 90 P CAUTION KEEP WINDOWS UP!
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  • 13
    THE KING OF SNACK TRADES ON THE CAFETERIA BLACK MARKET Cinnamon Graham Dunk Aroos UD Cinnamon Graham Cookies AND VANILLA FROSTING
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  • 14
    one WORD: POUCH. Bonus IF YOU DIDN'T STAB IT ALL THE WAY THROUGH. SUN PRISUN ARTIFICIAL COLORS CA Orange Fla-art ce Drink Blend Teber wberry F
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  • 15
    Makes MICHELIN STAR? NO, BUT STILL ELITE GET YOUR CARTOON NETWORK SECJALN FORDETAILS PAL Oscar Mayer KEEP REFRIGERATED Lunchables SHANE LUNCH COMBINATIONS Pizza 3 Pepperoni Flavored Sausage Pizzas Real Pleas Conte, TOMBSTONE Pires Sause for
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  • 16
    GUSHERS: THE CANDY THAT SAID "WHAT IF SNACKS COULD BURST? EARN CASH Belt Crociti FRUIT FALIT SNACKS NEW GUSHERS 60902 DS SI POUCHES NET WT 540053 Made With Real Fruit TRIPLE BERRY SHOCK sour!
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  • 17
    THE ULTIMATE SWEET FLEX-UNTIL IT MELTED IN YOUR BAG. Brabcakes Little Debbie UD Zebra Cakes CONTAINS 10 SNACK CAKES TWIN WRAPPED 1
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  • 18
    PLASTIC THERMOS EXTRA POINTS IF YOURS LEAKED EVERY TIME REMLINS Beauty B Beast and the ABCDER
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  • 19
    80s Saturday morning starter pack OWBACKS 8:0 290
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  • 20
    99 90's Friday Night Doritos Nacho Cheesier! 3DS SURGE 99€ man SINIW BLOCKBUSTER VIDEO Starter Pack HONEY, I SUME THE KIDS F
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  • 21
    Uber of my generation
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  • 22
    NAME SOMETHING MORE 90S THAN A DANCING COCA COLA CAN WEARING SUNGLASSES @insta80s90s ke
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  • 23
    WHO ELSE REMEMBERS MAKING ONE OF THESE? red ယ၁၉၂၉ purple orange @insta80s90s
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  • 24
    TODAY I SHOWED MY NEPHEW AN OLD 1.4MB FLOPPY DISC, AND HE SAID: 3.5 Floppy Disk 310 ,,COOL!!! SOMEONE 3D PRINTED THE SAVE ICON!" ifunny.co
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  • 25
    YOU THINK KIDS TODAY ARE STRESSED? WE PLAYED STRESS. 4 Perfection ASMES APPLE POMME (YADAM V BIR WISH BONE FOURCHETTE BROKEN HEART COEUR BRISE Simon THROWBACK
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  • 26
    my first house:
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  • 27
    my first heels: Princess
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  • 28
    my first car:
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  • 29
    my first journal: PASSWORD JOURNAL. CARL Access Press/Hold
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  • 30
    WaterGame my first phone: WaterGame مه 1 4 am 2 ABC 3 DEF 56 MNO 100 2 ABC 3 DEF مه 1 2 ABC 39 مه 1 2 ABC 3 DEF مه : 1 2 ABC 3 DEF 40 5 Jr. 6 MNO 4. CH 5 6A 4 CHE 5 JL. 6 MNO 4 5 6 MNO 7 PORS 8 TUV 9wXYZ 7 PORS 8 TUV 09 80$ *0 9 WXYZ 808 7 PORS t 9 wx.. 7 PORS 8 TUV 9 WXYZ 7 PORS 8 TUV 9 wxyz 100 003 99 WaterGame 1 op 2 ABC 3 DEF 4 مه 1 2 ADC 3 DEF 5. 6 MO 4 ONE 5JKL 6 MNO مه 1 paxCl Water Gamo Ос 2 ABC 3 DEF 1 as 2 ABC 3 DEP مه 1 2 ADC 3DDF 5 JL 6 MO 4 CHE 5 JKL 6 MO 4 CHE 5. 6 MINO
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  • 31
    Fisher Price my first job: E GHIJKL MNOPOR STUVW
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  • 32
    my first gaming console: VSMILE vtech ENTER Vtech VSMILE SMILE VIAT viech ELV vect Viech vioch
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insane nostalgic memes 90s memes manager millenials survive inventions
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