Remembering the 1990's Car Culture Pt. 1/11

"The-Ever-Socially-Apathetic TBAL" (tokyobayaqualine)
03/23/2014 at 14:49 • Filed to: 1990s, series, mazda, Miata, TokyoBayAquaLine, history, car history, before the internet, toronto

I wasn't alive in the 1980's (well, that's a lie. I lived a very vibrant and fun filled 9 months in 1989), but amazingly, I remember the early 1990's, and the cars that went with it, very well, as somehow, my memory became quite strong at an early age. That means that thinking back, I can remember quite clearly, 1991, 1992, 1993, and so on. To make sure I wasn't just "imagining" this time, I turned to the person who would know if my memories were correct better than anyone else... My mother. She only further justified all the memories I have had, so it's with pleasure that I bring you this little snapshot of the 1990's.

First off, this particular article will mainly be centred around ALL of the 1990's, where as subsequent articles will be per year. I have to introduce my subject of course, so this means taking you back to the era of which I'm referring to. This also means that in this particular article, I won't be talking so much about cars as I will the basic lifestyle of the 1990's, and how our lifestyle and media helped to develop the cars we saw in that decade, as well as the individuals we have now become. In future articles, I'll be pointing out certain cars that made a big impact on the North American community when they were introduced, but for now, I'd like to just talk to you about the 90's in general.

First off, I was born and raised the majority of my young life in Toronto, or a couple hundred KM's North of it. This meant that every spring, I could look forward to my mom taking me on our (what seemed like religious) drive down the 400 into the downtown core of Toronto, where we'd spend a couple days visiting friends. For the time when I was under 5, it was even easier, because I LIVED in Toronto.

From what I can recall, the 1990's were a decade of bliss. There were moments of extreme turmoil, such as the remainder of the Gulf War in the early 1990's, or the Clinton/Lewinsky fiasco in 1996, but for the most part, the world seemed to be on a pretty even keel, and Canada as a nation was reeling in the benefits.

McDonalds had the Pizza's on order (after waiting 20 minutes to get it delivered to your table), Ace of Base was cranking out if car stereos everywhere, Madonna was beginning to phase out of popularity, and Honda and Toyota were steamrolling ahead with quality product the likes of which have yet to be replicated by any manufacturer to date. On TV, Full House and Home Improvement were kings... Until Friends and Seinfeld showed up. Parents would put their kids to bed early so that they could watch ER or NYPD Blue in peace, and a little Kenny G went a long way on weekends alone with the significant other afterwards. Alfred Hitchcock Presents was still on TV, Matlock and Murder She Wrote was the standard of your grandparents TV Schedule (But all we ever wanted to watch as car enthusiasts were Knight Rider, Magnum P.I., and the Dukes of Hazzard). All the other kids had Easy Bake Ovens, but you weren't so bothered because you were over inundated by your over abundance of Lego and Hot Wheels. Video Games were 128bit, and the N64 was the MUST HAVE console that confined you into bouts of serious jealousy over the kid down the street who had one.

Saturday mornings WERE all about Rugrats, Inspector Gadget, Popular Mechanics for Kids, Power Rangers, Casper the Friendly Ghost, Beatlejuice, and of course... The Care Bears. All that 90210, Ready or Not, Saved by the Bell, Dawson's Creek, Buffy crap that came on later was for Teen's! Something about Indiana was Eerie, and you definitely were Afraid of the Dark... To the point that it gave you "Goosebumps" just thinking about it.

Michael Jordan WAS basketball, the Spice Girls WERE amazing, and the Lion King gave you a moral standard to live by. WWF didn't just stand for environmental causes, Die Hard was something you intended to do, and the Kombat of mere Mortals wasn't good enough for you. VR Troopers weren't as cool as Big Bad Beetleborgs, and neither could compare to Transformers or M.A.S.K.

It was good to scare your parents with a little Yak Bak, being stuck Home Alone didn't scare you, especially at Christmas, and YoYo's actually became popular again. But sadly they could never be as popular as Hot Wheels Criss Cross Crash, or as much fun to be sentimental with as the Bernstein Bears, or your favourite Robert Munch book... Or the Rainbow Fish.

I know I've missed countless things that remind us 90's kids about the 90's, so if any of you can think back to them, I encourage you too. It'll put you in the spirit to hear about the cars of the 1990's, and how much they influenced you and your current taste in cars.

But as it stands, the 1990's were more than a decade...

They were what made a lot of us who we are.

So keep your eyes peeled on this Kinja for the second of my 11 part series: The Cars of 1990-1991.

DISCUSSION (9)

thebigbossyboss > The-Ever-Socially-Apathetic TBAL
03/23/2014 at 14:52

1995 was hardly a moment of bliss for Canada since we nearly split into english Canada and French Canada.

The-Ever-Socially-Apathetic TBAL > thebigbossyboss
03/23/2014 at 14:53

I'm not asking people to look back at the bad times, but the good times!

therevengeofthesaab (really likes pre-2005 hondas right now) > The-Ever-Socially-Apathetic TBAL
03/23/2014 at 15:00

So you lived in Sudbury I guessing....

The-Ever-Socially-Apathetic TBAL > therevengeofthesaab (really likes pre-2005 hondas right now)
03/23/2014 at 15:01

Toronto, then Collingwood, then Barrie, then Midland, and now I'm currently back in Toronto.

thebigbossyboss > The-Ever-Socially-Apathetic TBAL
03/23/2014 at 15:04

Well, I am looking forward to series

Because-Racecar > The-Ever-Socially-Apathetic TBAL
03/23/2014 at 15:14

YOU JUST HIT ALL MY FEELS.

Nostalgia. Hard. Thanks!

My favorite part about growing up in the 90s? MOON SHOES!!!

The-Ever-Socially-Apathetic TBAL > Because-Racecar
03/23/2014 at 15:16

Moon shoes were awesome! So were the sneakers you could buy that had those lights in the back of them!

hethoughtofcars > The-Ever-Socially-Apathetic TBAL
03/23/2014 at 17:33

I was alive in the 80s. You didn't miss much.

Axial > The-Ever-Socially-Apathetic TBAL
03/23/2014 at 22:22

Did somebody say reminiscing over the '90s? That magical time when the USA was the good guy and even Europe loved us (according to those European sitcoms I had to watch)?

Oh man.

Consoles were for peasants. I was playing 3D Space Cadet Pinball , Math Blaster, Reader Rabbit, Treasure Mountain, Wing Commander, and last but not least: Activision's Battlezone (which later came to N64) .

Then on TV there was the DCAU, started by the ever-unimpeachable Batman: The Animated Series. We also had Roughnecks: Starship Troopers, Bill Nye: The Science Guy, Dexter's Lab, Cartoon Cartoon, SWAT Cats, Sailor Moon, Mobile Suit Gundam Wing, and The Real Adventures of Johnny Quest. And let's not forget the amazing science fiction and fantasy shows, which included such gems as Hercules: The Legendary Journies, Xena: Warrior Princess, Star Trek: The Next Generation, Star Trek: Voyager, Star Trek: Deep Space Nine , and the philosophical masterpiece that is Babylon 5.

And the cars! Back then they favoured the ubiquitous teal colour and weren't ashamed of their grey plastic bits. The ZR-1 was King of the Hill. Ferraris sounded good. KIA and Audi were nobodies in the USA. Cars were still allowed to be pointy .