90s Nostalgia Is Now “Historic,” According to American Girl.

So, I guess we’re calling 90s nostalgia “historical” now?

American Girl announced new “Historical Characters” this week: Isabel and Nicki Hoffman, twins from the 90s (1999 to be exact) who are in their girl power era.

As an “elder millennial,” my initial reaction went something like this:

But, the accessories are everything.

When I saw Isabel and Nicki’s accessories, I stopped feeling like an ancient artifact myself, and starting reminiscing about the artifacts of my childhood. American Girl nailed the late 90s nostalgia, transporting me right back to my own 1999 bedroom.

The outfits

Who else circled everything in the dELiA*s and Alloy catalogues, but never actually ordered anything? Isabel and Nicki’s outfits are the exact vibe I wanted (read: wished my mom would pay for) in 1999. Down to the chunky highlights – omg did their mom let them highlight their hair?! Jelly.

Did I…have this exact floral bedding?

Those groovy flowers had us in a chokehold. If you didn’t have the floral comforter, you had at least one giant flower pillow (our version of Squishmallows).

And then there was the floral “Best Friend” picture frame from Claire’s – we all had one! Pretty sure my school folders were covered in these flowers too.

american girl 90s nostalgia purple blow up portable cd player

Image: American Girl

The blow-up chair

The impractical chair we HAD to have. Mine was purple just like Isabel and Nicki’s, but with butterflies (you know the ones).

I can still hear the annoying squeak it would make every time I moved, and feel the way my legs would get sweaty after sitting in it for awhile (IYKYK).

Yes, that’s a portable CD player

Did you spot it on the blow-up chair? And the burned CD mixes with custom covers?!

I think this is the 90s nostalgia I miss the most. I LIVED for making “mixes” with the songs I downloaded on Limewire (sorry for the viruses, mom and dad). We put so much thought and work into these, from planning the playlist to decorating the CD itself with Sharpie.

And the memories we have with these CD players! I vividly remember holding onto mine as I ran drills at middle school track practice. Yep, just running while holding onto a whole CD player, with headphones connected by a cord.

tamagotchi pet 90s American Girl historical characters

Image: American Girl

The Tamagotchi

The alien pet that taught us that being a parent is hard AF. How were we supposed to feed and take care of them when we were so busy rewinding VHS tapes and playing M.A.S.H.?

American girl nicki and isabel 1999 historical characters

Image: American Girl

The computer setup

The final shot to the heart… the 90s computer setup. As if the clunky desktop, floppy disk, and home phone aren’t enough to take you back to the days when AOL ruled the world, the computer plays dial up sounds. You can listen to them here, and relive the trauma of not being able to sign on quickly enough to catch your crush on AIM.

While you’re there, experience more bits of 90s nostalgia in Isabel and Nicki’s interactive bedroom, or as AG savagely calls it, a “museum virtual experience.”